“Ideas make the world move.
Ideas make people move.
Ideas lead you to success –
but only if you…
DO SOMETHING.”
– Matt Furey
Long-Term v. Short-Term Goals
Questions of the Day
Long-term v. short-term goals
Hey Matt,
Love all the emails… do you think it’s best to focus on and visualize the long-term goal every morning or just what you need to do that day to move towards your goal or both?
Bill
Reply: Thank you, Bill. The answer depends on what type of person you are and where you are in terms of your ability to focus and accomplish goals. If you’re not accustomed to setting and achieving goals, then starting with a long-term goal is not a good strategy. Begin with daily goals, build momentum, and then over time you can set longer range objectives. Even with a long-range goal, however, you still need to focus on today goals MOST of the time.
Aligning one’s ship
Hello Matt
In Psycho Cybernetics, Dr Maltz has a quote regarding aligning one’s ship alongside that of an enemy (and that one cannot go far wrong if one does so).
I am struggling to understand the meaning of this. I understand the liberation and release of mental load associated with pure forgiveness. I can’t help but wonder does Dr Maltz have an additional message I have missed.
Can you help with an example please?
Thanks Matt
Dave D
My Reply:
Dave, for greater context, I will begin with the entire quote:
“Admiral William F. Halsey’s personal motto was a quotation from Nelson, “No Captain can do very wrong if he places his Ship alongside that of an Enemy.” “‘The best defense is a strong offense,’ is a military principle,” said Halsey, “but its application is wider than war. All problems, personal, national, or combat, become smaller if you don’t dodge them, but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly and its spines crumble.”
If you mentally picture what is written above, you can see that it doesn’t mean you become chummy with your enemy, nor is it referring to forgiveness (an entirely different matter). It’s about studying your enemy as well as your own fears and worries; it’s about going after what you want and noticing that difficulties and fear diminish when they are confronted.
A sports analogy for the “enemy ship” would be watching film of an opposing team (the enemy) to prepare for a game. You learn what the enemy is up to in the film, so you are prepared. As you prepare, you may have emotions such as fear and self-doubt to deal with. Don’t run from them for they are merely false mental images. Extinguish them by using the power of mental imagery.
Question about digital products:
Matt, I want to get your Theatre of the Mind audio program but I no longer have a CD player. Is there a way to get this program as an audio download?
Jenny
Hello Jenny. Yes, you can get Theatre of the Mind and some of my other narrated books at audible.com.
Here endeth today’s Q n A.
Matt Furey
If You Hate Making Mistakes
“Mistakes contain the essential information we need to rise above them.
When we are “off course,” we are also on it. In the process of missing a
shot, we are also given the feedback that will help us make the next one.”
Matt Furey
How We Grow
“Getting into the flow,
it’s how we grow;
and come to know,
our lives are but kneaded dough,
where we co-create the show,
with bendable bow,
and breakable arrow.”
Matt Furey
When You’ve Got that Winning Feeling
I’m betting you’ve heard it said (and read), that belief is the key to living a successful life.
Supposedly, we have “limiting beliefs,” and they are holding us back.
Oh my, so many people think, what to do to change them?
Many people proceed to go on a rampage to get rid of or upgrade the limits in their lives. They write out various statements to change their old beliefs into new and empowering ones.
This approach misses the obvious. And the obvious is that beliefs are naturally upgraded, without effort, when you have that winning feeling, otherwise known as FAITH.
Below are a few lines that came to me recently:
Belief is skin deep; faith penetrates beyond the marrow of your bones.
Belief is easily shaken; faith conveys complete conviction.
Belief says I can do this; faith says I WILL do it.
Belief has a dimmer switch; faith shines eternal.
When you have faith, you don’t need to think a whole lot about what you believe.
With “that winning feeling” deep within your bones, you realize you have the Creator’s assistance, and the impossible is now the doable.
Matt Furey
Perfectionism and Procrastination
“Perfectionism and procrastination
are evil twins, giving you a million
excuses why nothing is ever good
enough…
YET.”
– Matt Furey
When to Be Positive
Here’s a thought I began to ponder a few weeks ago:
”I will remain positive and productive during the best and the worst of times.”
You may find it helpful in keeping your mind clear and your days productive.
Never tell yourself, “There’s nothing I can do.”
There is always something you can do, especially when you understand the power of prayer, visualization and the positive energy that comes through you with each and every breath.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
Doing It Daily
“A goal you can accomplish and repeat on a daily basis, with such great consistency that you rarely, if ever, miss, is a goal that can move mountains, carve tunnels or build bridges to a brighter future.”
– Matt Furey
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 Deadline
“One of the most powerful forces
in human history was the
discovery of the deadline.
Without a deadline,
some things get accomplished;
with it,
everything.”
Matt Furey
