Yet another one of the myths/lies in the self-development field is the notion of taking “massive action.”
When I teach my coaching members there’s no such thing as taking massive action, they usually look at me with a bewildered expression. I am the first person they have ever heard say this. Everyone else is doing what Earl Nightingale called, “following the follower.”
Similar to Socrates, I end up reducing the ridiculous to reality with a series of questions:
“2,500 years ago, Lao Tzu wrote that the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step,” I begin. “So let’s see if something has fundamentally changed about walking in the past two and a half centuries. If you were on a 1,000-mile journey, how many steps would you take at a time?”
“I would take one step at a time,” someone replies.
“But what if I put both feet together and jump? Does that double the number of steps?” I ask.
“No.”
“That means, even if I double my efforts and jump as far as I can, I only get one jump at a time?”
“That’s correct.”
“But what will happen if I put my feet together and jump forward 1,000 times in a row?”
“You’ll probably injure yourself trying to speed up your progress.”
“So think about this: You take massive action, now you’re exhausted and quite possibly injured. And then you’ll be frustrated. You may begin to think that there’s no way you can achieve your goal. But this is not the case. You can achieve your goal, but you’ll do so one consistent step at a time, not via massive action.”
“That makes sense.”
“Not only does it make sense, it’s a reality,” I add. “Let’s say you decide to walk as many miles as you can every single day. Plus, to prove you’re taking massive action, you put 100 pounds of gear on your back to carry along with you. The 100 pounds represents you making sure you’re doing more than one thing at the same time. That’s your strategy to walk 1,000 miles. And you push yourself each day until there’s nothing left. Meanwhile I, have a different idea. I’m going to walk at least five miles each day. I can walk more than five miles if I’m on a roll, but if I stop at five, I’ve hit my daily goal. As for what I carry with me. A bottle of water and a towel will suffice. Each day, when you and I are finished walking, someone picks us up so we can rest and start again the next day. Now, let me ask, who do you think has the better chance of succeeding?”
“I would say that you do.”
“You nailed it. And the reason is obvious, isn’t it. I have a consistent, daily goal that is manageable. It’s not too big. It doesn’t scare me. It doesn’t drain me of physical energy. And it doesn’t wreak havoc on my nervous system. In fact, each day as I accomplish my goal, I gain energy and momentum while the massive action person loses it.”
Make a note: In Psycho-Cybernetics, there isn’t a single word about taking massive action. Not one.
The reason is simple: It’s not a natural, spontaneous, free-flowing and momentum-building approach to achievement.
The same goes for getting out of your comfort zone. There’s nothing in Psycho-Cybernetics that gives this type of advice, either.
The key is finding your comfort zone and expanding with force. You do this by having a daily achievable goal that leads you to the 1,000-mile, the 10,000 or the 1,000,000-mile marker in a relaxed, “I got this” manner.
On a daily basis, remember to eliminate the angst and anxiety of trying to build Rome overnight. You cannot build a city overnight – but you can build one, or anything else, if you keep moving, one humble step at a time.
See it. Feel it. Do it.
Matt Furey
P.S. I’ve been getting a number of questions about recommenced products you can give as presents over the Christmas season. In addition to Psycho-Cybernetics, I strongly suggest 101 Ways to Magnetize Money… In Any Economy, Expect to Win – Hate to Lose, as well as The Unbeatable Man. All three of these books are in the “can’t put it down” variety.
10X Your Ability to Visualize
“Daily practice will bring these mental pictures, or memories, clearer and clearer. The effect of learning will also be cumulative. Practice will strengthen the tie-in between mental image and physical sensation. You will become more and more proficient in relaxation, and this in itself will be “remembered” in future practice sessions.”
– Maxwell Maltz, M.D.
Yes, you can visualize. On a scale from 1-10, you might be a 1, but this doesn’t mean you “can’t do it.” It only means that you CAN and WILL get better at it with consistent practice.
Visualization is the same as any other skill you have already mastered. You didn’t master it by reading about it and “trying” it once or twice. You practiced religiously. Whether you want to improve a little bit, or to 10X your skills, practice is the path you tread.
If you want to learn to draw, play a musical instrument, build homes or become a professional in any given task, you get better and better with daily practice. No one escapes this truth.
True, some people catch on faster than others, but being slower out of the gate doesn’t mean you “can’t” compete.
Reality proves that being slower in the beginning is oftentimes a tremendous blessing because you now have an opportunity to dedicate yourself to learning the finer details of WHY something works the way it does. Fast learners are prone to taking their abilities for granted, of overlooking the details, and this leaves them susceptible to being surpassed by the “less-talented” person who follows the Laws of Practice.
You can and do picture things in your “mind’s eye” all day long. You do it with your eyes open. You do it when you dream. You do it when you close your eyes and remember a scene from the past or preview a goal you want to accomplish.
As I teach you in Theatre of the Mind, if you have trouble with your eyes closed, practice with your eyes open. This will help you SEE that you are visualizing, you are imagining, and YES, you CAN DO IT.
See it. Feel it. Become it.
Matt Furey
The Strongest Force Within You
The Creator gave us a potent and powerful force that we use to build ourselves up, tear ourselves down… or to try to remain relatively neutral.
Although this force is within us and we use it every day of our lives, it is also hidden. It’s not deliberately hidden. It’s hidden only because we haven’t been taught how to recognize it.
We don’t see it, yet it is there at all times, in every waking and dreaming moment.
This force is encoded in every mental image we form.
What we repeatedly view in our mind’s eye, what we imagine to be true about ourselves, begins to move into our lives.
Most people use this force randomly. They picture one goal today and another one tomorrow. Because so many people are inconsistent with what they picture, they get average and/or inconsistent results. But the person who consistently pictures the same idea or goal in his or her mind, this person appears to make quantum leaps.
Yet, the leaps this person makes aren’t quantum. They are predictable.
Changing your life isn’t a matter of changing your words, your beliefs or self-talk, although these ideas can help a bit.
But the biggest key to turning your life around is changing the mental imagery playing inside your mind. If the imagery doesn’t change, no amount of positive self-talk or belief changing will make a difference.
Many people have been erroneously taught that they are not “visual.” Not true. If you’ve struggled with the idea of visualization in the past, it’s not because you’re not visual. It’s because you were taught a one-size-fits-all approach to it that only works for some people.
As my clients have found, there is an easier and faster way to get started with mental imagery, one that brings results quickly, and no, it’s not closing your eyes and seeing everything in high-definition.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. For more insights and information on visualization, take a gander at my products, Theatre of the Mind and Dao Zou.
P.P.S. Interesting in coaching, then click here.
How NOT to Begin Your Day
Earlier today I was a coaching a young man who is having a banner year. In spite of all the shutdowns, lockdowns and quarantines, he’s crushing it.
We went over his daily routine, starting with the first thing he does when his feet hit the floor. And whaddya know, he doesn’t instantly check his dumb phone to see who texted or emailed. He doesn’t look at Twitter, FB or Insta.
Instead he begins with Theatre of the Mind. Then he does the Dao Zou workout he learned from me.
In the past, this man used to push himself to fatigue and failure. Now he pushes himself – but never too much. Instead he stops when he’s still within his comfort zone – and once he finds his comfort zone, the CZ expands spontaneously, without effort.
It’s not about push, push, push… harder, harder, harder.
Reminds me of someone who went from straight F’s to straight A’s. This wasn’t accomplished by telling him to “get out of your comfort zone.” It happened because we helped the young man become comfortable, so comfortable that he WANTED to LEARN.
I realize there are a lot of people preaching this “get out of your comfort zone” mentality. The truth is they only give you part of the story. No one puts himself or herself into an uncomfortable situation unless and until the person is comfortable.. INTERNALLY.
Remember how a few years ago, the ice bucket challenge became a thing? Get a 5-gallon bucket, fill it with ice water and have someone filming you as you dump it over your head.
It’s a simple task. Once the bucket is filled, all you have to do is lift it over your head and turn it over. Only takes a couple seconds… and you’re done.
If you saw people accepting this challenge, but you declined, ask yourself why. Why didn’t you do it?
I’m willing to bet that that you refused because you were “uncomfortable” with being cold, or have a fear of getting sick from ice cold water.
The people who accepted the challenge put themselves into a situation where they were probably going to be physically uncomfortable. So why did they do it? Because they were internally comfortable with the ideas of being physically uncomfortable.
I’ve played around with cold water dousing enough to recognize what I’m saying is true. I’ve gone from barely getting my feet wet to full submersion in cold water. I’ve gone from bailing within 30 seconds to hanging out for 15 minutes, and enjoying it. The secret to hanging in there is finding the comfort zone within.
One of my favorite ways to help people change their results is the daily practice of Dao Zou. It not only helps rewind your mind, it also helps you reverse the flow of negativity in your life.
If you’re getting straight F’s, that can be reversed with a change in how you think and move. If you’re terrified of the cold, or the heat, you can reverse this thinking by reversing the way you picture things in your mind.
If you’re afraid of being broke, or you’re afraid of being prosperous, understand that both of these realities begin as ideas, as images in your mind.
The same goes with anything else. Walking is nothing more than walking until you change one tiny detail of how you walk. If it’s snowing or raining or the temperature is below freezing, maybe you’re less comfortable doing it.
Imagine, though, a way of walking that was so therapeutic that it rewound your mind and made you feel fabulous, without effort; it put you into an internal comfort zone so you could effortlessly expand into realms that were only a figment of your imagination before.
Yes, I believe there is a way of walking that changes your thinking and your life, helping you transcend circumstances.
It’s called Dao Zou. And it may be the answer you’ve been searching for without even realizing it.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
Fastest Way to End Overwhelm
It’s almost too simple to be believed, yet it’s true.
Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious, you are mentally picturing the wrong thing.
Most of the time, the “thing” you are picturing is yourself and the corresponding erroneous notions of not being good enough, smart enough, talented enough, and so on.
In short, you don’t believe in yourself – and you think you should.
Why?
Because that’s what everyone has told you.
“You need to believe in yourself. If you would just believe in yourself, you could do so much better.”
Today, I’m here to tell you that there’s a way out of the maze. And it’s not sitting around working on your personal beliefs.
This is a realization I arrived at one day when I watched my son and daughter accomplish feats that neither of them believed they could accomplish, beforehand. Yet, both of them did.
My son batted .506 his junior year in high school with a 24-game hitting streak. Did he believe he was going to do this ahead of time? Absolutely not.
My daughter’s involvement in ballet grew to the point where she wanted to learn pointe toe and eventually showcase her skills in The Nutcracker, even though she doesn’t have your typical ballet body.
How did the two of them accomplish these objectives if they didn’t believe they were going to?
It’s simple: They suspended their personal beliefs on the matter. They did not focus on whether or not they could or could not do it. Instead, they put their focus on the mental pictures that lead to the finish line. In short, they visualized and imagined being where they wanted to be.
I’m sure that if my son and daughter sat around thinking about their personal beliefs about their goals, they would have felt a sense of overwhelm.
Why do I say this? I say it because of all the people I have seen who are focused on themselves instead of the objective. And guess what happens to them? They get overwhelmed with negative emotions.
Their focus is on whether they are good enough, likable enough, credible enough, tall enough, fit enough, well-dressed enough, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.
Meanwhile, someone who never thinks about any of the above, someone who is far less talented, good looking, etc. focuses on the objective and nails it.
Funny, eh?
Well then, what’s the way out of this mess?
It begins by reversing the erroneous notions you were taught. And the way to begin reversing them is by practicing Dao Zou – a moving meditation technique I learned over 15 years ago that I use to eliminate negative emotions of every kind.
Why do I recommend this program? I recommend it because it combines movement with visualization and deep breathing.
In short, you’re practicing what I wrote about in Theatre of the Mind, while you’re on the go. This means you’re nailing two objectives with one arrow.
One of my coaching members has been practicing Dao Zou for nearly ninety straight days, without a miss. To say his life has been transformed would be underplaying the reality of the situation.
As you move, suspend your beliefs about can or cannot, about believe or believe not. Just follow the program and you will make your own discoveries.
See it. Feel it. Live it.
Matt Furey
Psycho-Cybernetics.com
P.S. Looking for coaching on how to succeed without worrying or belly-aching over your limiting beliefs? Drop me a line and I’ll get back with you.
How to Obliterate Negative Emotions
Sometimes the best way to mediate or visualize is sitting. Sometimes it’s standing. Sometimes it’s lying down.
And then, many times, the ONLY best way is to move.
I have found the FASTEST way to clear your mind and eliminate negativity is a moving meditation practice I learned in China, called Dao Zou.
I’ve written about it and spoken about this practice for more than 15 years.
It’s still a big part of my daily practice as it puts me into a feel good state almost instantly. And the times we are living in today make Dao Zou even more valuable and vital than ever before.
Last night I was speaking with a client about how he can utilize this system in a 600-square foot room. Even though he has a maximum of approximately 15 feet from end to end, in his room, I showed him how he can still make the practice work.
As he began to practice, he felt the energy shift.
“Most people utilize sitting or lying down practices,” I told him. “These practices have their place, but in my experience, the ultimate game changer is moving meditation. Tai chi, which I also practice, is a type of moving meditation. But it takes a long time to learn. Dao Zou is different. You can learn the initial elements quickly and feel the shift almost as fast.”
Last week, I was working with another client, teaching him how Dao Zou helps you transcend rather than suppress negative feelings.
I told him how my friend, Mark, suddenly passed away a few years ago, and how I was shook up about it.
I went for a 3.5 mile walk to move through the pain, yet, upon my return, I was still out-of-sorts.
Then I got up and began practicing Dao Zou.
Using a small amount of space, I was amazed at how quickly I shifted from grief to neutral to peace of mind.
Later that day the grief returned. I got up and began using Dao Zou again. Once again, the grief disappeared. I continued using this practice to ameliorate the negative feelings until they were obliterated.
Yes, there is value in grieving, in letting out emotional strife – but grief can also harm the brain and body if it continues unabated.
When I first learned Dao Zou, I loved it because it took me to another level of feel good, creative energy. It also made me more creative and athletic.
But little did I realize at the time, that it would help neutralize negative feelings.
When you move your body in a certain way, slowly, while incorporating Zen-like deep breathing and mental imagery, you can feel amazing without any effort.
In China, many of the longest-lived people practice Dao Zou – or reverse training. It is often prescribed to help people heal and recover from various health challenges.
Dao Zou appears to clear the mind of worry, self-doubt, fear… even sadness and grief, better and faster than anything I have ever seen or witnessed. It truly is the Ultimate in Moving Meditation as it catapults you into an incredibly vibrant state of BEING, super fast.
Now you can claim your copy of Dao Zou at a ridiculously low amount. And if you prefer, you can download it digitally and begin practicing almost immediately, giving you instant proof of what I’m writing about.
Discover the power of moving meditation NOW.
Claim your copy of Dao Zou.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. Yes, if you live in the U.S., we can mail you the DVDs of the product. You’ll need to cover shipping and handling, though.
The Flow Zone
One of the signature practices I spoke about in Theatre of the Mind, is a meditative style of walking called Dao Zou. It puts you in “the Zone” fast.
Dao Zou means to train in reverse – to go backward. Slowly.
But it leads to a quick turnaround in how you think and feel. It helps you gain a feeling of control over your mind and your life.
Incorporated in this seemingly shamanic practice are specific breathing patterns, visualizations and arm movements. When your body, breath and mind are tied together in a seamless way, you place yourself upon a path that transcends ordinary angst, fear and worry.
On numerous occasions, while teaching Dao Zou in person, the transformation from a single session is evident upon the face (and in the eyes) of the practitioner.
I began teaching Dao Zou over 15 years ago, and I have yet to find a single person who wasn’t blown away after a single session. It’s a game changer.
If you’re looking for a psycho-physical practice that will put you in “the Zone,” a practice that will put you into a state of “flow,” on command, then Dao Zou is the way to go.
Find the bliss of the comfort zone, and allow yourself to expand naturally and spontaneously, without force.
Latch onto Dao Zou today and feel an almost instantaneous change in how you feel.
See it. Feel it. Do it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. Interested in applying the power of visualization to your life in a bigger way? Then click here for more information on our coaching programs.
The Worst Positive Thinking Advice Ever Given
If it’s not the worst advice, it probably should be.
When you don’t have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out, when you’re down in the dumps, the last thing you need to be telling yourself is, “I AM RICH.”
Acknowledging the truth may hurt a bit, but it will also set you free.
Having a financial goal is important, but at the end of the day, you must also acknowledge the facts with questions such as, “Where am I now?”
To move in the direction of what you want, you must simultaneously keep in mind where you are along the way.
Contrary to what so many in the self-development industry will tell you, giving an accurate report of where you are in relationship to your goal will not hurt you. It will EMPOWER you.
Yes, I am telling you that you need to see yourself where you want to be – BUT… you also need to see yourself where you are in this moment.
Self-acceptance is part of the formula mapped out by Dr. Maxwell Maltz in Psycho-Cybernetics.
Accept who you are and where you are in this moment, then work on achieving daily goals that move you in the direction of what is important to you.
Ask yourself, is saying, “I AM RICH,” or “I AM a MILLIONAIRE” working for me? Once you ask this question, accept the answer. And accept yourself in the process.
I have coached people who used to state the above affirmations on a daily basis… and they were no further along than the day they started. In many cases, they were worse off. Yet, round and round they went, hoping that their positive self-talk would eventually work.
Once they realized that mental imagery is king – especially imagery that is mixed with reality-based affirmations, everything shifted toward the positive.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
By the way, the people in my Mind Power Monthly Coaching program are making me proud. So good to be working with men and women who truly “get it” and want to grow. If you want to be involved as well, s
The Only Affirmations that Work
Everyday I speak with people who are frustrated with the results of “changing their beliefs” via affirmations, self-talk and so on.
They are usually shocked when I tell them they don’t need to try so hard to change their beliefs, that their beliefs will automatically upgrade when you’ve established momentum and flow.
If you’ve used an affirmation and had it backfire, i.e. the opposite of what you declared happens, tune into what I’m stating.
First, you are not alone. Second, there is a way out of the mess you find yourself in.
Shall I give you an example?
Last week, one of my Mind Power Monthly coaching members, wrote to tell me that he has been stating a positive affirmation for years having to do with wealth and abundance.
It was one of those affirmations I refer to as an “IAMI,” as in I-AM-I.
I am wealthy and prosperous now. I am a millionaire. I am rich. I am blessed. Etcetera, etcetera, blah, blah.
Here’s the kicker: The man told me he could not visualize himself being any of the above.
Yet, after reading my monthly newsletter – he changed his words to those that created momentum and within seconds he was, for the first time in his life, able to visualize effectively. He could see himself where he wants to be. He didn’t attempt to force the imagery into his mind. The imagery came to him, seemingly of its own accord, spontaneously.
Now we’re talking. Now we’re visualizing. Now we’re getting some results.
Dr. Maltz stated how positive thinking that is inconsistent with your self-image does not work.
To put it simply: Positive affirmations and self-talk that are inconsistent with the image you have in mind (and the feeling you have about them) do not work.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. Want information on Mind Power Monthly? Then drop me a line.
The Magic of Visualizing Big
You may have heard about the magic of thinking big.
I first saw a book featuring this same title when I was in high school. It’s a good one.
Yet, the title is somewhat of a misnomer.
Why? Because it’s not “thinking” that you’re doing, at least not in the logical sense of the term.
It’s VISUALIZING BIG – or IMAGINING BIG.
Years ago I wrote: “There is no magic in logic.”
This sentence came to me when I was explaining mental imagery to a person who always wanted to know the “how” before he decided on a goal, or what I refer to as a “what.”
Instead of deciding upon a goal (what?), then picturing it, he wanted to know “HOW” picturing it would help – or HOW it could even be accomplished.
This question is similar to having a basketball in your hands as you stand at the free throw line, looking at the hoop. The obvious goal is to sink the ball through the hoop, preferably with a wonder-filled “swish” sound. But instead of focusing on the goal, you want to know HOW the ball leaves your fingertips, HOW it travels through air in an upward arc, HOW the ball knows how far to travel, and HOW the ball descends at the perfect time and swooshes through the center of the net.
How does the ball move that way? isn’t a bad question. But it’s definitely out of sequence.
The first order of business is having the goal to put the ball through the hoop. Simple as that. Know the “what” before you look at the “how.”
You can learn the proper mechanics of shooting the baseketball all you want, but if you cannot SEE the ball going through the hoop in your “mind’s eye,” you’re never going to be good at sinking free throws.
Last week I was shooting hoops as I waited for a friend to join me. Before that day, I hadn’t touched a basketball in at least a year, so it took about ten minutes to find my groove.
At first, my shots were off, but in true cybernetic fashion, I used all the missed shots as corrective feedback. This means all my mistakes were guiding me to better, more accurate shooting.
Some of the corrections I made were physical or technical.
But the biggest shift I made was inside the theatre of my mind.
When my friend showed up, I was on my game. I was sinking one swisher after another.
Within 20 minutes time I went from missing almost every shot I took to making seven out of the next eight free throws.
After my friend warmed up, I taught him the visualization secrets I was using and within short order he was knocking down free throws with ease as well.
Many people mistakenly think “I got it” when they have a positive experience such as the one described above. And they make the mistake of thinking they don’t need to visualize anymore.
Wrong.
Just as you need physical practice you also need visualization practice. Both are skills that you continually work on improving. There is no point in time wherein you no longer need to practice.
Keep in mind, though, that you are always visualizing, even if you’re unwilling to see this dimension of reality at this time. So my question is: Are you taking deliberate control of your mental imagery, or are you allowing Random (ran-dumb) to run the show?
When you get up in the morning, do you let Mr. Random decide whether it’s a good idea to brush your teeth today?
If you have a lawn to care for, you don’t mow it once and think your job is done forever, do you?
If you have a garden, would you rid the soil of weeds and think your job is completed throughout infinity?
Your practice continues onward even when you know what to do, even when you can do it exceptionally well.
You either take an active role in determining what you will picture in your mind’s eye, or you allow random forces put images into your mind.
Either way, you will become what you visualize.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
Note: Interested in my Mind Power Monthly Coaching Program? You have a few days left before the cutoff for the next lesson. Email me if you want to be involved.
