Quotes from W. Timothy Gallwey

Daca aveai de gand sa fii ingrijorat, ai nimerit secolul care trebuia!

Pogo was right when he proclaimed, "I have met the enemy, and it is us.

there are two games involved in tennis: one the outer game played against the obstacles presented by an external opponent and played for one or more external prizes; the other, the Inner Game, played against internal mental and emotional obstacles for the reward of knowledge and expression of one's true potential.

Cele trei componente stabile ale muncii lor: performanta, invatarea si bucuria. [...] Cele trei componente ale muncii sunt interdependente. Daca, in stradania de a avea performanta, componenta de invatare este ignorata, performanta va scadea inevitabil sau se va opri la un anumit nivel. La fel, daca bucuria lipseste din ecuatia muncii, atat invatarea, cat si eprformanta vor avea de suferit.

It is helpful to realize that whereas our external goals are many and various and require the learning of many skills to achieve them, the inner obstacles come from only one source and the skills needed to overcome them remain constant. Until subdued, Self 1 is capable of producing fears, doubts and delusions wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Perhaps the most indispensable tool for human beings in modern times is the ability to remain calm in the midst of rapid and unsettling changes.

I don't think anyone's Self 2 needs improvement from birth to death. It has always been fine. I, more than anyone, need to remember that. Yes, our backhands can improve, and I'm sure my writing can get better; certainly our skills in relating to each other on the planet can improve. But the cornerstone of stability is to know that there is nothing wrong with the essential human being.

The message of the Inner Game is simple: focus. Focus of attention in the present moment, the only one you can really live in

The message of the Inner Game is simple: focus. Focus of attention in the present moment, the only one you can really live in, is at the heart of this book and at the heart of the art of doing anything well.

Focus means not dwelling on the past, either on mistakes or glories; it means not being so caught up in the future, either its fears or its dreams, that my full attention is taken from the present.

Un juicio negativo de los resultados obtenidos hace que intentemos esforzarnos aún más; una evaluación positiva hace que intentemos obligarnos a seguir por ese mismo camino en el siguiente golpe. Tanto el pensamiento positivo como el negativo inhiben la espontaneidad.

played against such obstacles as lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.

sports; they come when the mind is as still as a glass lake.

Quieting the mind means less regretting. The mind is still when it is totally here and now in perfect oneness with the action and the actor. It is the purpose of the Inner Game to increase the frequency and the duration of these moments, quieting the mind by degrees and realizing thereby a continual expansion of our capacity to learn and perform.

Reflect on the silent intelligence inherent in all Self 2 actions and our attitude of arrogance and mistrust will gradually change. With it will dissolve the unnecessary self-instructions, criticisms and tendencies to overcontrol that tend to occupy the unfocused mind.

The awareness instruction, on the other hand, asks only one thing of the conscious mind: Pay attention to what is happening. There is no doubt because there is no right way or wrong way, and there is no fear of failure because there is no externally implied standard for success. Yet the body learns because it is now free to focus on what feels good and to see for itself what works.

the world to think and, while doing so, to increase his tension and doubt, while after success he won't be able to resist the temptation to analyze how to repeat it.

Focus means keeping the mind now and here.

The focused mind only picks up on those aspects of a situation that are needed to accomplish the task at hand.

Not assuming you already know is a powerful principle of focus.

Natural focus occurs when the mind is interested.

When this occurs, the mind is drawn irresistibly toward the object (or subject) of interest. It is effortless and relaxed, not tense and overly controlled.

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.

It is said that in breathing man recapitulates the rhythm of the universe. When the mind is fastened to the rhythm of breathing, it tends to become absorbed and calm. Whether on or off the court, I know of no better way to begin to deal with anxiety than to place the mind on one's breathing process.