Quotes from Josh Waitzkin

A heartfelt, empathetically present, incrementally inspiring mom or dad or coach can liberate an ambitious child to take the world by the horns. As

Of course there were plateaus, periods when my results leveled off while I internalized the information necessary for my next growth spurt

It is a little like developing the habit of stealing the test from your teacher's desk instead of learning how to do the math.

the three steps I described as being critical to resilient, self-sufficient performance. First, we learn to flow with distraction, like that blade of grass bending to the wind. Then we learn to use distraction, inspiring ourselves with what initially would have thrown us off our games. Finally we learn to re-create the inspiring settings internally.

It is critical to realize that we can always evolve in our approaches to learning. Studies have shown that in just minutes, kids can be conditioned into having a healthy learning theory for a given situation.

This journey, from child back to child again, is at the very core of my understanding of success. I believe that one of the most critical factors in the transition to becoming a conscious high performer is the degree to which your relationship to your pursuit stays in harmony with your unique disposition.

some of the brightest kids prove to be the most vulnerable to becoming helpless, because they feel the need to live up to and maintain a perfectionist image that is easily and inevitably shattered.

Each loss was a lesson, each win a thrill. Every day pieces of the puzzle fell together. Whenever

The road to success is not easy or else everyone would be the greatest at what they do—we need to be psychologically prepared to face the unavoidable challenges along our way, and when it comes down to it, the only way to learn how to swim is by getting in the water.

successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory.

growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety.

what I'm best at is not Tai Chi, and it's not chess. What I'm best at is the art of learning.

to incrementally condense the external manifestation of the technique, while keeping true to its essence. Over time, expansiveness decreases, while potency increases. I call this method 'making smaller circles.

Over the years, I've gotten better and better at returning from mental and physical exhaustion…The fighter who can recover in the thirty seconds between rounds…will have a huge advantage over the guy who is still huffing and puffing, mentally or physically, from the last battle.

The key was to roll with the evolving situation, and contour new tactics around the principles we had discovered back home…if you have a solid foundation, you should be fine. Tactics come easy once principles are in the blood.

I think that anyone can become tremendously success at what they do as long as they approach the learning process in a way that isn't self-paralyzing.

So the aim is to minimize repetition as much as possible, by having an eye for consistent psychological and technical themes of error.

In all disciplines, there are times when a performer is ready for action, and times when he or she is soft, in flux, broken-down or in a period of growth.

The learning principle is to plunge into the detailed mystery of the micro in order to understand what makes the macro tick. Our obstacle is that we live in an attention-deficit culture.

In performance training, first we learn to flow with whatever comes. Then we learn to use whatever comes to our advantage. Finally, we learn to be completely self-sufficient and create our own earthquakes, so our mental process feeds itself explosive inspirations without the need for outside stimulus.

When aiming for the top, your path requires an engaged, searching mind. You have to make obstacles spur you to creative new angles in the learning process. Let setbacks deepen your resolve. You should always come off an injury or a loss better than when you went down.

Whenever there was a concept or learning technique that I related to in a manner too abstract to convey, I forced myself to break it down into the incremental steps with which I got there.

study of numbers to leave numbers, or form to leave form

the study of numbers to leave numbers, or form to leave form