"The Inner Game" - Internal or External Focus?

[Swede]

I recently came across an article on the book "The Inner Game" and its applications. (I have not read the book yet.)

In short it said that when you face a difficult task you can listen to anyone of two inner voices. The "first voice" speaks on your weaknesses and the "second voice" speaks of your true self. The second voice gives a fair picture of what you can actually amount to. The first voice tries to stop you.

There was also another tip in the article: Focus on your external task instead of your inner thoughts.

To me it sounds easier to ignore your inner argumentation than to argue with yourself. Do you have any thoughts on this topic?

[Shamou]

I have not read the book either... but the thought pattern, as I understand it works the following way...

When we focus on a subject... or are subjected to some intellectual input... the conscious immediately sends the information to our bank of references (which is composed of the sum total of our past experiences) and, it is from that bank of references that we determine how we will judge and react to that information... and determine our behavior... or conclusion...
.

[Uplift]

The 100th monkey principle is an interesting aspect that plays a role in the application of consciousness, experience and and learning.

[tylerlloyd]

Well, remember that when the author says that when you face a problem you have a choice to listen to two voices - that is his opinion of how the human mind interacts with a problem.

Although I'm sure that there a physiological similarities amongst humans when they are confronted with a problem, you also have to consider your conditioning and they way you have traditionally dealt with problems in your life.

I would recommend spending time with your own decision making process and refining it as opposed to what some other guy tells you is happening in your head.

[justfiverules]

Hi Swede,

Tim Gallwey's book, "The Inner Game of Tennis", is his first, and I think best book.

His background as a Tennis player and coach is used as the backdrop for teaching you how to get out of your own way.

One of the very best self coaching books I have read.

Which 'You'? Which 'way'? ;-)

[stephencp]

Ignore the inner voices that say you aren't good enough and cultivate the ones that say you are.
You know how you "are", and many of the voices will try to keep you there, safe and sound in the "normalcy" of the status quo. If you're doing poorly, relative to your experience of how you "are" then you'll likely correct up and do better. Unfortunately, if you're doing "too good" for how you know you "really are", you'll probably self-correct for that too and screw up.

Stephen

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[Swede]

I think you have interesting points: To steer up one's inner argumentation is a good idea indeed.

However, I am wondering if it wouldn't it be easier to just focus on your task in itself then to direct yourself to inner voices. To be one with the task, so to say. If we focus enough doesn't our inner voice quiet? This is just a reflection of mine, I do not know if it works well or not. What do you think?

[John Hill]

It does seem like there are two voices inside our heads, one often tells us the easy way but that might now always be the best direction to take and the other voice seems to be a bit like a nagging parent but is often pushing us where we ideally should go. All these thoughts create a type of energy that takes control of us and we eventually have to follow one path.

We can change our thoughts for the better with the transmutation of thought energy and follow the path that is in our best interests.

John

Attracting People.com

[ginkgo]

Tim Galloway learned that stuff from doing the same meditation that I do called Self-Knowledge. I wrote an article about meditation, being in the present and being happy with info from top psychologists, medicine and cosmology called What is Enlightenment.

[Asmoday]

Haven't read the book, but...

I agree with that statement "at the time" of the task.

So, shut down commentary while you are trying to achieve whatever it is that you're working on.

But, if you don't untrain the thinking, you *will* undo yourself, every time and twice when it counts.

The thing is, the "voice" is your autopilot.

Your "willpower" is like nitrous with an engine -- it is very powerful, but is cannot be sustained, precisely because sustaining it would wreck the engine.

So, when you burn out your will, your autopilot takes over, in an attempt to stabilize your pattern.

Change the autopilot and your engine will do what it is supposed to do: Inject power when you need it to get over the rough spots. This will yield an overall upward trend.

Don't change it -- and you'll get brief periods of sucess followed by backslide, and an overall neutral or downward (as failure breeds more negative thoughts) trend.