A few weeks ago, I got back into playing tennis.
On the court, I was discussing the psychology of tennis and was reminded of a book I read over a decade ago:
“The Inner Game of Tennis.”
The book digs into “the mental side of peak performance.”
Not only is it an exceptional book about tennis, it provides lessons that we can apply to life and business.
Here’s the big idea:
There’s the outer game, which is the mechanical part—how you hold the racket, keep your arm level on your backhand, and so on. It’s the part that most coaches and players tend to focus on. Gallwey acknowledged the importance of the outer game, but what he was really interested in, and what he thought was missing from most people’s approach, was the Inner Game. “This is the game that takes place in the mind of the player.”
He goes on to say:
The Inner Game “is played against such obstacles as lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt, and self-condemnation. In short, it is played to overcome all habits of mind which inhibit excellence in performance.”
Our “Inner Game” is going on 24/7, not just on the court.
Here are 3 insights from the book:
- Focus on process, not outcome. You can’t control “winning”; but you can execute the swing. Focus on the actions that are in your control, let the outcomes come naturally.
- Relaxed concentration. Peak performance is a combination of calm attention plus challenge. Create the conditions for deep work in your business: clear priorities, fewer simultaneous projects, protected focus time.
- Visualize desired outcomes and cues. Mental rehearsal primes action. Visualize the day that you want to have, the meeting you want to go well, the writing session you want to focus during.
Check out the book here.
