Exploring Letting Go of Judgments: My Journey in Mastering Natural Learning

Have you ever experienced an unexpected moment of success? Something that seemed almost too good to be true? I had such an experience a few months ago, during a day out with my office colleagues.

After lunch, I took some time to relax and observe the various activities available at the resort. As I was watching, I noticed archery nearby and decided to check it out. When I got there, I realized that none of my colleagues were around, but I was intrigued and asked the instructor for a brief tutorial on how to use the bow and arrow.

As he demonstrated, I was just observing how he was doing, nothing else.?When it was my turn, I picked up the bow and arrow and aimed at the target. To my amazement, I hit the bullseye on my very first attempt! My nearby colleagues witnessed this feat and started cheering and applauding. I was thrilled and felt a surge of joy at the unexpected accomplishment.

However, my subsequent attempts were not as successful as my first. Everyone dispersed, and I thought my first chance was luck, after all, it was my first try.

After a few days, I came to the realization that my initial success was not just a stroke of luck, but rather a result of something more profound. It was only when I started practicing #selfawareness and cultivating a non-judgmental mindset, inspired by the teachings of "The Inner Game of Tennis," book that I began to understand why my subsequent attempts did not meet the same level of achievement.

This book talks about discovering #naturallearning - when the mind is free of any thoughts or judgments, it is still and acts like a mirror. This is when you see things that really matter to you. You just watch things that are important at that moment, and the proper response takes place. It becomes more about feeling the things that are important to you at that time. In my case, I was feeling the bullseye and I was aware of where it was.

During the event, I was able to feel the thrill of the moment because I had no prior expectations or preconceived notions, and I was in a thoughtless state. However, when I received compliments for my successful archery attempt, my mind got busy processing compliments. Today, I can see that time, I started to feel to meet certain expectations, and my judgmental mind took over. "The Inner Game of Tennis" helped me realize that compliments can also be disguised criticisms, as people's opinions can easily shift and create subjective standards of what is considered good or bad. This created a divided focus, leading to interference from my ego, which affected my concentration and subsequent attempts at the activity.

?Compliments are criticism in disguise.

The key to achieving pure and natural learning is to observe actions without labeling them as good or bad. This means avoiding the labeling of results as positive or negative, and simply focusing on things that really matter at that time. This concept is similar to the story of Arjun from the #Mahabharata , who was able to focus solely on the eye of the bird during his archery practice. Performing actions in a thoughtless state is often referred to as #childlikelearning . Children have a natural ability to observe and act without processing unnecessary information, which allows them to learn a great deal in the first few years of life. However, as they grow older, they tend to learn to process unnecessary information and lose this ability to learn in a natural, thoughtless state.

Here, despite not possessing such skills initially, I was able to tap into a childlike state of learning during my archery attempt. By observing and adapting my actions accordingly, I achieved a level of pure focus and natural learning, free from any preconceived notions or judgments.

But, How can we observe things as they are and shift a judgmental mindset to focus on what's really important?

This book has provided me with valuable insight into how to see things as they truly are. In situations where I may receive criticism or feedback, I have learned to take a deep breath and stay focused on my actions, remaining aware of what truly matters to me. By doing so, I learned to avoid making judgments and remain centered on my own thoughts and emotions.

I also got an answer, what to do when getting compliments - just feel fortunate and graced. This can relate to our culture of giving credit to God, by saying - "All is by God's grace." "?? ????? ?? ???? ???"

So, how natural learning happens?

Natural learning and profound performance occur when the mind is thoughtless, and judgments are absent. When actions are observed and accepted without any labeling or judgment, a natural and speedy process of change begins. The key to achieving this is to let go of preconceived notions and simply focus on the present moment, allowing the mind to enter a state of flow. This approach not only enhances learning and performance but also promotes a sense of #innerpeace and #clarity .

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I can feel more inner peace and clarity, thanks to iZenBridge Consultancy Private Limited 's Professional Coaching & Leadership Program (ICF-ACSTH - Level 1). program. It gave me tools to increase self-awareness and practice #nonjudgmentalthinking . My trainer Karen Borain recommended the book "The Inner Game of Tennis," and I am grateful for her suggestion and the practice it provided.