How
can you remain positive about yourself and your business venture?
How can one avoid being discouraged?
It
is understood at the outset of this material that one must be
realistic regarding ones own abilities and the realism of your
business venture being sound and practical. These factors
must be established before we can expect the power of positive
thinking to play a role in our success. It is absolute rubbish
when we see these info-commercials on the TV, that make ludicrous
claims about massive earnings from business ventures that are
unrealistic and are not even practical.
After
we have established that our business venture is realistic
and practical and we are satisfied that we have the right
personality to handle the task of becoming an entrepreneur
we can now venture into the area of how we can keep positive and
avoid being discouraged.
Your
Hidden Powers
Scientists
say that human beings can be looked at from three different points
of view.
-
First,
you can see him as he is from a physical point of view. You
can say that he is 42 years old, 1.8m tall, and that he is fair-haired,
blue-eyed, and athletically built.
-
Second,
there exists his own image of himself. He may regard himself
as attractive, intelligent, and relaxed.
-
Third,
there is other people's opinion of him. They may regard him
as conceited, un- trustworthy and lazy.
These are three different angles regarding every person.
In terms of the person himself, the most important one is
the second: how he sees himself. This, more than anything
else, decides whether he will succeed in reaching his goals,
or not.
Every one of us carries a mental picture of ourselves, and it
determines whatever we say or do. Every one of our actions,
from writing to the press to giving 10c to a beggar, is consistent
with our self-image. One may say that every action flows
from our self-image. The same is true of our emotions. We
never consciously express an emotion unless it accords with
our self-image.
What this means is that you will always act like the sort of
person you really think you are. The self-image is the foundation
stone of your personality. All other actions and emotions
derive from it. In turn, those very actions and emotions verify
and strengthen our self-image.
If you think that you are a failure, you will fail even if you
try hard to succeed, even if you get some good breaks. If you
think you are unlucky, you will be plagued by bad luck
One of the authors of this course knew an attractive young girl.
She somehow came to believe that she was unattractive. She developed
a defensive manner, getting annoyed by compliments. This turned
her into a somewhat ridiculous person, and drove all her admirers
away. Her self-image had confirmed itself.
We all know plain-looking people who are immensely attractive.
The reason is their self-image: they do not think that their
lack of physical beauty repels other people. So it does not.
There are many more illustrations of how a positive self-image
produces success, and a negative self-image, failure.
Think of the salesman who believes that he cannot sell because
people don't like his face. He will look sad and nervous whenever
he tries to sell. His lack of faith in himself will work itself
across to the buyer. He will fail at selling. Think of the person
who speaks clearly but believes that he cannot write, his writing
will be bad.
Pause for a moment. Think of your friends and colleagues. Do
you know any person who has a poor self-image, for no real reason?
Does he do as well as he could?
You can change your self-image
If you have a negative self-image, you are likely to fail, no
matter how hard you try.
Fortunately
our self-image is not a permanent thing. A good driver may have
three car accidents in a row, through his own carelessness.
He may then tell himself that he is really a bad driver. He
has changed his self-image.
We
can also change our self-image from a negative to a positive
one. It is a simple task, although most people find it very,
very hard.
The basis of it is to start thinking positive thoughts about
yourself. Forget your past failures, and dwell on your successes.
Think only positive thoughts about yourself. Build up a positive
mental picture of yourself, as you would like to be. Then act
as it that picture were true.
This works, as is well shown by modern approach to dramatic
acting. This approach is called the "Stanislavski method
acting." If an actor who uses this method plays a cowboy,
he tries to think that he is a cowboy. He puts himself completely
into a cowboy's shoes. He then tries to project this as a living
reality to the audience.
And it works. Stanislavski method actors try to feel angry when
they have to appear angry. And they do in fact get angry. One
actor recently wrote that in real life he got a headache whenever
he became angry. In a certain production, he had to show anger.
Night after night he went from the stage with a headache, and
had to give up the role.
The
Stanislavski actor changes his self-image into that of the person
he depicts. You do not have to be an actor to do the same. Just
imagine yourself as being the person you would like to be. In
this way you will build a strong and positive self-image
Secrets of the mind
Around the turn of the 20th century, about 100 years ago, psychologists
began probing into the secrets of motivation.
They wanted to find out why people act in the way they do. They
tried to learn why some people are highly motivated {those who
like to set themselves goals, and work hard to reach them},
while others are not. The search for answers still goes on today.
But psychologists have already discovered many wonderful things.
One of their great discoveries was that your mind consists of
two parts. There is your conscious, which
deals with the world around you. Your thoughts, words, and decisions
are directly controlled by your conscious. And then there is
your subconscious, which is like a large storeroom
in which all our experiences and past feelings are stacked away.
The subconscious gets all its facts through the conscious.
You need not understand the whole theory of your conscious and
subconscious. In fact, many mysteries have not yet been solved.
We know many things that the mind can do. We know how to use
the mind better. But we know little about how the mind itself
works. But this is no reason why we cannot make use of facts
already known.
One of the useful facts we do know is this: the subconscious
mind cannot tell the difference between real and imagined experiences.
If you picture yourself in a specific situation by means of
a strong mental picture, imagined picture. It will take it for
the real thing.
This has been proved in many experiments. A British psychologist
asked a group of people to throw darts. He recorded their scores.
He then split the group into two: one section were told to practice
dart throwing for half an hour each day, the other section to
sit in front of a dart board and imagine they were throwing
darts at it. After some days, the second section had improved
their aim as much as the first.
Golfers use this fact as well. If you watch a tournament you
will see how the professional rehearses his shot, imagines what
is going to happen, before he actually hits the ball.
In the 1920's a Frenchman named Emile Coue caused a worldwide
stir. He published a book in which he claimed that people can
become more successful…simply by telling themselves that
they are becoming more successful. Coue said that you should
flash positive mental pictures to your subconscious mind every
day. Standing before your mirror every morning, you should tell
yourself, "Every day, and in every way, I am becoming
better and better." Your subconscious will accept these
statements as true ones and you will become a better and more
successful person.
This technique is called autosuggestion, we suggest
positive things to ourselves and in this way make our self-image
stronger and better. This, in turn, leads to more positive actions.
Coue's system became popular overnight. It made him a famous
and rich man. Thousands of people tried it, and afterwards swore
by it.
To understand more about this, we will now look at an important
modern discovery.
Your Success Mechanism
The modern science of cybernetics has lead psychologists to
an important conclusion, that your subconscious mind has
a so-called goal striving servo-machine. It consists of
the brain and nervous system, and is directed by the conscious
mind.
Let us see what this means.
The space age has seen the development of the electronic servomechanism.
Basically this is a computer. Into it the scientist feeds information
about a goal to be reached. The computer is programmed to know
how to reach that goal. The servomechanism is then attached,
for example, to a rocket that has to ascend up 500km, discard
its first two stages, and then go into orbit round the earth.
Before firing the rocket, the servomechanism is switched on.
From then on this mechanism directs the rocket to its targets.
It automatically corrects all errors of direction and functioning,
and steers the rocket to its destination.
Your subconscious mind possesses a servomechanism. But yours
is more wonderful and more advanced than any electronic one
yet deigned by man. Scientists have spent much time finding
out how you can best use your goal-striving servomechanism.
The facts they have discovered have led to a new science. This
is called "psycho-cybernetics." Let
us see what we can learn from it. (See
Footnote No.1)
Like an electronic servomechanism, your subconscious servomechanism
needs a clear goal toward which to work. Its goals, or objectives,
come to it in the form of mental pictures. Our main goal-image
is our self-image. This tells the servomechanism what we want
to reach, and what the limits of our action are.
And, like an electronic servomechanism, your inner mechanism
is impersonal. It does not decide for itself. Like any machine,
its works automatically on the goals set for it.
If you feed it success goals, it will function as a success
mechanism. It will do those things that bring you success. If
you feed it negative goals, it will work towards failure. Like
clockwork it will zoom in to the targets you set it. It does
not matter whether the targets are positive or negative, whether
they deal with success or with failure.
Our beliefs about ourselves determine the mental pictures, of
which our self-image consists. Our self-image, in turn sets
the targets for our servomechanism in the subconscious.
If you want to get more out of life, you must learn to use your
servomechanism well. Turn its goals into success goals, not
failure goals. Develop new ways of thinking in order to build
a strong and positive self-image. Let us now see how to do so.
Build a strong self-image
You have seen that your self-image consists of mental pictures.
Most, if not all of these derive from your past. They are pictures,
which grow from judgments you placed on your experiences in
life.
If most of them are healthy and positive, you will be a successful
person. On the other hand, if your self-image is negative, you
will tend to be "unlucky". You will fail at
many things. Fortunately, we know today that the self-image
can be made stronger, and we know how to do it. As a great modern
English writer, Mr. Aldous Huxley, has said. "There
is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving;
and that is your own self." Today, science tells you
that you can improve yourself by making your self-image stronger.
Many of our clients have suggested that keeping fit and healthy
definitely helps in your mental outlook, maybe you agree. If
so, then why not try a FREE test to see if your are as healthy
as you think you are.
What to do
Your self-image has been built up over many years. Don't expect
to change it overnight. Work at the exercises below. Work at
it regularly.
And your reward will come. Even after the first session, today
or tomorrow, you will feel an increase in your confidence. Not
very much, of course, but still it all is there. And in the
weeks to come, you will find, day after day, that your new self-image
is taking root. The exercise is simple.
For the next 20 days, we want you to set aside 20 minutes each
day. Sit or lie down where it is quiet. Relax, and make yourself
comfortable. Then close you eyes and think about yourself.
Picture yourself in the way you would really like to be. Make
definite pictures, see yourself in a concrete situation, at
a given time, speaking to a definite person, or doing something
concrete.
Remember that you want to wipe out negative parts of your self-image.
You want to wipe out negative pictures, and put in positive
ones.
Therefore focus on a situation where you have a negative feeling.
But with this difference, picture yourself handling the situation,
as you would really like to handle it. See how successfully
you are dealing with it. See this picture again and again, as
if you are looking at a cinema picture being played over and
over.
Some examples should help you to understand what to do.
-
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This
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A
few
illustrations
Suppose
you
are
a
young
woman,
20,
single,
and
you
want
a
better
job.
The
interview
counts
for
a
lot,
and
here
you
have
a
negative
feeling;
interviews
always
make
you
nervous.
Focus
on
that
situation.
Have
all
interviews
always
made
you
nervous?
No,
there
was
that
time
once,
you
were
18,
and
applied
for
a
holiday
job
in
a
hotel.
You
were
not
nervous
that
day.
Picture
that
day.
What
clothes
you
were
wearing,
remember
how
a
friend
gave
you
a
lift
to
the
office.
The
friendly
secretary
who
apologized
that
her
boss
was
late.
While
you
waited
you
thought
how
nice
it
would
be
to
work
in
an
hotel
by
the
sea,
earning
holiday
money,
the
fat
bald
man,
what
he
said,
what
you
said.
His
desk,
the
view
from
the
window,
the
clear
blue
sky
and
sunshine.
Relive
that
interview,
because
you
were
not
nervous
that
day.
You
handled
it
the
way
you
wanted
to.
Perhaps
you're
a
man
in
your
fifties,
who
becomes
nervous
when
you
have
to
speak,
even
to
a
few
people.
Has
this
always
been
like
that?
What
about
that
day,
30
years
ago,
when
you
gave
a
pep
talk
to
your
rugby
mates?
And
seven
years
ago
when
you
told
your
colleagues
over
lunch
why
fishing
is
a
good
sport?
Picture
moments
of
strength,
detail
by
detail,
and
wipe
out
the
negative
and
weak
moments.
Perhaps
you
are
thirty,
and
you
feel
self-conscious
about
dancing.
Remember
that
night
the
blonde
told
you
she
felt
safe
with
you
-
it
was
on
the
dance
floor?
You
are
a
woman
of
60,
and
self-conscious
about
wearing
a
bathing
costume
on
the
beach?
Remember
last
year
when
the
neighbor's
son
told
you
that
you
were
such
fun
to
be
with
on
a
picnic….remember
the
pleasant
atmosphere,
and
how
no
one
took
any
notice
of
your
figure?
The
above
examples
should
help
you
understand
that
you
should
see
yourself
over
and
over,
doing
well
in
a
difficult
situation.
See
to
it
that
you
always
create
clear,
vivid
pictures.
If
you
want
to
overcome
your
nervousness
when
speaking
in
public,
visualize
yourself.
See
yourself
in
you
town
or
club
hall,
in
a
black
suit.
See
your
notes
on
the
lectern,
the
glass
of
water
on
the
table,
and
the
200
people
in
the
hall.
See
them
listen
and
applaud
you.
Feel
your
relaxed
air,
the
absence
in
you
of
nervousness.
Decide
what
your
negative
feelings
are.
You
think
you
are
bad
at
mathematics;
you
get
sleepy
reading
a
book;
you
can't
get
up
on
time
in
the
mornings;
you
always
lose
things;
you
feel
depressed
and
lonely
at
times;
you
can
never
succeed
on
your
own;
you
can't
make
plans
that
work;
you
are
clumsy
in
front
of
people;
you
are
nervous
in
heavy
traffic;
and
so
on.
We
have
all
had
unpleasant
experiences.
We
all
have
serious
shortcomings.
But
we
need
not
allow
them
to
give
us
a
negative
self-image,
so
that
our
servomechanism
is
primed
as
a
failure
mechanism.
How
you
failed
yesterday
does
not
matter.
Learn
what
you
can
from
your
failure,
and
concentrate
on
your
successes.
If
certain
experiences
have
frightened
you,
see
yourself
mastering
them,
and
winning
out
to
success
in
the
end.
Your
subconscious
works
day
and
night,
even
while
you
are
asleep.
It
cannot
remain
idle.
If
you
do
not
feed
it
on
positive
pictures,
it
will
work
on
whatever
else
it
can
get
from
your
experiences.
These
will
be
negative
as
well
as
positive.
Your
subconscious
is
what
scientists
call
a
self-maximizing
system.
This
means
that
it
uses
the
most
efficient
steps,
and
follows
the
fastest
route,
in
the
pursuit
of
your
goals.
There
is
a
bonus
in
this
for
you.
As
you
get
used
to
having
your
subconscious
work
for
you
at
full
strength,
it
will
often
flash
messages
to
you.
Suddenly
new
solutions
to
old
problems
will
occur
to
you,
solutions
worked
out
by
your
subconscious.
New
creative
ideas
on
subjects
that
concern
and
interest
you
will
appear,
ideas
produced
in
the
workshop
of
your
unconscious.
After
a
while,
you
need
no
longer
set
aside
a
special
time
of
day
for
this.
You
will
have
made
a
habit
of
motivating
yourself
by
developing
a
positive
outlook
automatically:
while
walking,
driving,
waiting,
or
working
with
your
hands.
We
ask
you
to
start
today,
for
20
minutes
each
day,
the
next
20
days,
help
your
servomechanism
select
success
targets.
It
will
work
for
you,
after
a
few
days
you
will
begin
to
act
with
more
confidence.
(See
Footnote
No.2)
(We
kindly
acknowledge
that
these
lecture
notes
have
been
adapted
from
material
that
came
from
Stellenbosch
University,
and
is
part
of
the
Small
Business
Management
Course
at
the
Cape
Town
Academy,
under
the
personal
supervision
of
Geoffrey
Hebdon,
Director
of
Training).
(Footnote
No.1.)
A
marvelous
publication
called
"Pycho-Cybernetics"
by
Dr
Maxwell
Maltz
is
available.
Check
at
Amazon.com
for
a
copy.
Or
contact
us
if
you
have
problems
finding
a
copy.
We
also
recommend
using:
-
Self-improvement
programs
-
Life
of
Learning
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use
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self-help
books,
eBooks,
audio
albums,
tapes,
CDs,
videos,
&
DVDs.
For
more
details,
click
here.
-
A
program
to
achieve
success
-
This
service
offers
an
all-inclusive
and
inexpensive
life-coaching
program
providing
you
with
the
necessary
tools
to
achieve
any
goal.
This
program
can
be
utilized
by
individuals
or
groups
and
inspires
people
to
exceed
their
potential!
The
lessons
you
or
your
group
will
learn
will
be
priceless,
providing
immediate
and
long-term
benefits.
Click
Here
for
more
information.
-
(Footnote
No.2)
There
are
times
in
life,
when
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(i.e.
lack
of
time,
opportunity,
age.
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