Page 58 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

experiences taught me that my father was no t so misgui ded when he ins isted
that watching was more stressful than compet ing.

So I waited for my students to emerge, joyous or distraught . Out came Ian
Ferguson, a thoughtful boy with a wonder ful introspect ive sensitivity and an
eccentric talent for the game. He had won hi s gam e and he ran over to me, we
high-fived, and he said, “You know, Josh, I almost lost.” Ian ha d a gi ddy,

relieved expression on his face, but he also looked like he had seen a gho st. “I
made a big mistake and hung my bisho p. My oppo nen t laughe d and I go t
really upset and reached for my queen. I was abo ut to move but the n I
remembered the woman and the bike! ”

The move Ian was about to play woul d hav e lost hi s queen and the ga me,
but suddenly he remembered the lesson learned as a seven-year-old. He took a
few deep breaths to clear his mind, came back to the moment, collected
himself, an d won a critical game in t he N ational Cham pi ons hi ps .