The Art of Learning

Dr. Rowe struck again when he gave me a book to read by the title above, written by Josh Waitzkin. I'd heard of him previously, through tai chi circles. I loved the book and I see how thins can change a life if the lessons within are integrated. I wish I'd have written it myself. I think he did a great job. Josh was a world champion chess player and later a world champion at tai chi push hands. If someone is a world champion in two disciplines, I'd say he has something worth reading. Below is an excerpt from an interview I was sent by e-mail.


After he took up tai chi as an adult, Waitzkin said he "came to this beautiful sense of internal peace" apart from competition. He also won eight national chess titles and two world tai chi titles.

HOW NOT TO BE A PAWN IN LIFE

In The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin combines memoir, performance psychology, Eastern thought and parenting. The book is in the self-help section of many bookstores, which makes him wary because instead of offering answers, he probes questions and ideas.

"I think a lot of self-help books are attempting to give easy answers to complex problems," he says. "One thing I definitely struggled to do is to convey the complexity of these ideas."

They include:


•Entity/incremental learning. Rather than treating intelligence or talent as a fixed "entity" that you have or you don't, he stresses "incremental" progress through hard work.

•"Numbers to leave numbers." By internalizing technical skills, such as the "numbers" of chess positions, you "leave" them to your subconscious mind so you can do them by feel without thinking about them.

•The soft zone. Recalling intense periods of creative flow in which his performance was inspired and effortless, Waitzkin explores methods of creating inspiring conditions. Those include practicing stress and recovery to manage tension, figuring out what inspires serene focus and creating a routine to trigger that state.

•Investing in loss. Learning from your mistakes means accepting your imperfections and figuring out how to make them strengths.

•Making smaller circles. Rather than trying to master the big picture, concentrate on understanding the smallest fundamentals with such depth that they become part of your mental framework.

•Slowing down time. By training yourself to integrate information into your subconscious mind, you free your conscious mind to focus on smaller amounts of information in greater detail, making it feel as if time is slowing down.

•Making sandals. Rather than "paving the road," or trying to control external conditions, you "make sandals," or change the way you deal with those conditions. Instead of trying to block out distractions or emotions, for example, figure out how to channel them in positive ways.


I have a book review on my site in the Recommended Reading page, with a link to Amazon.com
I hope you enjoy the book.