The Inner Game

A few weeks ago I wrote about a new adventure inspired by a drawing book:

 
The basic idea of the book was if you want to draw, then start drawing. Take an experimental approach. Be bold and try things. Notice what works and what doesn’t and have fun learning.

It reminded me of Tim Gallwey’s Inner Game approach to life and peak performance. His basic idea is our inner critical voice gets in the way of learning and performance. If we want to improve our skills we need to stop judging harshly and start paying attention to exactly what we’re doing and what the results are. It’s somewhat similar to the NeuroLinguistic Programming idea of

  1. Know what you want,
  2. Notice exactly what you’re doing,
  3. Is what you’re doing getting you closer to what you want?,
  4. If not, try something else.

Keen observation is often more helpful than blind striving.

In general I’m more mastery oriented (spending hours and hours learning new skills) instead of achievement oriented, so when I read The Inner Game of Tennis in the mid 1970’s Gallwey’s ideas resonated with me. The approach especially helped when I went back to work after ten years away from physics and computers. Whenever possible I chose challenging problems that I didn’t know the answer to, figuring I’d much rather be scared than bored. So even though there were deadlines attached, I learned to forget about results but instead to be curious about the problems themselves. It meant (1) I didn’t procrastinate to escape feelings of tension, and (2) once I immersed myself in the process and started enjoying the challenge I relaxed enough for the creative part of my brain to start working.

Anyway, that’s what works for me. What works for you?

Thanks to Evan, Mike, Rummuser, bikehikebabe, tammy, Max, dcrelief and Nick for commenting on last week’s post.

Откъде да купя икона

This entry was posted in Lifelong Learning, Living Fully, Taking Risks. Bookmark the permalink.

13 Responses to The Inner Game

  1. Evan says:

    I think Tim’s approach is great too. I probably put more store by avoiding what’s scary than you do.

  2. bikehikebabe says:

    The road in my oil painting looked like a ditch. Never tried again. Lydia’s friend hung painting in her room. I suppose if I’d persevered I might have succeeded but I didn’t have a blog—they weren’t invented yet.

  3. Jean says:

    Evan,
    Mostly I’m very risk adverse, but I didn’t want a boring job so I was highly motivated in that one area.

    bikehikebabe,
    Yes, having a blog helps. It’s nice to have something you want to draw.

    Even before I started my blog I wanted to write some, but I’m a highly visual person. (I think all physics and math majors have to be, in order to be able to think in terms of equations.) It was important to me to have some sort of picture/illustration. Flickr and the Creative Commons license were real boons at first. I still sometimes spend a lot more time figuring out the picture than I do writing. Probably no one else cares, but I do.

  4. Cathy in NZ says:

    My inner recesses took a bit of a beating this last w/end based on a letter received from the Practice Nurse at my doctors’ clinic…

    When I saw the doctor today, I pointed out that just because we have computers with bold and font sizes doesn’t mean you write a letter like this one! Plus even if the P/N doesn’t have time to put a quick handwritten initial between Thank you and P/N then find the way to do in the computer!!

    Turns out I’m not about to have to order a coffin…but the letter got me worrying that I wouldn’t even make it until the end of the week…and not be able to finish my current studies

    However, Natasha (dr) wants to monitor certain things pertaining to me, which is in way is commendable because my old doctor had got very “so what!” which was the reason I moved doctors; at the same changing genders 🙂

  5. Rummuser says:

    Frustration works for me. My best creative work, in my own assessment that is, is always a result of my attacking the creation, when I am frustrated with something else.

  6. Jean says:

    Rummuser,
    One of my favorite mantras is “Centered, creative and constructive.” It’s great for using one’s energy constructively instead of just being reactive.

  7. Nick says:

    I have no magic formulae for creativity. However hard I try to summon it up, it only comes when it’s good and ready in a sudden burst of inspiration. Fortunately for my blog, the inspiration comes on a fairly regular basis.

  8. MoSoLoCo says:

    Wonderful ideas put forward with the post. I also don’t have mush creativity but I tried each time when I engage to some work to be very concentrated.

  9. Jean says:

    Nick,
    I agree creativity can’t be controlled, but you can give it the right environment to blossom. For me it means starting to think about the project far enough ahead of time to give my subconscious mind time to come up with something. It’s fun when it does.

    MoSoLoCo,
    Yes, focusing helps a lot.

  10. Cathy in NZ says:

    Got off the point the other post…so now back to life! Too bad about what the nice doctor thinks right now 🙂

    During the last 2 decades, my life has been in topsy turvsy land and I have bumbled along with the rest of the world as such. Okay in the last 6 years there has a been a new strand appear – being a student in an old lady’s shoes…

    But the other day when my school lite sweater needed be washed, I had to wear something else and I ended up in a very colourful if mismatched top half…and I liked it. I knew I looked different when one of the students in my class commented that we were both wearing bright jackets…

    Today, I went out with a very bright orange top on – I mean really orange and bright with a turquoise top band and then the colourful cardigan jacket. It felt right –

    Why?

    Because years ago when my life was really in a very bad way, I bought clothing that was bright and because I was too busy in the morning to consider what I was wearing my friends would say to themselves “I wonder what she will be wearing today”

    I would turn up: yellow pants, red shoes, purple sox, pink/green striped shirt. At one point I got into hats and they would be perched on top…

    Why did I change?

    Well a friend, who I thought was a friend decided I needed to be bought into line and because I didn’t own anything black or neutral she took me shopping…all the bright colours rarely saw the light of day and as far as friend was concerned I was “normal lady”

    I now need to buy some new clothes…I’m thinking COLOURS which is hard to find when everything is neutral, black or boring!!

  11. Cathy in NZ says:

    oh, the friend with normal dress sense did this after my marriage broke up and I needed to revived!

    I did need reviving but I am now sure not quite in that way…

    And the friend I just tolerate as last year I finally saw through her “kind facade” 🙂 long story…

  12. tammy says:

    wow! interesting post and even more enlightening comments!
    first… i love your drawing! i like the lady with the paint brushes sitting there. i like her immediately! how odd. but true. like i know her. wait… is she me? LOL.
    and bhb… you never fail to bring a smile to my face. you are a true free spirit.
    and cathy… i think you should wear what makes you happy.
    wear happy! hang the so-called friends! you deserve color.
    dressing colorfully is creativity in itself. and makes you well.
    and evan… your voice is always so calm and sensible in this little communtity. refreshing always. (she says with a smile knowing full well she rants on and on. always!)
    love and hugs,
    tammy j

  13. Jean says:

    Cathy,
    Go with the colors! The world needs more brightening up. Good for you.

    tammy,
    I told my husband the woman is one of my role models. I love her too. 🙂

    I can spend hours and hours on Photoshop playing with pictures, trying to get the details to feel right to me. That doesn’t mean anyone else will agree, of course. My husband doesn’t like the one I made for next Sunday, but I love it, so I’m going with it. It warms my heart just thinking of it.

Please let us know what you think:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *