What did Sir John Whitmore mean with Interference?

Sir John Whitmore in his groundbreaking book “Coaching for Performance” said Performance = Potential – Interference.

Coaches are always trying to bring out the potential, but often do not succeed in removing enough interference to significantly increase performance. In fact, the degree to which they succeed with this really is the degree to which they can be said to be great coaches!

What is the interference? It is a combination of subconscious suppressed emotions and limiting beliefs (the subconscious blueprint), alongside busyness, stress, lack of access to their right brain function, lack of clarity of mind, and often a deeply held fundamental self-doubt and limited mind-set.

Simply pushing through to attain goals will not cut it. The interference must be systematically removed. And this takes time and strong commitment.

The firs and perhaps most important step is to return to oneself – that is to return to the here and now, be aware of the body, feelings and emotions and be willing to feel them. Almost immediately, an unravelling begins to take place, and within a short period of time people often say they feel more grounds, calmer and have greater clarity. This is the starting point to remove interference/

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• Boosts Mental Health: Research shows that self-compassion leads to greater emotional resilience, accurate self-concepts, and more caring relationship behavior.
• Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Being kind to yourself during challenging times helps calm your nervous system and reduces anxiety.
• Enhances Well-Being: Self-compassion fosters a positive mindset, leading to improved overall well-being and life satisfaction