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The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance Spiral-bound – May 27, 2008

by Josh Waitzkin (Author)

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ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CC43HZT9
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Generic; 37102nd edition (May 27, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Spiral-bound ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up

Best Sellers Rank: #7,021,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Josh Waitzkin

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Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time National Chess Champion in his youth, was the subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. At eighteen, he published his first book, Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess. Since the age of twenty, he has developed and been spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world. Now a martial arts champion, he holds a combined twenty-one National Championship titles in addition to several World Championship titles. When not traveling the country giving seminars and keynote presentations, he lives and trains in New York City.

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T. Fowler

Learn the art of excellence from one of the best

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2011

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Josh Waitzkin is an over achiever. He began competing in chess tournaments around the age of eight and was consistently the highest rated player for his age group until he stopped competing in his late `teens for personal reasons. Starting in 1998, he mastered Tai Chi, winning a pair of world championship titles a few years later. He now runs the JW Foundation, a nonprofit helping students direct their own learning in a way that meshes with who they are as people.

The Art of Learning is as multifaceted as its author: a compelling autobiography, a discussion of the theory and practice of both chess and Tai Chi, an exposition on general and performance psychology, and a primer on philosophy. I have distilled the most pertinent lessons for the UnCollege community:

Everything is Interconnected

The deepest message conveyed in the book is that many seemingly disparate pursuits are actually connected in subtle ways. A perceptive person can learn much about martial arts from chess, such as, and vice versa. In a earlier post, I sought to break down the barrier between "common sense" and "book smarts", and that sentiment is echoed here in a slightly revised form. Josh writes:

"From the outside Tai Chi and chess couldn't be more different, but they began to converge in my mind. I started to translate my chess ideas into Tai Chi language, as if the two arts were linked by an essential connecting ground. Every day I noticed more and more similarities, until I began to feel as if I were studying chess when I was studying Tai Chi" (xvi)."

The first step is to learn to think of our various pursuits not as disconnected islands, but rather as part of a whole, each part informing the others. As you go about your day, actively look for ways to learn x from y.

Master the Fundamentals

Although this is hardly an earth-shattering idea, Josh manages to give it unique expression, illustrating the urgency of practicing the basics with examples from his own life. He credits his successes in the early parts of his martial arts career not to having a broad mastery of many tactics, but with having a deep mastery of just a few. The mechanics behind one a single technique are often the same ones that lie behind the entire system. A big part of this mastery consists in gradually internalizing the fundamental principles until they are unconscious and reflexive. This concept is referred to in the book alternatively as numbers to leave numbers and form to leave form, and it applies to every pursuit.

Josh compares modern people to fish swimming at the surface, so caught up with the ripples and currents there that they miss the beauty of the abyss below. While there is much truth to this, there is still something to be said for generalization, omnivorous consumption of skills, and polymathy. We should combine both approaches: depth and breadth. Sometimes all we want, need, or have time to obtain is a broad perspective on a field or discipline. That's okay, because every bit is going to stretch our minds and enrich our perspectives. However, if all we ever do is skim the surface, then we're missing out on the value of plunging deeply and intimately into an art. Likewise, cultivating long-term tunnel vision on a single domain of knowledge will mean losing opportunities to see connections between disparate activities and the myriad ways in which one practice informs another.

Invest in Failure

One of the more difficult parts of the learning process is bouncing back from the inevitable setbacks and failures. Those of us with a self-image to protect may find shelving our egos and giving ourselves permission to lose particularly trying. By staying focused on the goal - improving as people, not proving how great we already are - we can continue learning. Confidence and pride in our accomplishments have their place, but should never get in the way of personal development.

Learn to Love the Journey

As important as gaining mastery of a skill is, cultivating a love for the process of learning is just as important. If we make the reasonable assumption that even masters still have aspects on which they can improve, it stands to reason that we all spend a lot more time as learners than we probably realize. This principle is so important, Josh places it squarely at the center of success in any field, saying that the path to the top lies "in a well-though-out approach that inspires resilience, the ability to make connections between diverse pursuits, and day-to-day enjoyment of the process." (30)

Learning with Style

An overarching theme of the book, and one of the main tenets espoused by Josh's nonprofit, is to make every aspect of our learning harmonious with and an extension of our personality. Great performers of all stripes know who they are and how to synchronize their activities with their mindsets. In chess, Josh writes, mistakes on the board often expose psychological weaknesses. The reverse is also true; knowing how a person acts under stress or pressure can tell you a lot about how they will play chess. As he began competing at a higher and higher level, Josh kept notes on how he felt during tournaments, specifically when he made moves that turned out later to be watersheds. This practice, continued later with his Tai Chi training, allowed him to grow more and more attuned with himself as a performer. He was able to quickly spot lapses in concentration and repair them, thus strengthening his technique from the inside out. I have kept a journal for years for this reason, and recommend that you all do the same. As you learn more about yourself through writing or introspection, try to find ways to make your pursuits an expression of yourself. The way you play chess, cook a meal, or write a book review should reflect a deepening awareness of your strengths and dispositions.

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13 people found this helpful

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K Miloshoff

A Fantastic Resource for Those Who Want to Learn How to Learn

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2014

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Josh Waitzkin, the inspiration for the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, is no stranger to creating change in his life. Through various life events ranging from when he won his first National Chess Championship at age 8 to becoming the Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands Middleweight U.S. Champion, he has learned not only how to maintain balance in his life, but also how to realize what needs to change in order to be successful. In his autobiography The Art of Learning, Waitzkin discusses some of his life lessons that he learned from mentors in the two opposite environments of competitive chess and Tai Chi – lessons that can be applied in a multitude of areas, including life in general and, specifically, educational settings. By keeping what Waitzkin discusses in mind, teachers and educators can facilitate change and improvement in their classrooms, in their own lives, and in their students’ lives and learning.
The Art of Learning is divided into three sections in which Waitzkin describes his learning, meaning that there are three areas of discussion from which educators can draw inspiration for facilitating change in a classroom. First, in “The Foundation,” Waitzkin describes his rise to fame in the competitive chess scene, delving into his experiences and interactions with chess Grandmasters Bruce Pandolfini, Mark Dvoretsky, and Yuri Razuvaev, as well as the lessons he learned from working with each of them. In the second section, “My Second Art,” Waitzkin moves away from chess and talks about his work and participation in Tai Chi, and how he progressed from a student to a master of the Push Hands discipline of the martial art. In the final section, titled “Bringing It All Together,” Waitzkin goes into more detail about the similarities of preparation and execution between chess and Tai Chi, and how he applies what he learned in one to the other. I found that, while reading each of these sections, each chapter within a section had its own theme and lesson, most of which I feel can be included in a classroom setting.
In the book’s introduction, Waitzkin establishes his overarching theme of “I am best at the art of learning” by opening with descriptions of his attendance at the Tai Chi Push Hands championship in 2004. He reminisces on his life at the time that Searching for Bobby Fischer was in theaters, saying that he could not walk down the street without people asking him to “autograph their stomachs or legs.” He then says that this newfound fame was not truly helping him achieve happiness, nor was it aiding him in his “search for excellence.” After this experience, Waitzkin enrolled in Tai Chi classes under Grandmaster William C. C. Chen, whose classes encouraged meditation, reflection, and realizing that “the mind needed little physical action to have great physical effect.” Once he used what he learned in Tai Chi to make connections to his chess career, his life “became flooded with intense learning experiences,” ranging from watching water crash onto a shore to using basketball to work on Tai Chi mechanics. Ultimately, Waitzkin began to think about how he transferred his knowledge of chess to Tai Chi, and how this question became the central focus of his life. Waitzkin concludes with his primary theme of this book, which is that he is “best at the art of learning.” As soon as I read the introduction, I immediately began to think about what he could possibly mean by the art of learning. How is learning an art? Can someone “get better” at learning? How can I (or other educators) use what Waitzkin says to incorporate change and improvement with students? In the three sections I described earlier, Waitzkin goes into more detail and provides different techniques and suggestions that support both his main idea and facilitating change in classrooms.
One idea that I found particularly helpful and applicable to a classroom setting is one that Waitzkin talks about in the first chapter. In this chapter, Waitzkin meets Bruce Pandolfini, a chess Grandmaster that eventually becomes his mentor and teacher. Waitzkin says that one of the most important aspects about Pandolfini was his educational philosophy, which focused on discussion rather than lecture. Whenever Waitzkin would make a mistake, Pandolfini would ask him his thought process and how he reached that conclusion. Actually, Pandolfini would ask Waitzkin his thought process on nearly every facet of his chess game, encouraging him to think about his own actions as well as finding different paths to reach the same conclusion. By doing so, Waitzkin was able to develop a deeper love and understanding of chess. Pandolfini’s philosophy aligns with my own values in regards to teaching. I am a firm believer in discussion and collaboration when working with students, and Pandolfini took this approach when working with Waitzkin. In my own educational experience, a majority of my classes were heavily lecture based, where discussion was not necessarily discouraged, but was not as prominent as I would have liked. In an educational setting, focusing on collaboration and discussion (as Waitzkin and Pandolfini did) will hopefully encourage students to want to learn and help them develop a deeper understanding of their subject area.
An additional point of interest for me (which Waitzkin called investment in loss) was in the second section of the book during Waitzkin’s Tai Chi classes. In simplest terms, Waitzkin describes investment in loss as “giving yourself to the learning process.” In other words, learning comes by resisting old habits and accepting new ones, as well as not being afraid to make mistakes. In Waitzkin’s case, he began to focus exclusively on training, and was eventually was able to exploit other beginners’ habits in his classes. Because he ignored old behaviors, he was able to rapidly progress – he did not let his ego affect his learning. From an educational standpoint, this mentality is perfect for facilitating change in student attitudes. At the beginning of a school year, a teacher establishes an environment that will be set for the class. Depending on what the teacher says and how he or she presents it, students may not feel comfortable learning new methods for solving problems, may be afraid of making a mistake for fear of embarrassment from their peers, or be inclined to let their egos affect their learning. If a teacher exemplifies the mentality of investment in loss at the beginning of the year, the students will hopefully model this behavior, as well. To do so, the teacher can explain that making mistakes is acceptable (in fact, making mistakes is how we learn!), as well as being open to ideas that students have in order to show that new ideas help the learning process. By demonstrating investment in loss, students will hopefully make rapid progress as Waitzkin did with Tai Chi.
A final takeaway I found in this book is when Waitzkin mentions “building your trigger” in the third section of the book. In this chapter, the primary focus is… well… focus! Waitzkin talks about focus in terms of important competitions, and “keeping cool” under pressure. He says that when thinking about high-stakes, high-stress times, it is important to avoid giving attention to the moment that “decides your destiny.” If this occurs, then stress, tension, and over-excitement are bound to be present, which will undoubtedly affect performance. To counter these feelings, Waitzkin suggests keeping healthy patterns in day-to-day life so that, when the time comes, everything feels natural. While Waitzkin is talking about Tai Chi in this particular passage, this outlook on focus and attention can also be applied in an educational setting. When I read this passage, I thought of students taking a test. Most likely, students will be nervous or tense about a test for a variety of reasons, meaning the nervousness can take over and affect their performance. If teachers and educators take Waitzkin’s approach, they can begin helping students by incorporating methods in their classrooms that make test taking feel “normal.” For instance, a teacher for an AP Calculus class can create tests with questions based on those found on actual AP tests. In doing so, when the AP test rolls around, the students will already feel like the questions are “normal” because they have grown accustomed to them in class. As a result, students will not be distracted by nerves and will be able to focus on the task at hand, which parallels what Waitzkin says about Tai Chi.
As I read The Art of Learning, I thoroughly enjoyed how the book was written as a whole. By this, I mean that I could sit down, open up to any chapter I wanted, and discover a brand new theme different from any other chapter. Even though each of the three sections of the book were devoted to either chess, Tai Chi, or both combined (respectively), I felt that I did not need to read each chapter in the proper order to understand Waitzkin’s messages and lessons. It felt like a season of television’s Scrubs: I can jump into any episode of the season and not feel lost, but I can pick up on the story halfway through. Each chapter was relatively short, but had some themes that made me question both how I live my own life and how I will teach in the future. I also enjoyed the fact that Waitzkin has a desire for learning and improving anything he tries. In an educational setting, this is a perfect attitude to have – everyone is allowed to make mistakes (except on a test!), everyone is encouraged to explore and learn through discovery, and assessments help both teachers and students improve their educational experience.
Even though this book was not written by an educator, per say, The Art of Learning has an incredible amount of inspiring material that can be applied to an educational setting. Waitzkin says in his Afterword, “mastery involves discovering the most resonant information and integrating it so deeply and fully it disappears and allows us to fly free.” By taking what Josh Waitzkin includes in his book and incorporating his messages into a classroom, educators will not only encourage students to think about their thinking (as Waitzkin did in his interactions with Pandolfini), but also how to become better learners and students. This book is an incredible read, resource, and guide for facilitating change in a classroom and life.

13 people found this helpful

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Karen V.

I went on an inner journey reading this book!

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023

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I savored every page of this book!

You may have heard of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer about the child chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin. Josh won eight National Championships in chess. He then abandoned chess when the book (written by his father) caused a media frenzy around him.

Serendipitously, an introduction to Tai Chi Chuan then captivated his attention. He went on to earned a World Champion title in Tai Chi Chuan. In this book, he reveals the deep mental study with chess, then deep physical-spiritual study with Tai Chi. He does a beautiful job writing about his experience.

Josh shares his learning journey through both arts. I resonate with his observations about Tai Chi as it is a sister art to my aikido practice. This is not a book about typical learning. This book is about deep study, observation, and training that is more profound than most people explore.

In his second act, Tai Chi, he reveals his insights and practices with mindfulness, investment in loss, making smaller circles, using adversity, slowing down time, and the illusion of the mystical.

It is about showing up with an empty cup, ready to absorb and learn, and accepting failure as growth. Smaller circles mean the movement is done more internally and not necessarily observable to a person watching. Being present–centered – where time seems to disappear. I feel blessed to have come across this book and that he shared his process. All these are principles I share in Spiral Impact.

I appreciate the level of focus and discipline he developed. It is something I reach for!

This writing has inspired me as I prepare for another Dan test in my art, aikido.
I hope you enjoy it as much! Karen

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Felipe C. S. Moitta

Must Read!

Reviewed in Brazil on July 12, 2015

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"Once he had won my confidence, Bruce began our study with a barren chessboard. We took on positions of reduced complexity and clear principles."

"I was also gradually internalising a marvellous methodology of learning - the play between knowledge, intuition, and creativity. From both educational and technical perspectives, i learned from the foundation up."

"there will be nothing learned from any challenge in which we don't try our hardest. We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities."

"Mental resilience is arguably the most critical trait of a world-class performer, and it should be nurtured continuously."

"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. There will inevitably be times when we need to try new ideas, release our current knowledge to take in new information - but it is critical to integrate this new information in a manner that does not violate who we are. By taking away our natural voice, we leave ourselves without a center of gravity to balance us as we navigate the countless obstacles along our way."

"Vibrant, creative idealism needs to be tempered by a practical, technical awareness."

"The Tao Te Ching's wisdom centers on releasing obstructions to our natural insight, seeing false constructs for what they are and leaving them behind."

"Depth beats breadth any day of the week, because it opens a channel for the intangible, unconscious, creative components of our hidden potential."

"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."

"Once we learn how to use adversity to our advantage, we can manufacture the helpful growth opportunity without actual danger of injury."

"In my opinion, intuition is our most valuable compass in this world. It is the bridge between the unconscious and the conscious mind, and it is hugely important to keep in touch with what makes us tick."

"the road to mastery - start with fundamentals, get a solid foundation fuelled by understanding the principles of your discipline, then you expand and refine your repertoire, guided by your individual predispositions, while keeping in touch, however abstractly, with what you feel to be the essential core of the art. What results is a network of deeply internalised, interconnected knowledge that expands from a central, personal locus point. The question os intuition relates to how that network is navigated and used as fuel for creative insight."

"The key to this process is understanding that the conscious mind, for all its magnificence, can only take in and work with a certain limited amount of information in a unit of time"

"When two highly trained minds square off, in any field, the players are in a fight to enter each other's heads."

"In every discipline, the ability to be clearheaded, present cool under fire is much of what separates the best from the mediocre."

"In the absence of continual external reinforcement, we must be our own monitor, and quality of presence is often the best gauge."

"The secret is that everything is always on the line."

"The physiologists at LGE had discovered that in virtually every discipline, one of the most telling features of a dominant performer is the routine use of recovery periods. Players who are able to relax in brief moments of inactivity are almost always the ones who end up coming through when the game is on the line."

"The unconscious mind is a powerful tool, and learning how to relax under pressure is a key first step to tapping into its potential."

"I believe an appreciation for simplicity, the everyday - the ability to dive deeply into the banal and discover life's hidden richness - is where success, let alone happiness, emerges."

"I believe that at the highest levels, performers and artists must be true to themselves. There can be no denial, no repression of the personality, or else the creation will be false - the performer will be alienated from his or her intuitive voice."

"If you think about the high-end learning principles that i have discussed in this book, they all spring out of the deep, creative plunge into an initially small pool of information. In the early chapters, I described the importance of a chess player laying a solid foundation by studying positions of reduced complexity (endgame before opening). Then we apply the internalised principles to increasingly complex scenarios. In Making Smaller Circles we take a single technique or idea and practice it until we feel its essence. Then we gradually condense the movements while maintaining their power, until we are left with an extremely potent and nearly invisible arsenal. In Slowing Down Time, we again focus on a select group of techniques and internalise them until the mind perceives them in tremendous detail. After training in this manner, we can see more frames in an equal amount of time, so things feel slowed down. In the Illusion of the Mystical, we use our cultivation of the last two principles (Making smaller circles and slowing down time) to control the intention of the opponent - and again, we do this by zooming in on very small details to which others are completely oblivious."

"Imagine that you are building a pyramid of knowledge. Every level is constructed of technical information and principles that explain that information and condense it into chunks (as i explained in the chapter Slowing Down Time). Once you have internalized enough information to complete one level of the pyramid, you move on to the next."

"There is a connection between that discovery and what you know - or else you wouldn't have discovered it - and you can find that connection if you try. The next step is to figure out the technical components of your creation. Figure out what makes the "magic tick."

Qualquer atividade que faça ou habilidade que desenvolva, o caminho é dominar a técnica e os princípios básicos e fundamentos de forma a tê-los automatizados, assim pode-se adotar um estilo que seja coerente com a sua personalidade. Tudo é uma forma de expressão, e diversos obstáculos nos mostram que precisamos liberar o caminho (bloqueios internos e externos) para nos expressarmos melhor.

Estamos assim num nível. Em certos momentos de inspiração, agimos acima do nosso nível. Josh mostra que pensar e analisar esses momentos (ele filmava treinos e competições e assistia, partes chave em camera lenta) nos permite compreender o que foi de fato a inspiração, e como elevar minha habilidade de forma a este ser o meu novo patamar. Como compreender e crescer com esse "insight", e não deixar que seja apenas a sorte do momento.

Não eleve sua voz, melhore seu argumento. Josh exemplifica muito bem essa ideia ao não reclamar das situações como ombro machucado ou juízes corruptos, apenas pensando no que fazer. Em geral, ser melhor, subir o nível do jogo. O obstáculo é o caminho.
Nesse sentido, aprender a fluir com os obstáculos tanto externos como internos - o terremoto, chutes do adversário, fumaça, falatório e etc, e a música interna, o fato de estar com saudades de casa e etc. Não negar as emoções (isso serve em algumas condições, mas nos topo as situações extremas te empurram para além disso) e sim fluir com elas, usá-las como combustível, aprender a jogar com elas, cada uma.

Uma característica fundamental de qualquer atleta de alta performance é a capacidade de relaxar. Dominar a relação entre tensão e relaxamento. Muscular, mental, em diversos níveis. É isso que separa os bons dos medíocres.

Dominar a técnica completamente, absorvê-la de forma a que não mais precise passar pela mente racional, deixando esta liberada para focar em outras coisas.

Os jogos mentais beiram a hipnose. Trabalhar estados alterados, fora da zona consciente, como momentos de piscar o olho, movimentos mínimos de ceder a uma pressão para cadenciar o oponente, controlá-lo, de forma que ele se sinta confiante (se essa for a estratégia). A batalha ocorre em diversos níveis. Quem controla o tom da luta vence. Quem entra na cabeça do outro vence.

A visualização é citada algumas vezes. Não em detalhes, mas claramente com fortes resultados. Para a cura do braço quebrado em tempo menor e sem atrofiar, visualizando vitórias e etc. Mais uma ponte com o inconsciente.

Várias pontes são feitas e usadas. A aceitação da bússola interna, de jogar a sua maneira, de investigar cada falha e compreender o que isso significa em termos de técnica, estratégia, psicologia, do oponente e etc.

Aprender com os erros é um ensinamento evidente no livro. A capacidade de analisar os erros em detalhe, perceber a falha no pensamento (por ter começado com o xadrez, um jogo mental e lento, que tem essa análise já na cultura do jogo). Essa estratégia se mostra útil na vida, a clareza de objetivos, intensificados pela profundidade do foco, pelos poucos objetivos e obsessões de cada vez, que permitem ter uma meta e estudar e aprender com cada obstáculo, levando o tempo necessário, absorvendo tudo organicamente. Cada vez mais consciente, especialmente pelo hábito de analisar, entender o que fazia intuitivamente (outro reforço à ponte entre consciente e inconsciente).

Como trabalhar pontos fracos, ou simplesmente no extremo, fora da zona de conforto, fomenta o crescimento. Especialmente com esse mindset.
Como o momento de vida e os objetivos, as dificuldades se mesclam, os obstáculos fluem e também suas resoluções.
Estar presente, atento, e relaxar. A importância de retiros (mesmo que no meio de um período onde outros treinam intensamente) para voltar renovado, com o tanque cheio e novas ideias - usar o subconsciente para trabalhar em questões enquanto a mente consciente foca em outras.

A mentalidade do processo e não do resultado, mas sem desmerecer a importância do resultado. O importante é aprender e crescer, saber que o esforço é mais importante, mas se permitir o sofrimento quando fracassa, e depois levantar de novo, pois sua identidade não foi ferida, vc é mais e não se sente ameaçado pela derrota (ela não faz de vc um perdedor).

A observação constante. O mundo dá dicas, como no exemplo da moça indo atravessar a rua, está desatenta e um ciclista esbarra nela (com grande esforço e evitando uma colisão muito pior). Ela ao invés de perceber o sinal, continua com os headphones e se vira pra xingar o ciclista. Nisso, um taxi a atropela. Estar num estado de consciência que te permita perceber esses sinais e reagir a tempo, voltar ao seu centro.

Aprender é um processo, e cada um deve seguir o seu caminho.

8 people found this helpful

H.P.J.M.

What it takes to be a top performer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2023

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This is basically a kind of autobiography of Josh Waitzkin, who achieved success in chess from a young age and then moved on to do really well at a martial form of Tai Chi (Push Hands). The book was written after achieving success at the world championships for the latter.

But it's a different kind of autobiography in that it focuses on peak performance, and to some extent, ways of learning.

Some of the main ideas about performance and learning discussed are:
- "Soft Zone" - this is about getting into the flow zone even with distractions
- "Making Smaller Circles" - focus on the essence of a technique, then refine it to make it as smooth as possible
- "Form to leave form" - letting go of the technical minutiae and develop an intuition or feeling
- Focus on depth over breadth, fundamentals over shiny new techniques
- Intentional relaxation - focusing intensely then taking breaks
- Building a "trigger" - this is a relaxation routine that can be triggered with a cue to get into the right mindset
- Dealing with adversity: handling "dirty" players and unfair rules without losing composure
- "Chunking" - a set of principles or techniques eventually becomes second-nature, and a building block to the next level, freeing up the conscious mind
- Spending a massive amount of time going over the hard parts (this is also known as "deliberate practice")
- Developing presence and awareness, channelling negative emotions into something better
- Having a growth mindset, which is based on incremental improvements and putting yourself in difficult situations to improve

The book has a lively, sentimental style and Josh clearly writes from the heart. It's pretty well written, especially considering he must have done it in his late 20s. Some of the advice is a little mystical and you can sense his influence from Eastern philosophies and religions. For a guy who's achieved a lot he is quite humble and modest, and acknowledges at all points the people who were supportive and helped him.

I think for anyone doing anything competitive or just wanting to up their game and learn more, this is a good read.

Ines

EXCELLENT PRODUCT

Reviewed in Germany on October 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

Excellent Product, total recommend this

Geoff

Excellent Memoir

Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2022

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I picked up this book after hearing about how good of a motivational book it was. I knew of Josh Waitzkin during his chess days and then after with the movie. I did not know about him leaving chess and taking up Tai Chi then going on to being a world champion. That added intrigue, for me, in the desire to read this book.

I can say it is an excellent read with good insight and commentary about how Josh approached his chess training and then applied some of those techniques towards Tai Chi once he moved over to it. There is good insight that the author provides in dealing with adversity in competitions and how he worked through overcoming it. Particularly, when dealing with competitors who, not as talented as him, would use aggressive, sometimes violent, means to break his concentration. Rather then react in kind he would work on ways to diffuse the actions and more often than not enrage the competitor when he didn’t react as expected.

I came away with inspiration and positivity. Overall, I would give it a 4.25 stars as the writing style is very well done and the story line is captivating, the lower rating is because I felt more like I read about the over-view of his life to that point which didn’t connect me as much as say David Goggins book. I would recommend it to anyone looking for inspiration.

Arthur S. Lima

Fenomenal!

Reviewed in Brazil on September 1, 2020

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Josh Waitzkin é como uma versão do Xadrez e do Tai Chi do Dan Millman, ginasta olímpico.
O livro é uma narrativa, mas com meditações sobre os estados mentais de uma pessoa performando sua habilidade. É como um relato do estado de flow, e também os intervalos entre batalhas intensas.
O livro é muito interessante para as pessoas que se interessam por alta performance, autoconsciência e profundidade de raciocínio. (isto é, compreensão detalhada sobre um processo)

Desde a primeira leitura deste livro, passei a dedicar-me muito mais a autopercepção enquanto executo uma tarefa, principalmente a de escrever. E percebi muitos 'detalhes' úteis. Como se fossem matéria-prima para evoluir minha concentração. Além disso, mudei muitos paradigmas sobre engajamento, foco e descanso.

O livro nos convida a perceber o que é uma jornada de consciência, e integração entre nossos interesses, habilidades e nossa própria natureza autentica. De certa forma, subverte a teoria do sacrifício de tudo em prol de um objetivo para em verdade, integrar toda a vida e as imperfeições como parte que compõe a condição para a 'última performance'. É perfeitamente possível encontrar foco pleno e realização concentrada, se soubermos ter consciência sobre nossos limites, reais habilidades, emoções, condição física e motivação pessoal. E, além disso, certo 'equilíbrio' em 'outros campos' da vida.

Após esse livro, é difícil não enxergar o quanto somos um só em todas as esferas da vida. E que, a forma que fazemos uma coisa, é a forma que fazemos todas as coisas. Entre tantas lições, este livro me ensinou que a alta performance é resultado de auto consciência, prática e aprendizado constante (voluntário).

Cada momento, e feedback de nossas ações, é uma possibilidade de perceber um pouco de mais de perto, a 'Verdade'. (como entidade teórica que significa 'melhor que antes' ou 'sem aquela percepção falsa' ou 'sem aquele limite')

P.S: Embora o livro seja sobre a arte de aprender, ao entrar no mundo Josh Waitzkin diria que se trata da arte da alta performance. Embora discorra muito bem sobre a relevância de uma estrategia de aprendizado apropriada para o início do aprendizado de uma 'arte', o livro é brilhante pelas seções que discorre em profundidade os desafios para romper os limites dos níveis mais altos de habilidade e desempenho.

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