Psycho-Cybernetics - See Yourself at Your Best
Matt Furey's Super Human Success Blog
“The more things appear to be the same, the more they may be changing – and usually for the better.
The more things appear to be getting worse, the more they may actually be improving – for the better.
The more you see on the outside, the more you need to peak beneath the surface. The more you look within, the easier it is to get better without.”
– el Furecat
nom de plume of Matt Furey’s alter ego
Shania Twain may have said it best in her song, “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”
The more we TRY to impress others, the less natural we are, the less flow we experience and the less power we have.
Consequently, the more we try the more we fail. And when we try even harder, we end up even more frustrated.
But then, one day we throw our hands up and exclaim, “So what? It’s not the end of the world. I’ll live through it either way.”
And what happens?
We succeed much more often because we are FREE.
Free to stop over-thinking and DO. Free to be Natural and at EASE.
Yes, caring about how you do is a factor – but caring TOO MUCH is never a good thing. It’s a distraction because it overwhelms our brain and nervous system with unnecessary feedback. Plus, our intention is mixed. Not only do we want what we want – but now we want to impress someone else on top of itt. Take care of yourself. You cannot impress others no matter how much you try, so focus on what matters and nothing else.
This is why the art of letting go (of your breath) is so powerful. When we want something so badly that we stifle our breathing and tense our bodies, the result is generally lackluster, at best.
When you OVER-care or OVER-think about a result, that’s the time to tell your servo-mechanism to take over. Inhale and exhale and trust the creative mechanism.
You’ve already pictured what you want – now it’s time to let go of it and be totally free.
Inhale deeply and let your breath go.
When you focus on your breath, you become natural. When you stop trying to impress, more often than not, you’ll end up being shocked with how different the result is for you, and how easy it was in comparison to the other approach.
Matt Furey
Here’s an idea. Instead of TGIF – Thank God it’s Friday, how about NFOF – No Fear on Friday?
It’s one day per week, for starters, where you stop worrying and start living. It’s a day when you choose to use your weekend wisely, doing what you love to do, going after the dreams and goals you’ve put off. It’s a day to release unnecessary inhibitions, expand your courage and be more fully alive.
It’s not about getting sauced, partying or being lazy all weekend.
Now is your chance, this Friday and every other Friday, to grab control of your life at an entirely unprecedented level.
Write that book. Study that course. Catch your fish.
Do what makes your heart leap and your blood swim.
And guess where all of these shifts in doing take place first?
It’s called the Theatre of the Mind.
We see, we hear, we think about in the form of mental images, then we DO.
That’s how we human beings roll.
Whether your eyes are open or closed, you see things, then you act upon them.
Some people see things quickly and act immediately. Others see things and ponder a bit longer, in more detail, then act.
Others see images that all of the above is hogwash and not worth their time – and they act accordingly, too.
Whether you spend the weekend on the couch with a bottle of booze – or outdoors exploring nature – it starts within your own mind in the form of mental images that we turn into reality via our actions.
Want different results – choose different images.
The new images will lead to different behaviors and actions, and these lead to different results.
Doubt me?
Then take a few minutes to see yourself doing something different today or tonight, then stand back and observe as the seas part and the mountains open up new trails for you to explore.
Let’s Grow!
Matt Furey
P.S. by the way, many of you have asked if there’s a digital version of Theatre of the Mind. Yes, there is and you can download it here. .
On a regular basis I work with authors in the making.
There are two types:
1. The writer who wants to make no mistakes – and remains a writer
2. The writer who accepts his or her mistakes, makes corrections and becomes an “author.”
As I tell my clients, being a writer is easy. Being an author requires much more.
One doesn’t sell anything. The other does.
One learns from mistakes and GROWS. The other abhors mistakes, stifles himself and goes nowhere.
Embracing your mistakes is the hallmark of a successful person.
Everything in your life that is working has both positive and negative charges or attributes.
The battery is an easy example. How well would your car battery work if it only had a positive – or only a negative?
Not at all.
The same is true when you analyze your successful journeys as well as your unsuccessful ones. When you’ve succeeded, you may note how you were able to use your mistakes as corrective feedback. Unemotionally, you looked at what was wrong and made a course correction that led to victory or to the accomplishment of your objective.
On the other hand, when you have a goal and you make a mistake and you get so upset about the mistake that you stop taking action to correct it, you are finished.
Yes, the journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step – yet it’s important to realize that many of those steps will be “off-course.” You’ll be going in the wrong direction, unintentionally. But once you catch the error and change course, you realize that you were supposed to make that mistake, and without making it, you wouldn’t have succeeded.
Next time you make a mistake, learn from it. Use it to understand that something valuable was acquired that you wouldn’t be able to use unless the mistake happened.
Think of mistakes as nothing more than having a conversation with someone. You speak but mispronounce a word or use the wrong word. You note the error, clear your throat and correct it.
No emotional attachment to what was said a second earlier. Keep the car in drive and make an adjustment.
So simple, when you think about it.
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
“Getting rid of your ego is one of the most egotistical ideas anyone ever dreamt, sharing the stage with the desire to rid yourself of all desires. Instead of focusing on your ego or lack thereof, focus on your self-image, on seeing yourself at your best.”
Matt Furey
Another self-help misnomer is the notion that you are totally responsible for EVERYTHING that has ever taken place in your entire life, including before you were born.
Equally false is the idea that the MOST SUCCEESSFUL people on earth take 100 percent responsibility for everything that goes on in their life. They sure don’t. We only need to witness the theatrics of politicians and multi-millionaire athletes to come to a very different conclusion than what the self-help gurus proclaim.
In the realm of sports, not only do athletes not take responsibility for cheating, using performance enhancing drugs, and so on, but the media often has their backs. It all depends on WHO it is.
The “you must take 100 percent responsibility” is guilt-tripping at its worst – and horribly misleading.
For example, suppose you were born addicted to drugs because your mom was smoking crack.
Or suppose you’re one of these young boys who gets molested by a cardinal or bishop in the Catholic church.
Or suppose you are attacked on a subway when all you were doing was sitting quietly, minding your own business. .
The list goes on and on.
Yes, you were there during all of these events, but that doesn’t mean you’re responsible (guilty) for them happening – or that you “attracted” them.
If you’re responsible for everything that happens in your life, then why do we have laws?
If you’re truly personally responsible for everything, then why not make everyone who is ever victimized guilty?
You can’t do that, can you? So why take on such a burden emotionally or psychologically? It makes no sense at all.
If you’ll recall one of Dr. Maltz’ signature stories, the one about the young girl named Helen, who didn’t notice a difference after he dramatically improved her appearance. After delving into her past, he discovered that she was engaged to be married and her boyfriend ran off with someone else.
What did Dr. Maltz say to Helen? Well, I can tell you what he didn’t say. It wasn’t: “Look Helen, you need to take responsibility for this. You need to look in the mirror and realize that you’re at fault.”
Not at all. Instead he told Helen, “You didn’t run off with someone else, HE DID. Why blame yourself?”
Maltz’ compassionate words allowed Helen to put the past away and move on with her life, without taking responsibility for anything other than her feelings and mental pictures about what happened.
Years ago I wrote the following:
“We aren’t responsible for everything that happens to us in life, but we ARE responsible for how we think and respond to everything that happens.”
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
P.S. Did you know I have a Theatre of the Mind Facebook group?
P.P.S. Also, you can follow me on Instagram – @mattfureysays
There’s a belief inside the minds of many in the self-help industry that all you need to do is believe in something and everything will work out for you.
This idea has some validity – even though it’s a fallacy.
Yes, if you believe the doctor will make you well again, it can and may help in your recovery. But then again, what if the doctor’s ways worked for you even though you had your doubts?
That would be better, wouldn’t it?
Why?
Because most people don’t believe anything 100 percent, with good reason.
If I have a visualization technique, such as Theatre of the Mind, and I say it works for me and millions of others, I don’t expect you to believe me just because I said so.
I want you to experiment with the technique, to work on it and observe what happens.
That’s how I got started.
Back in 1981, I first learned to use mental imagery to enhance my skills as a collegiate wrestler on a powerhouse team.
I was incredibly skeptical.
I wondered to myself, how can picturing something in my mind’s eye do anything?
This makes no sense. I’m a man of action. I need to do. I don’t need to sit around picturing myself doing.
But I was curious as well as skeptical, at the same time, so I gave the system a whirl.
I listened to the audio tape that was made for me.
I listened every day before practice and to my surprise, I started to make rapid improvements.
I still didn’t believe, so I tested further.
Over the decades (yes, it’s been awhile), I’ve tested mental imagery on everything from sports, to fitness to starting a business, learning a foreign language, writing a book, giving speeches, traveling the world, getting a new home, making a fortune, and so on.
I have not succeeded 100 percent of the time – but let me tell you, my winning percentage is waaaaaaay off the charts.
In Psycho-Cybernetics, Dr. Maltz understood the reality that people will be skeptical. That’s why he recommends a minimum of 21 days before you decide for or against the program.
He doesn’t ask you to change your beliefs, although he does write about the power of belief.
What he does do is give you a procedure, a prescription, to change your life. He gives it to you incrementally so that your beliefs change in and of themselves – not by force.
Your beliefs change because you KNOW the process works – not because you programmed yourself to believe.
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
We live in a world wherein many self-development authors teach that everything comes down to your beliefs.
The theory goes that in order to change your results, you must first change your beliefs, especially the negative ones you hold about yourself.
Yet, is this really true?
And if it is true, is it true ALL the time – most of the time – some of the time – or none of the time?
Or ALL of the ABOVE?
What say you?
Matt Furey
Suppose you were a fan of the worst team in football history. And suppose you were disappointed year after year after year.
What to do?
Give up and become a fan of another team?
Perhaps.
Or you could realize that your team is in two places simultaneously.
First, they are in the lowest and deepest canyon ever seen. Second, they are also in the perfect position to climb the world’s
largest mountain.
The same holds true for you when you make mistakes, fail, or have setbacks.
You can view these situations as “the worst” – or you can view them as perfect positioning for a rebound.
Over the past year, a good friend, while working to increase prosperity in his life, got stuck with a nasty divorce. Things looked worse than ever before.
At his all-time low, I told him things could be a whole lot worse.
He began looking for the good in the bad and within a month he was in a new home with a new job that will bring him an easy six figures per year.
He climbed out of the canyon. He turned the pits of hell into peaceful prosperity.
This is how nature balances things out. Nothing is ever 100 percent good or 100 percent bad.
There is always a speck or sparkle of good in the seemingly hopeless – and once you discover it, you can amplify it.
Back to football….
Take a look at the records of the worst teams in the game today.
The Tampa Bay Buccanneers rank near the top.
So do the Cleveland Browns.
But will it ALWAYS be that way?
Not a chance.
The same is true in each and every human being’s life.
The trick is realizing that you’re playing a game, too. It’s called the Game of Life.
Things can always get better. You can always play better. Even if you go undefeated – there were games you won in spite of not being at your best.
What would happen if you approached life from the standpoint of the climber. No matter how low you sink or how far you ascend…
keep climbing.
Look for the good – look for the mountain,
and be on your way.
Matt Furey
P.S. Looking for more prosperity in your life or business? Consider putting your writing talents to good use for the good of others.
The year was 1988.
I was sitting in a Tom Hopkins seminar for salespeople in San Jose, California.
And then, the story…
The star of the show told about how he dropped out of college after only three months.
He went home and told his father.
“Son, I will always love you, even though you’ll never amount to anything.”
Long pause.
“That was my first motivational speech,” Hopkins quipped.
Everyone laughed.
I didn’t.
Instead I searched my mind for the deeper meaning. How was this motivational?
Wasn’t this the worst thing a father could tell his son?
The answer is: It depends.
For many people, being told you will NEVER do something is the key that unlocks your deepest ability.
It activates the, “Oh yeah? I’ll show you.” switch in your brain.
It causes you to ramp up your DESIRE.
And last time I checked, desire is that seemingly all-powerful word that makes such a huge difference in peoples’ lives.
That’s why I devote so much time to it in my Theatre of the Mind program.
Do yourself a favor and latch onto it NOW. And if you already own the program, listen to it again.
And remember…
See it. Feel it. Become it.
Matt Furey
P.S. Believe it – Tom Hopkins recommended Psycho-Cybernetics at the seminar I attended – and does so in all his books.
Hmmmm. Wonder why.
Hello and welcome to Psycho-Cybernetics.com - the official site for the original (and expanded) teachings of Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of the 35 million copy best-seller, Psycho-Cybernetics. I’m Matt Furey, author of the best-selling Nightingale-Conant audio book, Maxwell Maltz’ Theatre of the Mind.
When you subscribe to our Psycho-Cybernetics emails, I will immediately send you an email containing a FREE PDF ($100 value) of my Theatre of the Mind Masters Newsletter called Defeating the Failure Mechanism, which also features a Dr. Maltz piece, When Positive Thinking Doesn't Work. This highly regarded newsletter will show you how to apply the suggestions contained within it into your own life… and make changes for the BETTER!
Best,
Matt Furey
President, Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation
