by Philip Callaghan, Resourceful Change

Isn’t it curious how everyday incidents can spark deep insight when you are in the right state of awareness?

For example, I noticed that the outside light on our house was not looking very bright. I decided to take it apart to have a look at what was going on. It’s a fairly simple device – a bulb surrounded by glass suspended on a bracket.

However, before I had a look inside, I was aware of three possibilities in my mind that would explain the light’s current state:

1. The bulb needs replacing
2. The glass needs cleaning
3. The bulb needs replacing and the glass needs cleaning

As I was taking the lamp apart to explore those options, I though of Tim Gallwey’s Inner Game approach.

You see, when Gallwey was studying the way that people learned sports, he discovered something very important about the way teaching and learning combined.


Excellent athletes frequently entered a state often referred to as 'flow' or being 'in the zone', while most ordinary people rarely accessed that state. The difference in overall performance was considerable.

He determined that the average person was subject to ‘interference’ which prevented them from achieving excellence – stopping them from being able to act consistently at their full potential.

He even created an equation to sum this up:

Performance = Potential - Interference

Gallwey also knew it was useful to presuppose that everybody is subject to some interference. These are often our ‘blind spots’. That means that most people can have some improvement to their existing performance.

You may have experienced the difference yourself. Have you ever had a really great day where everything seemed to work easily? You seemed to be in the right place at the right time and knew exactly the right things to say. That’s what it’s like when ‘interference’ is at a minimum.


However, there are some implications that are even more important when you consider the best path for your current learning.

From Gallwey’s equation, you can do one of three things to improve your performance:

• Increase your potential
• Reduce any interference
• Increase your potential and reduce any interference

Seem familiar? That’s exactly what started me thinking - do you need a brighter bulb or should you just clean the glass on the lamp? Or would it be best to do both?

• The process for reducing interference is called coaching.
• The process for increasing potential is called training.

It’s easy to see that when training and coaching are combined fully, you can greatly increase your performance levels. That’s why we offer you all three options.

Gallwey also noticed that some people had very little interference, depending on how well the teaching and learning methods worked together.

How? He discovered that most of the interference was created by conventional teaching processes! Those of you who have learned from us [at Resourceful Change in UK] know that our unique methods are designed to accelerate your learning while optimizing your performance. That’s why the experience flows in a relaxed way and the skills become straightforward to learn. It’s very different from a conventional classroom!

Most people who struggle are experiencing interference of some sort in their internal processes. That sometimes takes the form of unhelpful inner dialogue. Think about it – could you function at your best while someone is screaming in your ear?

While that’s an extreme example, it illustrates the point beautifully. The difference between that and your everyday experience may often just be a matter of intensity. And it varies – some times you have less interference than others. Those are the moments when you get into the flow of the experience.

I spent my time thinking about all of the ways I know to reduce that internal interference while I replaced the bulb, cleaned the lamp and went to write this article, which flowed easily.

State and internal dialogue are just two of the keys.


© 2008-2009 www.resourcefulchange.co.uk, reprinted with premission