My self-image controls all the sub-conscious choices that determine my behavior and body language. Self-image strength training gives me an edge for getting happy.
When my self-image is strong and positive, I perform well at school or work, get along well with others, and frequently achieve my goals. A weak self-image broadcasts itself as timidity, lack of confidence, and even self-loathing.
First, let me share the seven most powerful words for self-image strength training. Then we’ll look at three simple components of self-image strength training.
7 Most Powerful Self-Image Strength Training Words
I Am What I Decide To Be
Dr. Maxwell Maltz first put these words together when he published Psycho-Cybernetics in 1960. Today, Dr. Matlz’s work on self-image is a key component of every self-help book and program.
Let’s look at three simple components contained in these seven most powerful self-image strength training words.
Always Think In Present Tense
Notice that everything about the seven most powerful self-image strength training words is in present tense.
Make your self-image stronger by imagining your different behaviour as real, right now, today.
Let’s say your parents ask you about your day every time you come in the door. You don’t like it, and it always seems to turn into a loud argument.
Change the cycle, and strengthen your self-image, by making a mental movie about that one thing. See yourself walking in the door, hearing your parents ask about your day, and change what you say. Instead of being defensive or raising your voice, vividly imagine yourself staying calm and politely asking your parents to give you some space.
Imagine their part of the conversation, too. They’re going to be surprised by the change, right? So imagine two or three possible replies from your parents, Clearly, vividly imagine yourself responding to them, always staying calm, and avoiding the argument you want to avoid.
Whether it’s your parents, co-workers, or boss, you can strengthen your self-image and make any situation happier in just a few days by always thinking in present tense.
Accept Responsibility
I am what I DECIDE to be. The choice is mine.
We’ve all had bad and good things happen in our lives. And we know our brain chooses behavior sub-consciously based on past experiences. So how do I give my brain new material when I decide to be different?
This is why thinking in present tense is so important. It’s a lot like Disney’s process of Imagineering.
When you make a mental movie of yourself doing what you want to accomplish in present tense, your brain immediately stores it as an experience. Our brains can’t tell the difference between a real experience, and one that is vividly imagined. So put details into your mental movies that stimulate sight, sound, smell, touch and even taste.
Each time you play your mental movie, you’re adding an experience to your brain. Run the movie three times a day for a week, and your brain has 21 recent past experiences to use for sub-consciously choosing behavior. Since you decide what’s in the movie, you’re Imagineering your self-image.
Be Then Do
This clearly builds on, and follows, the first two components. You imagineer yourself being different in the present tense.
You decide how to shape your self-image – the new characteristic you want
You create the mental movie of you behaving that way perfectly – to give your brain new experiences
Because you’ve changed your self-image, you be (are) a different person – and then you DO things differently.
Putting It To Work
That’s right – it’s work. This is the Cranium Ex Rectum part. Imagineering a new self-image means creating mental movies with lots of clear, vivid details. For your brain to accept the mental movie as an experience, it has to feel real. The great things is that it gets easier the more you practice.
When I started using psycho-cybernetics, making these mental movies was tough. Choosing the details and keeping them consistent each time I played the movie just wasn’t working for me. So I started writing down scripts. I’d make notes about the details, and read through my script before playing the move to be sure it was the same every time.
You can get a copy of psycho-cybernetics to help you get going. And tell me what you think. Share your experience or ask a question in the “Comments” below.
