Psycho-Cybernetics - See Yourself at Your Best

Matt Furey's Super Human Success Blog

Imagine There’s No Problem

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Earlier today I was reading a book written by a humorist. Most of it was written while he was traveling, or should I say, when he was resting during his travels. 

There are many writers who would view “being on the road” as a problem, especially if you have a goal to write a book. But this man thought nothing of the sort. He thought about what he was going to write as he drove, and when he pulled over for the night, he took out his laptop, or his notepad and pen, and got after it. 

So many people look for the perfect circumstances before they begin creating the life they want to live.

Someone says, “Once all my problems are solved, once my circumstances are perfect, then I can start going after what I want.”

Perfect circumstances don’t exist. 

From the perspective of a creator, you do not wait for problems to be solved before you begin making something happen in your life. Your problems represent part of where you are at this time – yet the reality is that many of your problems don’t need to be fixed for you to take charge of your life. 

Many people who read Psycho-Cybernetics, come away with what I call “the erroneous AHA.”

While reading the book, this person thinks, “I found it. I figured out my problem. I now realize I have a weak self-image. Now all I have to do is FIX my self-image and all will be well.”

When I tell this person there is nothing to fix, there is only a new reality to be created, he or she is often surprised, and doesn’t necessarily believe me, at first. 

As I speak, I feel as though I can hear their silent self-talk: “I want to solve my self-image problems and I want to solve them NOW.” 

Left to their own inclinations, these people will attempt to uncover all their limiting beliefs and negative thoughts. They will write the negatives down and replace them with positives.

The list of negatives to fix starts out small – and gets bigger by the day. 

Meanwhile, all the focus is directed inward, toward the “self,” and not toward a target or goal. 

When your focus in on a target, and preferably one that isn’t too far off, you take the focus off yourself, where it doesn’t belong, and put it on the result you want to accomplish. 

Yes, you SEE YOURSELF where you want to be.

Yes, you also SEE YOURSELF where you are. 

You also SEE YOURSELF making continuous adjustments until you bring what you want into reality. 

If you think you cannot do something – that is not a problem that needs to be fixed. Your so-called problem is where you are – it is your starting point, your launching pad or springboard.

Let’s look at the person who is missing a limb and wants to participate in sports, as an example. Is the missing limb a problem to be fixed? Or is it an opportunity to compete, and possibly excel, in spite of the missing limb? The answer depends on whether you are a goal-achiever or a problem-solver.  

I remember the 15-year old wrestler from Indiana, who attended a camp I was working in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The boy lost his left leg in a farming accident, when he fell off the tractor. Yet, there he was, training with all the other boys who had two legs. He never complained no matter how difficult the practice. And he went on to become a state champion.

Before the 2008 Olympics, I worked with a woman who wanted to compete in the Paralympics. She was missing both legs. 

She came to Tampa to train with me, made the team and went on to compete in Beijing. 

Once again, her focus was outward, upon a goal, a destination. Not a whimper of self-pity. She focused on what she wanted, took her current situation into account and went after it.

Yes, she did improve her self-image as she practiced and trained – but this does not mean her current self-image was a problem.

How you currently see yourself is your launching pad to where you want to go. This means that even if you have a “weak self-image,” if it is positioned properly, it is helping you achieve your goals, including your goal of having a strong self-image.

If you want to get strong physically, you bring your weak body to the gym and begin training. You do not ignore your weak body. You use it as a gauge, a starting point on the road to your great accomplishment.

Same goes for your self-image. Bring your weaknesses into the Theatre of the Mind, and create something new.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Introducing… the Dr. Maxwell Maltz Classic Library

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Now you can own the Dr. Maxwell Maltz Classic Library.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz created his self-improvement phenomenon, Psycho-Cybernetics, at age 61, after an already varied, colorful and exceptionally successful career as a cosmetic surgeon, writer and speaker.

He discovered that outer scars could be healed but inner scars remain as distorted beliefs and perceptions in the subconscious mind. Dr. Maltz wrote his flagship book which went on to sell millions of copies. He also wrote companion books explaining how to best use his system of “success conditioning techniques” now available to you in these new classic reprints.

The first five books of the Maxwell Maltz Classic Library are ready for you.

Exclusively Available at maxwellmaltzlibrary.com/books

Matt Furey

5 Big Visualization Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them

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When it comes to the practice of visualization, there are a great many mistakes people make that can lead to frustration, confusion and more importantly, a lack of results.

Here’s a quick list of five of the most common mistakes:

Mistake #1 – Visualizing more than one goal at a time. 

When you visualize more than one goal during a session, you jam your automatic servo-mechanism. You create confusion on what to do and when to begin. When you focus on one goal, you gain mental clarity and give yourself the edge you are looking for. You also end up accomplishing more than you thought possible.

Mistake #2 – Practicing too much. 

After you visualize, be sure to “let go.” You do NOT try to picture what you want all day long. Picture your goal for a short period of time each day, then move on. Eventually the skill builds upon itself, and you are able to picture what you want throughout the day, but you’re not “trying” to do this. Growth takes place naturally and spontaneously, not by force.

Mistake #3 – Setting big goals

You might think setting big goals is a good thing, and it can be, after you’ve proven beyond a doubt that you can accomplish smaller, daily goals, over and over again. It is never a good idea to set goals that cause emotional resistance, i.e. fear, worry, self-doubt. This is why, in Zero Resistance Living, Dr. Maltz encourages you to ALWAYS start with small, manageable daily goals. Once you are on a roll, accomplishing one daily goal after another, you have gained momentum and confidence, and this leads to you moving onto bigger goals – and doing so without the emotional resistance you would have encountered if you began with them.

Mistake #4 – Ignoring where you are

Everyone loves to picture being on top of the mountain, but the reality is you’ve got a long hike ahead of you. Ignoring where you are, only picturing what you want, strips you of the power and energy you need to make the climb. If you ignore where you are, chances are excellent you will remain stuck.

Mistake #5 – Trying to hard to see it clearly

In the beginning, before your visualization skills are developed, you do NOT need to see everything clearly. You most certainly do NOT need to see what you are visualizing in HD, or as clearly as if you are looking at a scene outdoors with your eyes open. When starting out, a pencil sketch or silhouette is enough. Your brain can still make sense out of images drawn on the walls of caves, and those images were not drawn by Michelangelo. So stop thinking you need to see everything as clear as crystal. Start with something simple and allow yourself to grow.

There are many other mistakes people make in regard to visualization, such as not adding feeling or emotion to the imagery. More to flow your way in the future.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Why Visualization is the Wrong Word

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One of the most misleading words in self-development is the term “visualization.” It implies that you use your internal sense of sight with your eyes closed. 

But truly effective visualization is not purely visual and it is not necessary to close your eyes to make it work.

Consider the star basketball player at the free-throw line during the final seconds of a championship game. He must make the shots in order for his team to win.

Does the player close his eyes and visualize when he’s at the line? No, but he does see and feel the ball going through the hoop before he shoots it. He may also hear the swoosh sound. 

Key point: Without the accompanying sense of emotion or FEEL, visualization does NOT work. 

Yes, you see what you want in your mind’s eye, but you must also FEEL it to get results. After you have the FEEL, you work on adding the sound effects. And beyond that, you can figure out how to include taste and smell. 

The first order of business though, is always to “imagine and feel.” Imagine what you want to see. Imagine what you want to feel. And imagine what you want to hear. 

Although imagination is a much better word than visualization, we do have to use both when explaining the success process.

Just keep in mind that whenever you are visualizing effectively, you are tapping into the power of three words: Imagine and Feel.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

The God Realm

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There are those who believe, as I do, that we were created in the image of God, and that God gave us, as human beings, the power to create.

Then there are those who think that they, mere mortal human beings, are equal to God.

They are not god-like.

No, they are better than that.

They are God, as far as they are concerned.

Meanwhile, these same “human Gods” also tend to think that the stars, and the planets and the cosmos are somehow running the show, making life joyful or miserable for us.

Hmmm.

It seems to me, if you as a human are also a God, then why not direct the stars and planets? Why not bend them to your will?

When Mercury goes into retrograde, and this is “causing” everyone to have problems in the communication realm (because no one ever miscommunicates when Mercury isn’t in retrograde) – send Mercury back further, or forward, whichever you so choose.

After all, you’re the captain of spaceship earth, as well as everything else in the universe.

Oh, you say you can’t do that? Well then,
that must mean you’re not the “unlimited
being” you espouse yourself to be.

It’s a wonderful thing to break through self-imposed limitations. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to create the things in life that matter. It’s also wonderful to realize that somewhere along the line, limits will be placed upon you, and those limits aren’t coming from you.

As a youth, I had many dreams. In the spring and summer I wanted to be a big league ballplayer.

In the winter I wanted to be seven-feet tall and play in the NBA.

In the fall I wanted to be a running back in the NFL.

Ultimately, I settled on two sports: swimming and wrestling – and then I chose just one – and got fairly good, winning numerous titles.

After winning a national championship in college wrestling, I got involved in martial arts and along with the teachings in Psycho-Cybernetics, this is where I began to develop my physical and mental skills to a much higher plane. I began to accomplish goals that I never dreamt possible at an earlier time in my life.

Even so, even though I removed so many self-imposed limitations, this doesn’t make me “limitless” or a God. All of us have limits, even those who refuse to believe this to be the case.

All by yourself, all things are NOT possible.

But with God’s help, the impossible can be accomplished, if it is allowed to be.

I believe the Creator gave human beings an imagination… and we are wise to use it productively to break free of self-imposed limitations – as we create positive results in the world, for ourselves and others.

Many of our limitations are self-imposed – but not all of them.

The reason I’m NOT seven-feet tall has nothing to do with self-directed limited thinking.

Likewise, the reason we have wars that last for years has nothing do with Mercury being in retrograde for a month or two each year.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

5 Minutes to Success?

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How much time should you spend each day practicing the exercises in Psycho-Cybernetics?

If your answer is based upon what Dr. Maltz advised, you’ll probably think you should be practicing for at least “one hour per day.”

Yesterday I spoke with a gentleman who was trying to do just that; an hour per day of practice, and he figured something was wrong with him because he couldn’t stick to the routine.

Nothing wrong with the gentleman at all. He just needed a revised approach.

In the updated and expanded edition of Psycho-Cybernetics, you may have noticed that I advised you to begin with five minutes.

Why did I write something that contradicted Dr. Maltz?

I did so because of what Maltz wrote in his final book.

What was it that he wrote?

I believe the title, 5 Minutes to Happiness, gives it away.

Begin by practicing the mental exercises each day for five minutes, and you’re on your way to happiness… and success. Begin by challenging yourself to invest five minutes each day, whether you feel up to it or not.

Don’t give yourself a big daily performance goal of practicing for an hour. You may hang in there for a day or two, but eventually, you’ll probably say to yourself, “I can’t do it today. I don’t have an hour.”

And this excuse takes hold of you the next day, and the next and the next. Your grand intentions went out the window almost as soon as you started.

Dr. Maltz figured this out after Psycho-Cybernetics came out and that’s why he adjusted the time frame in his final book.

It’s not an “Hour of Power” that you need to get rolling. It’s five minutes.

Set aside five minutes and do this everyday without missing for 30 days. Challenge yourself. And track yourself.

Keep a journal or make an X on a wall calendar. Do something where you can see that you challenged yourself to do something each day, and you are doing it.

If you take the five-minute challenge, and you never miss a day for 30 days, I can explain to you in advance what is bound to happen. Do you want to hear what that is?

Here tis:

1. The five minutes you are investing each day to meet the challenge will make you feel better.
2. When you meet the challenge each day, your good feelings will expand.
3. The expansion of good feelings will lead to momentum.
4. The momentum will lead to a natural upgrade, i.e. without any pressure on yourself to do more, you will probably double, triple or quintuple the amount of time you are taking for yourself.
5. And within six months to a year, because the exercises are making a profound difference in your life, you are spending an hour each day doing them.

Can you see how different the model I’ve show you is from the “get out of your comfort zone” and “take massive action” notions?

One model is the fire method. You light yourself on fire to get things done, totally unaware that fire burns. Burn out is an example of the nervous system being fried from the “fire method.”

The model I am proposing is the water method. You give yourself enough water to wade in, to tread water in, to swim in – but not so much that you’re drowning.

Begin with five minutes each day – not an hour. This is the way to make sure you meet the challenge, build momentum and succeed.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

1/1/1 – 2.2.2

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1/11 – 2.2.2

It’s easy to overlook the obvious.

When I looked at the calendar this morning, I stopped in my tracks and pondered for a spell.

“My goodness,” I thought. “It will be another 200 years before all the numbers, excepting zero, will be 1’s and 2’s.”

Later on, as I sat in my chair and took a look at the agenda mapped out before me, I tuned in a bit more on the number 1’s.

What’s most important on my list?

What’s #1?

And am I going after it with purposeful action that is getting results?

When I saw the answer was a definite “yes,” I took a look at item #2.

Even though my primary focus is on #1, is #2 also being dealt with?

Yes, again.

Same goes with #3.

#4 was not the case… yet, but am I concerned?

No.

Why? Because my chief objective is getting the fire of desire burning. If I attempt to get the desire going with a hundred different causes and concerns, good luck. But when I shine the light on ONE THING, it’s inspiring to see how the light spreads to other areas that I am not AS focused.

This is why I’m not concerned. The fire and the light will spread, effortlessly, as I continue doing what I’m doing.

What you are pursuing each day begins in your imagination first, then it flows into action. This is why it’s good to work from a piece of paper or journal that you review each morning, before you do anything else.

Your piece of paper may have one item on it; or four; or forty.

Regardless of the number, you put your first goal under the microscope and examine it in detail, including where you are in relation to the result you want.

Take a peek at however many goals you want, but when it comes time to visualize, narrow your choices to ONE.

How can you go wrong when you have ONE GOAL for each day? Everyday is a winner and so are YOU.

Gigantic goals that are 10-20 years off, or goals that are 10X your current circumstances, are almost always the wrong approach.

When your focus is too big, you’ll know because you keep finding yourself in an agitated, anxious, uptight, perhaps even depressed state of mind. And if you’re anxious and depressed, I can assure you that you ain’t moving toward what you want.

Keep your eyes on the obvious.

Small steps end up being big moves.

One accomplished goal at a time turns into two; two splits into four and before you realize it, you’ve accomplished ten thousand things.

1.1.1 – 2/2/2

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Where’s Your Other Sock?

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Ever notice how one of your favorite socks disappears after you put it in the washer or dryer?

I’m not sure which machine is responsible, but after observing this phenomenon for decades, there’s got to be a “sock monster” hiding in the laundry room.

Socks are the only article of clothing the sock monster will consume. It’s not interested in shirts, shorts, slacks, underwear or towels. Just socks, albeit only one at a time.

Within a year, if you had three pairs of socks to begin with, you’re down to one solo sock. One by one, the socks disappear until you need to get another three-pack.

Now you might think this has nothing to do with goals, or success or achievement, but it most certainly does.

Your mind doesn’t outwardly object when you give it a bunch of goals to accomplish, but inwardly it does. Similar to the the washer and dryer, if we unwittingly jam our success mechanism with too many goals, there is a strong tendency that one by one, we lose sight of them. Just as is true with our socks, if we lose sight of them we are no longer in touch with them.

But what would happen if you washed your socks one pair at a time? What are the chances that the evil sock monster would dare consume any of them?

Similarly, if you focused on one goal at a time, and you broke it into bite-sized chunks, what are the chances that you’d lose focus on it?

The answer to these questions is “almost zero.”

Yet, as a high-performance coach, it’s amazing how many people jam their internal computer by visualizing a bunch of goals in one session, then wondering where all of them went.

Sure, you can set a number of goals – but shine the laser beam on one at a time rather than all of them.

Make your success process as easy as possible. Make it easy for you to win and difficult to lose.

Focus on one short-term goal at a time and at the end of a year you’ll have a drawer-full of accomplishments; successes you can stuff in one of those socks that could have gotten away.

Matt Furey
 
P.S. Looking for someone to coach you UP in 2022, then click here.

Let’s Get Psycho-Physical

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You may recall the Olivia Newton-John music video, “Let’s Get Physical.”

I’m not going to get into the lyrics of said song, but I am going to make a point about Psycho-Cybernetics that no one else has made before. And that point is…

Psycho-Cybernetics works faster when you are engaged in something physical.

There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is that your physicality establishes verifiable, quantifiable proof that the mental gymnastics you are doing are working.

Por ejemplo, if you are involved in a sport or athletic endeavor, you can picture a result – then go out and make it happen. You can prove to yourself that the way you picture things in your mind does make a difference.

I remember working with a young-boy who had never scored a goal in the sport of soccer. He was only eight years of age at the time and the final game of the season was close at hand. I taught him how to visualize scoring his first goal, and later that day he went out and scored three goals.

In two years of the sport, not a single goal. Within a few hours of using visualization, three goals.

Now you may chalk the above up to “coincidence,” but when these same sort of coincidences continually take place after visualizing, it’s pretty hard to pooh-pooh them.

If you’re not involved in a sport and don’t feel inclined to do any type of exercise, this reality can serve as the greatest of proofs imaginable.

You begin to mentally picture yourself going for a walk, and then you do so. You picture it again the next day, and you go for a walk again.

You picture yourself walking everyday for the next 30 days and you end up going for a walk all 30 days. Before those 30 days began, you never went for a walk on your own.

You might think this is not a reflection of “mind power,” but it most certainly is. You formed a mental image and your body followed through with action.

Once you realize you can train your body to follow the commands of your mind, the “other stuff,” such as making money, is a whole lot easier.

Your ability to get your body to do what you mentally picture it doing, teaches you to use your mind in other areas, with the same type of results.

Keep in mind that you cannot “get physical” without the use of mental imagery. You don’t get out of bed without picturing it first. Same goes for taking a shower, brushing your teeth and eating a meal.

You picture it, then you do it. You never “just do it.”

A client sent me a video of himself getting into a tub of ice water. Before doing so he continually repeated, “Don’t think about it. Just do it.”

For well over a minute he continually repeated this “mantra.” Then he got into the cold tub.

It was a great video… but did he “not picture himself getting into the water?”

Of course he pictured himself in the water.

If he didn’t see himself taking a cold plunge, he wouldn’t have done so.

The reality of what he did (not what he said) was as follows…

Picture it fast – then do it.

And do it before you over-think it with a bunch of fearful, doubtful mental pictures.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

A Question from India

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Hello Mr Matt Furey.

I am Siva from India. I have been reading Psycho-Cybernetics book for the past 6 months and I am experiencing a dramatic change in my life. I have one doubt. What should be the time interval between visualization practice and relaxation practice? I mean after visualizing, when we have to do relaxation practice?

Please let me know. Thank you.

Hello Siva. I appreciate your question. I will give you an uncommon answer. Whenever you practice relaxation techniques of any kind, you are simultaneously visualizing. Suppose, for example, that I tell you to breathe deeply. I ask you to inhale and imagine it going all the way to your feet. Is this not a visualization? Yes, it is. You cannot follow my suggestion to breathe deeply without picturing yourself doing so. And if I suggest you inhale all the way to your feet, this is also a mental image.

When we do something physically, we may think that we “just do it,” but it is always preceded by a mental picture. If I ask you to make a fist, you must picture a fist before you make one. If I ask you to stand, or sit, or lie down, you picture it first.

This means that ALL the relaxation exercises in Psycho-Cybernetics are training you in the art of visualization. This means you don’t need to think so much about it. Whenever you are relaxing you are also using mental imagery.

Before you picture a goal, it is wise to take some time to imagine and feel yourself relaxing before doing so. The relaxation visualization sets you up for the goal visualization.

At any time of the day you can work on relaxing your body; same goes for visualization.

Matt Furey

By the way, I’m having a special on my best-seller, Expect to Win-Hate to Lose. With each order we are also enclosing a gratis copy of The Unbeatable Man. Both books are classics. Order one and get both. Yes!

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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

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