Page 162 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

CHAPTER 19

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

Learners and performers come in all shap es and sizes. Some pe opl e are

aggressive, others are cautious. Some of us like ques tions , other s prefer ans wers.
Some bubble with confidence, always hunger ing for a chal lenge, whi le othe rs
break into a sweat at the notion of taking on somethi ng new. Most of us are a
complicated mix of greys. We have areas of stability and other s in whi ch we are

wobbly. In my experience the greatest of artists and compet itors are masters of
navigating their own psychologies, pl aying on thei r strengt hs , cont rolling the
tone of battle so that it fits with thei r personal ities. Whi le in thi s bo ok I ha ve
conveyed my vision of a life of learni ng, it is my ho pe that you will take the se

ideas and make them your own. Make them fi with your nat ur al dispo sition. I
have found that in the intricate endeav ors of compet ition, learni ng, and
performance, there is more than one solut ion to virtual ly every meani ngf ul
problem. We are unique individual s who sho ul d put our own fl ir int o

everything we do.
The question is: How do we do this? Let’s say we have become very go od at
something, and we are capable of performing reliably under pressure. How do
we become exceptional? How do we make that leap from techni cal virtuo sity to

unique creativity? The real art in learni ng takes pl ace as we move be yond
proficiency, when our work becomes an expr ession of our essence. Thi s was the
challenge at the center of my prepar ation for the 2004 Chung Hwa Cup, the
World Championships of Tai Chi Chuan Push Hands . What was it ins ide tha t

could take me to the top?
When I think back on the arc of my compet itive Tai Chi life, Taiwan was
always the reality check. It was the true measur e of my growth. The ski ll level
in U.S. Push Hands events, includi ng our champi ons hi ps , do esn’t compa re to