SEEING CLEARLY 
 
SEEING CLEARLY: The bidding ends, the opening lead 
is made and the Dummy's cards are tabled. Whether you 
are Declarer or Defender, analyze and make a plan. After 
a few tricks are played the critical point of the hand is 
reached. You have to consider what has happened. Can 
you do this without a positive or negative evaluation. Can 
you neither add nor subtract any value judgment to the 
preceding play? If you can, then you can see things as they 
are: clearly and undistorted. You can evaluate the situation 
with a quiet mind. This is the experts inner skill. 
         There is nothing intrinsic in the play that warrants a 
value judgment. The experts knowledge of this keeps him 
totally focused in the present. The beginner/judge on the 
other hand is starting on a path of self destruction. For 
judgment provokes a thought process of further evaluation, 
over thinking the problem that leads to a tightening up and 
a self-conscious performance. "I played this game terribly." 
Or "I'm having a bad day." Or "I'm in a slump." And after a 
few more bad plays: "I'm a lousy Bridge player." These self 
judgments become self fulfilling prophecies and eventually 
you become what you think you are.
        To progress as a Bridge player you must see every 
play clearly, dispassionately, objectively. Whether it is a 
"great", "good" or "super" play; or a "bad", "awful" or 
"terrible" play. Whether a "horrible mistake" or a "brilliant 
coup." It is impossible to judge some situations as positive 
without judging others as negative. You cannot stop just the 
negatives. So to see your play and the Bridge situation as it 
really is, end all attributes of goodness and badness. Remove personal judgment and use descriptive non judgmental 
terms to describe your game. 
        Ending judgments does not mean that you should not 
examine or observe your mistakes. Letting go of judgments 
does not equal ignoring errors. But it means seeing your 
play clearly, without judgmental labels that can lead to 
emotional reactions. Then like the expert, your Bridge will 
improve with time and nurturing. 
 
INDEX
 

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