“Perfectionism and procrastination
are evil twins, giving you a million
excuses why nothing is ever good
enough…
YET.”
– Matt Furey
The Miracle of Momentum
Successful living requires that you get positive momentum going in your favor.
There is positive momentum – and there is negative momentum. And oddly enough, this momentum is usually unleashed in either direction by the “small stuff” you do or don’t do at the beginning and end of each day.
Which way you are going in life can be detected by answers to simple questions, such as: What’s the first thing you do after getting out of bed in the morning?
If your answer is that you get something to eat, check your phone or computer to see who texted, called, tweeted, emailed or “posted,” a golden opportunity to create positive momentum was overlooked.
Show me a person who has positive momentum, a person who is lit up, and I’ll show you someone who starts his or her day with activities such as visualization, prayer, meditation, reading, journaling and so on. I’ll show you a person who reviews his goals and/or the systems to be followed.
Reviewing your goals/systems is huge.
What you fail to review,
you fail to remember.
What you fail to remember,
you fail to achieve.
Why? Because memory, imagination and action are closely linked.
Every time you review a goal you are imagining it, you are visualizing it. This leads to you acting upon it. When you combine deliberate and intentional imagination with action, you are creating a result.
When you avoid the deliberate and intentional use of your imagination, you are visualizing by default. This means you are unconsciously imagining and visualizing what other people and/or forces, put in your mind.
Every act is preceded by the conscious or unconscious use of your imagination. You might think you “just do it” – but no one “just does” anything. We form a mental image of what we are going to do, and then we do it. You can pretend that your situation is different, but keep in mind that even a robot is programmed to do what it does.
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
P.S. Interested in the momentum-generating process I teach to members of my Mind Power Monthly Coaching? Send me an email if this is of interest to you.
Overwhelmed?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the setting of goals in EVERY area of your life, you’re not alone. Here’s a message I received yesterday:
Matt,
I, too, want to thank you for the email regarding massive action. That has been my downfall, all the talk about taking massive action. It led to me doing nothing due to overwhelm. Your email made me wake up peacefully this morning for the first time in a very long time. I set some small goals which I know I can do. Everything I’ve tried the last few years I have failed at due to the “massive action” talk.
Best,
Suzana
Suzana, I’m happy to see you rising peacefully again. Becoming successful is so much easier than the goo-roos make it out to be. Simplification is one of the biggest factors that leads to the results you want. With an easier, small-steps approach, you’ll be moving along for a good year or so, and then when you look back at how far you’ve traveled, it will appear to others as massive action, but yet, it isn’t. It was consistent, daily “get ‘er done” goals.
For more information on the process I teach, consider becoming a member of my Mind Power Monthly Coaching. I have three different levels of engagement, making it affordable for most, as well as giving you a goal to move up the ladder for even more instruction.
Send me an email if this is of interest to you.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
So Much B.S. – So Little Time
Earlier today I received a message from Tom, who thanked me for my previous email, Exposing the Massive Action Myth.
Tom relayed how he bought everything in regard to changing your self-image. He bought every book, every audio program, every everything he could locate.
He set upon a course of MASSIVE ACTION and guess what happened? He overloaded his nervous system and ended up doing NOTHING for a couple months. Unintentionally, Tom became the proverbial rabbit in the tortoise and hare story.
If Tom would have known that the myth of massive action would run him into the ground, he would have chosen a different course of action. And now that he DOES get it, he is beginning again, this time, though, with a systemized approach of taking one step at a time so that you can be on your journey for your entire life instead of only for a couple weeks.
Previously, I covered the analogy of the 1,000-mile journey. If you walk as far as you can each day (massive action) and I walk five miles a day, at first glance it may appear that you will arrive first, but the reality is that you’ll do exactly what Tom did. You’ll push too hard, too soon, and you’ll be forced to rest because your nervous system is fried from the effort, and it is forcing you to shut down.
Meanwhile, I appear to be lazy. My goal is ONLY five miles per day.
Yes, I can go beyond five miles when I’m in a state of momentum, but I don’t have to. It’s up to me.
Everyday I begin again with the same old boring five-mile goal – and as a result, I kick butt.
In the end, my five-miles per day system removes the resistance from the equation, and I crush the massive action model, exposing it to be a myth, sham and outright lie.
Keep in mind, you only get one breath at a time. Even if you want to take five breaths at once, you cannot. This is all the proof you need that hurrying and scurrying cannot be the key to success.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. I’m meeting with a client in a half-hour. He’s been with me for more than 15 years. He can do the unthinkable, so it seems. But I will stump him today. When he leaves he will want to take massive action to get better FAST – but, thank goodness, he is aware of this tendency and will over-ride it. Why? Because every time he’s taken massive action, it backfired. Now he eliminates the angst and the resistance and the feelings of overwhelm by doing what I teach.
Start small and you can have it all.
Start too big and you stumble on every twig.
Recommended resources:
Psycho-Cybernetics – Updated and Expanded
Zero Resistance Living – for advanced players only
Theatre of the Mind – for those who love my stories and enjoy the sound of my voice
The “Don’t Bet Against Me” Mindset
Let’s mentally pretend that the people of a certain town have a success rate of 99 percent whenever they face adversity of any kind.
These people conquer anything and everything that comes their way. They beat invading marauders, they overcome adverse weather conditions and they cure themselves of diseases.
But these facts are never reported to outsiders. All the outside world ever hears about these people is their failures.
Gradually, the thinking from the outside world reaches this town. Most in the area shake their heads and wonder what the outsiders are talking about.
But a few people within the town begin to lament the one percent failure rate, completing blocking out any mental imagery of the 99 percent success rate. They spread doom and gloom everywhere they go, and oddly enough, they attract many followers. Within a short period of time, the town with the 99 percent success rate begins to lose more and more often. And as the people begin to lose, more and more focus is placed upon the losses, and their success rate drops to one percent.
My friend, the above is what many people do to themselves on a daily basis. They block out and ignore their successes and focus solely on their mistakes and failures. And then they can’t figure out why they are in a slump, why things are never turning up rosy.
A basic key to acquiring mind power is realizing that you get more of what you focus on.
When you focus on your successful experiences, you get more of them. When you focus on your losses, you lose more often.
The good news is that no matter how far a person sinks, he or she can begin to rise again by recalling courageous, confident, victorious moments.
Instead of betting against yourself, you take on the mindset of the person who says, “Don’t bet against me.”
Or even better, be the person who when doubted by others, looks them in the eyes and says, “Oh yeah? Watch me!”
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. If you already own a copy of the classic, Psycho-Cybernetics, then look into upgrading your skills with the advanced courses, Zero Resistance Living and Theatre of the Mind. You’ll be ecstatic when you are holding these courses in your hands.
Exposing the Massive Action Myth
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.
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
