Psycho-Cybernetics - See Yourself at Your Best

Matt Furey's Super Human Success Blog

A Bull Rider’s Question

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Dear Matt,

I’ve got a question as far as goal/project setting, accomplishing, and their terms.

Say I will be a world champion. What does my short-term goals look like, mid-term all the way to my world championship(s).

There are obvious things that I must accomplished to be a world champion bull rider, but how would you go about constructing these in a simple and positive way.

I like to keep things in a 24 hour box, so my imagination doesn’t allow things to get “too big” and the Bible says we do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has its own worries.

What does your daily projects/goals look like in accomplishing the long term.

Josiah (Ridesagain)

Dear Josiah,
I suspect you’re referring to the following quote in Matthew 6:26, it states, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”

Here’s the situation, as I see it. Birds don’t gather food the way squirrels do, but they may make a nest today that will provide a safe haven for the future.

The bird’s (and squirrel’s) focus is on doing what needs to be done today, at this moment, as that is all that they ever have anyway.

At the same time, as human beings and doings, it is wise to take an imaginary peek into the future and direct our daily aims toward that future.

But if you peek too far into the future, and that is where your focus is too often, you will put yourself into a state of frustration, worry, anxiety and unnecessary stress.

Some stress is necessary – but too much is much, too much.

Begin with the world championships in mind, as though it is happening today. Then work backward and do what needs to be done to move you forward.

Each day focus on daily goals. Take note of your improvements. See the progress you are making and ride that progress toward even more.

Most of your focus needs to be on who you are being and what you are doing today. You focus on the one small step that inevitably leads to many more.

This is the way of NOW – and NOW is all we have to work with as we move toward the future, which is just another NOW.

Matt Furey

Want to create more, write more and be more – regardless of your age or any other factors? Well, I’m currently gearing up for an all-new Intensive – Creatively Writing for Your Life, and for More Life – and/or for More Money – to be held April 11 at 1 PM EST, with a brilliant friend who is waaaay older than me (I’m almost 63), and he has no intention of ever slowing down. He’s a role model for me, and I’m certain the two of us together over Zoom will inspire you beyond belief. Drop me an email at goals@psycho-cybernetics.com to receive the information to enroll early. Today is the last day to get in at the current amount.

The Man Who Was Never Scared

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Yesterday I watched a film, The Making of a Champion, that I first saw in the summer of 1979. It’s a documentary about the career of one of my heroes, Dan Gable.

Gable was an Olympic Gold Medalist in 1972, and a man whom I can say played a pivotal role in my life, helping me become a champion, too.

Anyway, in this documentary, I heard Gable say something I didn’t hear him say when I was a teenager. And that was… “I get scared before a wrestling match.” He also stated that if you’re never scared before competition, you must be too cocky.

If you were to observe Gable, as I did, you would never detect an iota of fear. Yet, there was some present.

But how much?

Not enough to keep him from competing – which is the point. He wasn’t paralyzed by fear, which would be “out of your comfort zone.” Instead, he acknowledged being scared. He was comfortable with it.

Believe it or not, there are people who will tell you they fear nothing and no one. I smile and ask, “That’s good to know. Are you comfortable then, with the idea of walking a tight rope between two skyscrapers at the top floor?”

This question brings these people back to reality. Everyone has something he or she fears, something that is at least a little scary.

Sometimes the way to override a fear is to move forward anyway. The fright and the scare you feel is nothing but mislabled excitement and nervousness that are there to elevate your game.

But if there’s too much fear, if you’re outside your comfort zone, that’s when you need to divide the goal into stages and steps.

In the tightrope walking example, you’d be crazy to begin with a first attempt between two skyscrapers. You would want to start with a tightrope or slack line that is barely off the ground. Once you can maintain your poise and focus at that level, you can go up a bit higher.

That, my friend, is how goal getting works.

Anyone who says, “I’m not afraid of nuthin,” hasn’t examined what would scare him… A LOT.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Recommended Links:

Psycho-Cybernetics, Updated and Expanded

Psycho-Cybernetics 365

Reader Fuming About LeBron James Snub

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A reader of Psycho-Cybernetics 365 wrote to tell me how upset he was that I referred to Michael Jordan, not LeBron James, as the greatest NBA basketball player of all times.

“Everyone knows that LeBron is the greatest hoops player ever. For you to ignore all the records he’s set and the fact that he’s still playing at age 41, is beyond me. Everything I read in your book was great until I got to the section where you glorified Joran and honestly it made me want to throw your book in the garbage. You need to apologize for slighting LeBron.”

My response was as follows: “If LeBron is the greatest in your mind for all the records he’s set, that’s fine, but how do you explain all the losing?

More importantly, how do you explain the fact that Jordan, who retired for the third time in 2003, still outsells all the other current NBA players combined in shoe sales? Based upon this, my opinion of Michael Jordan will remain intact. I’m sticking with the guy who sells the most gear.”

There’s much more I can say on this topic but I’ll hold up for now, other than to say that my wife couldn’t wait to watch Jordan play – but after he retired she lost interest and there hasn’t been a single NBA superstar, much less a team, who can bring back her desire to watch.

Greatness is magnetic. And Michael Jordan was and still is the supreme magnet.

Matt Furey

Click here for Psycho-Cybernetics 365

The Secret of the Pros

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“Relax while you work.” – Maxwell Maltz, M.D. – Psycho-Cybernetics, Updated and Expanded

These four words represent a surprising twist for those who think that learning to relax is a waste of time.

It’s astounding to hear people say that you don’t need to relax, you’re here on this planet to work, not realizing that once you have learned the art of relaxation, you can apply it to any work situation you’re involved in.

Do you really prefer to work all day with a tight neck, a sore back, headaches, high blood pressure, and so on? Or would you rather be better at your job than anyone around you because you know how to relax while you accomplish far more than anyone else?

When you can do your job with a spirit of relaxed calmness, when you make your job look easy, you are the embodiment of a professional.

Amateurs work with unnecessary stress and tension. They make their jobs look difficult.

They have tension in areas of the body that aren’t even used in the work they do. And much of this tension is because they rarely take a deep breath or a playful break. They rarely smile and are easily upset by trivial matters.

Professionals don’t scoff at the power of relaxation. They relax and picture the result they want. They unwind their mind first, then bring this spirit of relaxation into their work environment.

How much extra value would you bring to your office, or onto the playing field, if your work was your play and your play was your work?

Note: This was an excerpt from Psycho-Cybernetics 365, Thrive and Grow Every Day of the Year, which is available NOW.

Matthew Furey

The One-Legged Champion

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Hey Matt,

I’m Dr Serena – but call me Serena – I’m a dentist from Sydney, Australia and I came across Psycho-Cybernetics.

It’s changed my life and I’m not even 21 days in.

So thank you!

If you’re ever in Sydney, look me up!

Also I know you’re an Iowa man but have you watched Unstoppable. It’s about Anthony Robles – if you haven’t I think you’ll enjoy it 🙂

Cheers,
Serena

Hi Serena. Glad to hear you’re benefitting from Psycho-Cybernetics. As you stated, it is profoundly life-changing.

Yes, I am familiar with Anthony Robles. What a story! Born with one leg, he got into wrestling in eighth-grade, went on to win a couple state titles, then won an NCAA title as a senior at Arizona State University. Impressive, eh?

His story goes to show that the image you have of your “self” can transcend the limitations of your body and any other circumstance.

Once you realize that the mental picture you have of yourself is reflected in the results you get in life, you are now faced with a choice. You can allow the old picture to run your life, as it has been doing, or you can install a new self-image and rise above those limitations.

All of us are limited by the mental pictures we have of ourselves. If you see having one leg as an impossible hurdle, it will be. If you observe the benefits of having only one leg, you can shake up the world.

Anthony Robles could have imagined that there are no benefits to having only one leg. This line of thought only leads to despair, to giving up before you start.

What benefits are there to having one leg?

For one, you are given an opportunity to build phenomenal grip strength via the constant use of crutches. There’s a significant correlation between grip strength and overall body strength. When you strengthen your grip physically, you also strengthen your mind.

Second, having only one leg gives your opponents less options when attacking.

Third, with only one leg, your center of gravity is higher, and this alone makes it more difficult for your opponent.

Most importantly, though, is the mindset of the athlete who makes no excuses, who gets out and competes with what he has, along with a burning desire to make something of himself.

Dr. Maltz often visited prisons to give talks, and marveled at how the inmates who “got the picture,” changed their lives for the better, finding inner peace, happiness and poise, even while incarcerated; whereas he found that those who live on the outside, often imprison themselves with images of limiting pictures of fear, doubt, frustration and worry.

Thanks again for writing, Serena, and whenever I go back to Australia, I’ll look you up.

Matt Furey

P.S. We are one week away from my next Theatre of the Mind Intensive. Being involved in this 3-hour webinar will show you how to remove any self-imposed limits or “prisons” you’ve put upon yourself. This training is an essential aspect of the Goal Getting™ process. The fee is $247 and is going up soon. Drop me an email at goals@psycho-cybernetics.com to get accepted.

Did Caitlin Clark Suddenly Stop Whining?

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Tonight is the big night.

Record-setting phenom, Caitlin Clark, and the Iowa Hawkeyes take on defending national champion, LSU, to see who else gets to make a trip to the Final Four in women’s college basketball.

This is a rematch of the finals from one year ago, and being a former Iowa Hawkeye, I will definitely be tuning in.

Over the course of this season, although I have been impressed with Caitlin Clark’s basketball skills, I am not a fan of her whining and complaining.

This isn’t a female thing to me, where I condone men complaining but think it unseemly for women to do the same. I find it disgusting in either situation.

What I hate to see in sports, are athletes moaning, groaning, pissing and hissing during the game itself. Shut yer yaps and get on with the game.

Much of the complaining and theatrics we see in sports today, in my view, is a trickle-down from the NBA. The palms-up gestures to the referees, the flopping, the driving for a layup and expecting a foul call when no one touched you, the falling down and feigning an injury… all of it sucks.

On top of that, there’s the poor officiating. It’s almost anything goes, for some players, who are allowed to double-dribble, travel, palm the ball, commit offensive fouls and scream at the referees, with no ramifications whatsoever.

What used to be a foul is no longer a foul. What wasn’t a foul is now one. And technical fouls for some of the superstars are almost never called anymore.

Some athletes are allowed to bark at the refs during the entire game with no consequences. Or they are allowed to take four, five, six or seven steps, running with the ball from half-court, without dribbling, and that is perfectly fine so long as the slam dunk looks impressive.

Now we’re seeing this same type of behavior with competitors in middle school, high school and college.

I was impressed with Caitlin Clark on Saturday, when Iowa beat Colorado to advance to the Elite 8. She not only played well, but her demeanor was calm and relaxed. Noticeably, the other players picked up on her good vibe and their performance improved, too.

Tonight will be an extraordinarily rugged test for Clark. She’ll be facing the same LSU team that annihilated Iowa a year ago in the finals.

Will she play the game with the “calm mind-calm body” approach that she had on Saturday, the one that is taught in Lesson One of the Zero Resistance Living Course?

I certainly hope so and I’ll be rooting for her, unless she starts whining  again.

No doubt, it’s tough to keep your composure under pressure, but when you do, the team benefits.

To cultivate the “calm mind-calm body” approach that Caitlin Clark showed on Saturday, to make it part of your daily modus operandi, go here.

The technique is incredibly simple to use, and the results you gain from using it are 100% reliable.

This technique alone turns whiners into winners, and complainers into champions.

Matt Furey

 

Did I Jinx Him?

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So, I wrote about Midorifuji two days ago on my page at mattfurey.substack.com (please subscribe).

I wrote about how he was 10-0 in the current Sumo basho, a 15-day tournament held every two months in Japan.

And now, two days later, because of what I wrote, he’s 10-2.

Yep, it’s ALL my fault.

Did what I wrote really jinx him? I doubt it. But this is the way many of us are wired. We think that one little thing we do can make or break a winning or losing streak, even when we are not associated with the other person at all.

You’ll witness this superstition taking place in sports such as baseball, where vendors are hip to capitalizing on the ridiculous notions people have about cause and effect.

In Seattle, when the Mariners are losing in the latter innings, “Rally fries” are sold. Fans rush to buy French fries with the idea that when they do so, the team rallies to drive in the winning runs.

But these psychological antics don’t stop or start with fries. I’ve heard radio announcers say that whenever the team is down, if he/she gets a hotdog, it will change the outcome of the game.

Then there are the fans who turn their caps inside out, which signals to the cosmos, that their team is going to turn it around.

Several years ago, when I was a home plate club season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Rays, a friend and fellow Yankees fan, texted. “Stay in your seat. Every time you get up to walk through the tunnel, the Rays hit a home run.”

This man wasn’t alone. Another Yankees fan wrote to tell me the same thing. Both were watching the game on the booby tube and saw me move around.

“Damnit Furey, stay in your seat,” the other fan wrote.

Man, I didn’t know I had that much power over the outcome of a game.

Superstition is a serious mind wharp. Yet, could this observation be connected to reality in ways we cannot fathom or explain?

Although I logically think not, sometimes I’m perplexed and go along with it.

Rally fries?

Do they really work? Or do they appear to work because enough people believe they do.

Another great one is to falsely proclaim the opposite of what you want to see happen in a game, as in, “We’re going to get crushed tonight.”

This negative proclamation upsets others who think your negative thoughts will effect the outcome of the game. But when the opposite happens, you gleefully sit back with a smile on your face.

“You’re using reverse psychology,” one fan told me.

“On who?” I question. “I’m not out there playing, or coaching.”

And yet, they still believe.

Rally fries, anyone?

Matt Furey

By the way, to learn the true secrets of rallying yourself to one victory after another, get yourself a copy of the Zero Resistance Living program – a true non-jinxer that will change your life for the better.

Last but not by any means the least – make sure you follow me at mattfurey.substack.com

The Strength of a Siberian Tiger

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“This book has the strength of a Siberian tiger, and yet all its inspiring physical lessons contain even deeper lessons for the mind and spirit. This is Matt’s masterpiece – the most inspiring book I’ve ever read. I’m ready to take the mountain and keep climbing, and I will never stop reading this book.”

– Steve Chandler
Author of Time Warrior

“A STUNNING book of power and inspiration! I can’t stop reading and re-reading it. It’s almost a force of nature with the energy it contains.”

– Dr. Joe Vitale
author, The Attractor Factor, a star in the movie The Secret

You’re probably wondering ​​​​​​what book these two best-selling authors raving about.

Well, it’s none other than my action-packed 62-lesson thriller, Expect to Win-Hate to Lose.

It’s an edge of your seat can’t-put-it-down read from start to finish.

Order a copy today and I’ll enclose yet another unnamed Furey classic at no charge.

Discover the truth about success in a way you’ve never heard it ‘splained before. It’s not just wanting to win that matters most. It’s having that “thing” that separates 90 percent of all Olympic champions from everyone else.

The above lesson alone, when you come upon it and read it, will probably alter your thinking and the results you are getting in life forever.

Get Expect to Win-Hate to Lose NOW.

Matt Furey

Saying Goodbye to My Little Brother

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As a young boy, our family frequently traveled to Omaha to visit my grandma, uncles, aunts and cousins. My mother was born and raised in this city; my dad met her while going to law school at Creighton.

I brought my son, Frank, here seven years ago to play in a baseball tournament and watch a game of the College World Series. Yesterday, I came back, this time for the funeral of my youngest brother, Tim, who passed away from cancer Sunday evening.

If you’ve read my book, The Unbeatable Man, you may recall some of the mentions I had of Tim.

Last night, as I was preparing for sleep, a good many “lost” memories of Tim resurfaced. With closed eyes I revisited the way Tim swam, the way he bridged (he was nearly impossible to pin), the way he walked and ran and talked. Simple, ordinary things, really, but all distinct and memorable.

In 2009, when The Unbeatable Man first came out, I remember how my mother sobbed as she read the passage about Tim in my book. I asked her why she was crying. She showed me the page. Uggh.

A few days ago I took out a copy of The Unbeatable Man to find that passage again.

On that section, I wrote about Tim not watching my matches at the state tournament, how he stayed in the corridor, out of the stands, out of fear that his presence would jinx me.

You might wonder how someone develops a superstition such as this. It’s rather simple. I watched him and he lost. I watched another time and he lost. I didn’t watch him and he won. Damn, must be my fault when he loses. I want my brother to win, so if I don’t watch him, he will win. 

Strange and true – yet some sort of superstition such as this is part of the reality of every prominent athlete or athletic family I have ever met.

Of far greater benefit to me though, was how Tim met with me in the early morning hours, before school, and once again at night, after wrestling practice. Why? To help me drill the moves I needed to “perfect,” so that I could achieve my goals of making it to the state tournament and coming home a champion.

Three workouts per day, for six weeks.

5:30 AM.

3:30 PM.

8 PM.

Tim was with me for each of these workouts, helping me hone my skills.

As a result of this training protocol, I won 14-straight matches, almost all of them by lopsided margins. The training strategy was a huge difference maker – but it required a cooperative partner for it to work. And Tim definitely was that cooperative partner.

So I’m back in Omaha to say goodbye to my little brother. Uggh.

Rest In Peace, little brother.

Matt Furey

Note: By reading the full story of The Unbeatable Man, not only will you be incredibly moved, but the proceeds will go to Tim’s wife, Anya, and his daughter, Maya.

“I Can’t Believe It”

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Last weekend, as I watched the finish of the 2020 Women’s Olympic Marathon in Tokyo, Japan, I took out my camera to record the interview with Molly Seidel, who won the bronze medal, becoming only the third woman in U.S. history to  medal in the event.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe it,” Molly said after the race. “Just getting here was already a dream come true. And to be able to come out today against a field like this and to be able to come away with a medal, a bronze, for the U.S., uh, I’m in shock. I’m in disbelief right now.”

I sent the video clip I shot to Jack, a client, with the following line: “See what I mean? Here’s even more proof you don’t need to believe you can do something in advance to make it happen. Picture the goal. Picture it daily. Picture it with enthusiasm. Picture it BIG. Then get to work. And after you walk through your goal, the reality is you still might not truly believe that you did it, even though you know you did. Achieving a goal can be a surreal experience.”

Jack replied: “So even at the Olympic level, athletes don’t fully believe in themselves.” 

“Correct. At every level this is the truth you’re not being told. Athletes battle fear, worry, self-doubt and the doldrums that often accompany defeat.”

“So the idea of an athlete entering the ring without any fear whatsoever…”

“Is pure bunk,” I interjected. “30 minutes before I stepped out on the mat in the world championships, I was more than just a wee bit nervous. But then I calmed my emotions and cleared my mind. I gave myself a blank slate, so I could go out there and perform without unnecessary tension.”

“Did you believe it after you won?”

“I believed that one – but other victories still astound me. The thing they all have in common is picturing a result and then going after it without thinking too much about it. Picture and go.”

“What you’re telling me reminds me of the long jumper in the Olympics,” Jack mentioned. “I think it was the 1968 Olympics.”

“Yes, you’re talking about Bob Beamon. He leaped so far in his first attempt that he broke the Olympic record by 55 centimeters. And get this, he physically collapsed after the feat, not from exhaustion, but out of disbelief. He couldn’t believe he did what he did. So Beamon didn’t leap as far as he did because he believed he would. It’s the same as the little ole lady who lifts the car off her loved one. She doesn’t lift the car due to her belief, but due to her mental imagery and the adrenal surge the mental image created.”

“So I don’t need to spend all my time trying to override my existing limiting beliefs?”

“Correct. Picturing what you want is the key. And last time I checked, you don’t need to believe in order to picture.”

Here endeth the lesson. 

Matt Furey

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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!

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Matt Furey
President, Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation

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