INTRO TO PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS

I’m nearly through my 10th self improvement book over the last few months, and a recurring theme is in order to enact change, one must first know their destination.

It’s the ol’ “Begin with the end in mind” principle from Steven Covey’s famous book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Psyco-Cybernetics, first written in 1960 by Maxwell Maltz introduces this concept of changing who you are in order to reach your goals through the use of visualization.

Motivational and self-help experts in personal development, including Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy have based their techniques on Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics.

So, if it’s good enough for Zigs, Robbins & Tracy, I figured I had better read it.

I’m halfway through, and here’s my fave takeaways so far:

Maltz suggests giving his provided visualization/meditation techniques a minimum of 21 days to work, suggesting that it takes at least that long to form a new habit.
On “success” versus “successful,” Maltz clarifies the difference suggesting “no man should attempt to be a ’success,’ but every man can and should attempt to be ’successful.’ He continues, “trying to be a ’success’ in terms of acquiring prestige symbols… leads to neuroticism, frustration, and unhappiness. Striving to be ’successful’ however, brings not only material success, but satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness.” I love the distinction.
Your self image is your key to success and living your best life. And, good news, you can change your self image to meet the future you through the use of Creative Imagination.
Your built-in Success Mechanism must have a goal or “target.” This goal, or target, must be conceived of as “already in existence—now” either in actual or potential form. It operates by either (1) steering you to a goal already in existence or (2) “discovering” something already in existence.
Imagination plays a far more important role in our lives than most of us realize. For imagination sets the goal “picture” that our automatic mechanism works on. We act, or fail to act, not because of “will,” as is so commonly believed, but because of imagination.
Your Creative Mechanism can help you achieve your best possible “self” if you will form a picture in your imagination of the self you want to be and see yourself in the new role.
Set aside 30 minutes a day to meditate on your future self, the person you want to be (your target), and use details, like smells, sights, objects, etc.

I’m really into Psycho-Cybernetics and visualization right now! If you haven’t read it, pick it up, and let’s chat about the techniques…

❝

You are not “inferior.”
You are not “superior.”
You are simply “You.”

—Maltz

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