We are always playing two games
The inner game and the outer game.
The outer game is visible. It is made of numbers, titles, outcomes and applause.
It can be measured, compared, displayed.
It answers to the question: What did you achieve?
The inner game is subtle. It is made of thoughts, fears, beliefs, and identity.
It cannot be easily measured. It can only be experienced.
It answers a far more difficult question: Who were you while doing it?
The outer game is performance. The inner game is state of mind.
One can try to fix the outer game. But the outer game is rarely the problem.
The outer game can be copied. Tactics, strategies, routines. Business models
But the inner game is nuanced and much deeper. It sits upon layers and layers.
The outer game is what you build. The inner game is what builds you.
When the inner game shifts, the outer game takes care of itself.
Fabio is a mental health professional, researcher and lecturer of psychology at Kenyatta University