What is The Right Mental State?

As coaches, teachers, parents, and team leaders, we’ve been taught to reduce mental interferences like self-doubt and fear or failure, understanding that this leads to higher performance.  Tim Gallwey's famous equation is Performance = Potential minus mental Interference.

The problem with the model is that it presents an impossible challenge because fears and doubts are always part of the game, especially for anyone exploring their potential.

When we listen to top performers, we see it clearly: they don’t lack fear or doubt; they don’t give them the final say.

·      Eric Clapton now openly shares how he was "riddled with self-doubt" when performing at the height of his career.

·      Viola Davis once said, “Every time I go on stage, I feel like a fraud. And then I do it anyway.”

·      Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, made a defining decision—what became the backbone of AI computing—during what he called a “life or death” moment for the company.

We need to rethink coaching.

·      Not as pursuing a perfect mental state, but as learning to live with interferences.

·      Acknowledging them. Learning from them.

·      Loosening their debilitating grip and taking the helpful next step.