“It is my belief that each personality does already have a quiet center within, which is never disturbed, and is unmoved, like the mathematical point in the very center of a wheel or axle that remains stationary. What we need to do is to find this quiet center within us and retreat to it periodically for rest, recuperation, and renewed vigor.”

Maxwell Maltz, M.D. – Psycho-Cybernetics: Updated and Expanded 

In Asian martial arts, this center within that Dr. Maltz referred to is called the dan tian or “sea of energy.” 

In fact, there are three of these centers. The first center is located behind the navel. The second is in the center of the chest and the third is in the center of your brain.

When you put your focus and concentration on the navel or heart center, you begin to feel calmer and more peaceful, almost immediately, especially when you are paying attention to your breathing.  

Each day, between activities, you can clear the cobwebs from your thinking, or refresh your energy by focusing on your retreat center.

Once you feel centered, you clear the screen of your mind. By doing this you eliminate any residue from a previous activity that you don’t want spilling into or interfering with the next one. 

More on this later…

Matt Furey

“A human being all acts and feels and performs in accordance with what he imagines to be true about himself and his environment. This is a basic and fundamental law of mind. It is the way we are built.”
– Maxwell Maltz, M.D. – Psycho-Cybernetics, Updated and Expanded – page 36

In the above passage, you can see that I underlined and emphasized the word “imagines.”

I have done so because so many self-development coaches automatically associate the word “imagines” with the word “believes.”

Can you imagine something and bring it about without believing it in a deep and significant way?

Yes, you can.

This is what we refer to as “testing” something to see what happens. You’re not really sure as to whether something will make a difference or not, so you give it a whirl and take note of your results.

Here’s a simple example:

One evening, not so long ago, I was observing a baseball player who wanted to throw the ball 90 miles per hour. He was stuck and struggling, maxing out around 87. The coach who was working with him kept giving him mechanical fixes, none of which added an iota of extra velocity.

After several minutes I asked the coach if I could make a suggestion. He agreed. I pulled the athlete to the side and gave him a different mental picture, one of him effortlessly throwing the ball. It was an exaggerated, hyperbolic and nonsensical mental picture, one that could NOT be turned into reality, one that the athlete could NOT possibly believe was true. I made no comment to this athlete whatsoever about his existing beliefs, or what I thought they should be.

On the next pitch the athlete threw the ball 89 miles per hour. This got him excited. He grabbed another ball and hit 89.9. And on his next throw, using the ridiculous mental imagery I gave him, he topped 90 miles per hour for the first time in his life.

When the radar gun showed 90, he looked at me and exclaimed, “Oh my, God. I can’t believe it. This is incredible. What you teach really works.”

“You didn’t need to believe it,” I replied. “All you needed to do was imagine it – and then it happened. Remember this as it applies in every area of your life, not just baseball.”

I realize the above flies in the face of those who think you need to change your limiting beliefs before any change takes place in your life.

I have not found that to be true.

On the other hand, I have found that once a person begins to change his or her limiting mental pictures into positive, broad and expansive images, a whole lot of positive change is forthcoming… and oftentimes, at a speed that defies logic.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

“Picture yourself vividly as defeated and that alone will make victory impossible. Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone with contribute immeasurably to success. Great living starts with a picture, held in your imagination, of what you would like to do or be.” – Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick

It is not positive words or phrases that turn your life around. Rather, it is the mental pictures we form when we see, hear, recite or write positive words or phrases.

If you are trying to think positive with your words, and you’re not feeling a shift in how you feel (and you’re not getting positive results), then chances are beyond excellent that you are unconsciously and unintentionally picturing the opposite.

If you are feeling down, take note of what you are picturing that causes this feeling. You will discover it is NOT the words that do you in; it IS the images that ride along with the words.

When you change your negative mental pictures to ones that are positive, your emotional state will completely shift.. automatically, and almost regardless of the words you are using.

If you have a positive mental picture – you can express yourself with negative self-talk and it will be virtually irrelevant.

If you say, “I am going to flunk this exam,” but you are picturing yourself getting an A, the negative words are cancelled by the imagery.

If a boxer says, “I am going to win,” but he is picturing himself losing, he will probably lose.

This doesn’t mean you should pay zero attention to your words. It does mean that you will be better off when you are paying 99.9999 percent attention to your mental pictures.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey