In the book Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, we are introduced to the concept of thinking like a machine. As humans, we assign narratives about ourselves that can hold us back. Many times we even get these narratives about ourselves from our coworkers, friends, and even family. When we make these conclusions about ourselves, there are often negative consequences. The way we view ourselves has a huge impact on how we go about our life and if we are successful. It’s our choice on how to see ourselves, and it’s important to lift ourselves up to be our best selves.
3 Key Takeaways
The way you imagine yourself creates the way you act. When you think about yourself in a certain way, it’s very likely that you will follow through on this story with your actions. Your thoughts about yourself are very powerful and result in your actions. Your mental image manifests into your actual personality and what kind of person you are. This principle can be seen as a positive and negative. For example, if you are made fun of for being bad at sports as a child, you may tell yourself that you’re not athletic and don’t have physical talents. Then you never pursue sports which don't allow you to develop any athletic abilities. This perception that others had of you is now your reality. On the other hand, it also gives us the power to control our narratives in pursuit of being our best selves. When we think positively about ourselves and the world around us, we have control over our own reality.
In order to create your best personality it’s important to follow 7 principles:
Sense of Direction- You must set your goals and determine who you want to be and what you want to achieve. This will help guide and direct you towards your best self every day.
Understanding- This is when you step back from a situation and understand it for what it is. Fear, anxiety, and embarrassment can distort how we view things. When we separate ourselves from our emotions we can see when our perception of ourselves is untruthful.
Courage- Sometimes to achieve our goals we have to take risks. Sometimes you can’t wait to make a decision until you’re completely confident. Don’t be scared to take a leap of faith.
Charity- This is when you put the needs of others before your own. This is a common characteristic in successful people and is considered a great personality trait.
Esteem- This principle shows the importance of having a positive self image. It’s important to encourage ourselves that we can do whatever we think we can.
Self-Confidence- Confidence is key when it comes to achieving one's goals.Self-confidence can be improved by remembering positive past experiences and successes. This confidence will give you face challenges and will help you forget any past failures.
Self- Acceptance- This principle is all about learning to live with your flawed self.
We must accept that we are human and make mistakes. It’s okay to be you even with your strengths and weaknesses.
The way you treat yourself impacts your success. You can’t be our best self if you don’t take care of yourself. It’s important to tend to your emotional well-being. Emotional trauma can stunt your growth and distance you from the people that love you the most. One way to tend to your emotional-well being is forgiveness. This habit of forgiving will allow you to let go of what has hurt you. Sometimes we need to forgive others and even ourselves for hurting us. This process will help eliminate the emotional scars that were preventing you from reaching your full potential. It’s important to not let others get in the way of our self expression or prevent us from becoming our best selves.