| MISTAKES THAT LOSE |
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MISTAKES THAT LOSE: Bridge play is in the active present. And so is all competitive activity. If you ever watched a tennis match between world class players, you will notice that if a player misses a shot, she might momentarily be upset, but immediately gets back into the game. They do not obsess on the loss; for the moment that is forgotten about, cut off. All attention is focused on the next play, the now. This also has to be the behavior at the Bridge table. Bridge players of course know this, but they still sometimes obsess on a mistake and even obsess about obsessing. This can spiral up into other levels of chaos which will eventually cause the player to beat his breast, pull his hair and maybe even leave the room. Aberrant behavior such as eating the cards has also be noted. Here are some Bridge secrets. No one, not even your partner nor close relatives, really care about your mistake. That is history, in the past. And here is another secret: if you play in the present then you are not a failure; you are a success and becoming better at the game. Playing in the present means simply calmly and compassionately observing your behavior and learning from your mistakes. To do this you have to be awake and alert at the table. Falling asleep or dying during the game can be quite disconcerting to your Partner and other players. Do not be concerned about reducing the number of errors. That will happen in time. A sign that you are improving is that your mistakes are becoming more advanced mistakes not necessarily less frequent. An expert is an expert because he makes expert errors. |
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