Timothy Gallwey Quotes

Negative judgment of the results of one’s efforts tends to make one try even harder; positive evaluation tends to make one try to force oneself into the same pattern on the next shot. Both positive and negative thinking inhibit spontaneity. THE

letting go of judgments does not mean ignoring errors. It simply means seeing events as they are and not adding anything to them.

He aims at the kind of spontaneous performance which occurs only when the mind is calm and seems at one with the body, which finds its own surprising ways to surpass its own limits again and again. Moreover, while overcoming the common hang-ups of competition, the player of the inner game uncovers a will to win which unlocks all his energy and which is never discouraged by losing.

I was beginning to learn what all good pros and students of tennis must learn: that images are better than words, showing better than telling, too much instruction worse than none, and that trying often produces negative results. One question perplexed me: What’s wrong with trying? What does it mean to try too hard? PLAYING

One caution about “the zone”: it cannot be controlled by Self 1. I have seen many articles that claim to provide a technique for “playing in the zone every time.” Forget it! This is a setup. It’s an age-old trap.

Getting the clearest possible image of your desired outcomes is a most useful method for communicating with Self 2,

I know of no better way to begin to deal with anxiety than to place the mind on one’s breathing process. Anxiety is fear about what may happen in the future, and it occurs only when the mind is imagining what the future may bring.

using awareness to “discover the technique

Freedom from stress happens in proportion to our responsiveness to our true selves, allowing every moment possible to be an opportunity for Self 2 to be what it is and enjoy the process. As far as I can see, this is a lifelong learning process.

I have found that when players break their habitual patterns, they can greatly extend the limits of their own style and explore subdued aspects of their personality.

if we let ourselves lose touch with our ability to feel our actions, by relying too heavily on instructions, we can seriously compromise our access to our natural learning processes and our potential to perform.

If a mother identifies with every fall of her child and takes personal pride in its every success, her self-image will be as unstable as her child’s balance. She finds stability when she realizes that she is not her child, and watches it with love and interest — but as a separate being.

To me it makes sense to build any system of instruction upon the best possible understanding of natural learning, the learning process you were born with.

Attention is focused consciousness, and consciousness is that power of knowing.

When the mind is free of any thought or judgment, it is still and acts like a mirror. Then and only then can we know things as they are. AWARENESS