Positive thinking is still judgmental thinking. And while it may briefly feel good because it’s positive, we easily slip from one form of judgment to another. Gallwey, W. Timothy (1981). The Inner Game of Golf (1sted.). New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-50534-4.

The goal is thus to play without thinking too actively or “over trying.” Good players of course still have to exert significant effort on the court, but there’s a difference between this and trying too hard, which almost always involves getting angry at yourself. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2012-08-20 16:34:45 Bookplateleaf 0006 Boxid IA1101318 Boxid_2 CH118201 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City New York Donor When you ask most executives “Which of the three work results gains the greatest support and encouragement in your work environment?” their response is overwhelmingly “Performance.” And then when you ask them “How much more priority is performance given over learning and enjoyment?” the response generally has the level way beyond the triangle so that it is only about outer performance and nothing else. Becoming a high performing individual and organization is demanding. It requires more than most of us realize and asks us all to have deep enough commitment not only to short-term performance but how we are truly learning and growing in the process. To do that, requires a great deal of unlearning of bad habits and a new way of being that involves us being much more open and trusting to what is actually happening within and around us.For decades, Timothy Gallwey has been teaching tennis in a way that can change his pupils’ games on the court and lives off of it. His method revolves around the concept of the “Inner Game” that players play with themselves. He introduces the idea of “Self 1,” which governs our ego-mind—the part of our brain that is chastising ourselves for mistakes and praising us for successes—and “Self 2,” which relies on base instincts to do everything from continuing to breathe to hitting a tennis ball. It's more effective to visualize the result you want, and self2 will figure out the how all by itself. First, something is judged as good or bad: “That serve stunk.” The player then starts thinking about how to recreate the shot if it was good or how to not do it again if it was bad.

In the years after his first book’s release, readers even began to employ the Inner Game methods to their lives off court, and Tim moved into applying The Inner Game methods of change to corporate work. His long term clients included Apple, AT&T, The Coca Cola Company, and Rolls Royce where he applied The Inner Game of coaching for Leadership, Sales, Change management and Teamwork, Gallwey’s work has often been credited as the foundation of the new fields of corporate and life coaching. In 1960, Gallwey was captain of the Harvard University Tennis Team. In the 1970s he learned the meditation techniques of the Divine Light Mission's Guru Maharaj Ji, which Gallwey said enhanced his powers of concentration in a manner that improved his game.[2] In a 1973 New York Times article he described his discovery of Maharaj Ji and his decision to live in an ashram and practice celibacy.[3] In 1997, Gallwey dedicated his book, The Inner Game of Tennis, to him.[4] The Inner Game of Performance is a program specifically designed re-define the landscape of what has become known as a “learning organization” or a “high performance culture” into a lived reality where what is called “work”: is an increasingly human-centred environment, where enjoyment, learning and excellence in performance are the three parts of one whole. Tools, understanding, and insights are offered to facilitate such a transition that becomes the fulfilment of personal and professional achievement. In this program, any individual who has the courage and commitment to learn about what it takes to become an extraordinary source of high performance will also recognize some of what it takes to fill their own deepest needs as human beings. Having provided yourself with an image and a feeling, you are ready to hit some balls. Now focus your eyes and mind on the seams of the ball and let it happen. Then observe what happened. Once again, don’t analyze; simply see how close Self 2 came to doing what you wanted it to.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.” The Inner Game of Tennis was an interesting book, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as some other books I've read about the performance mindset...

There was also quite a lot of esoteric tennis minutia presented here, despite the author saying there wouldn't be. Gallwey, W. Timothy; Kriegel, Robert J. (1977). Inner skiing (1sted.). New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-42048-9. The “hot streak” usually continues until he starts thinking about it and tries to maintain it; as soon as he attempts to exercise control, he loses it.

On Self-Judgment

Choosing to see reality for what it is without projecting our own baggage onto it is practically a superpower. On Effort All human activity can be divided into two major parts: the outer game and the internal. Without some mastery of the often-neglected skills and goals of The Inner Game, success in any outer game is not only restricted and difficult but is also relatively limited in terms of one’s true potential being realized. The longer I live, the greater my appreciation of the gift that life itself is. This gift is much greater than I could have imagined, and therefore time spent living it in a state of stress means I am missing a lot — on or off the court.