MINDSET: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT YOURSELF? PART II

By: Mark Frentz
www.akerahomes.com
mfrentz@akerahomes.com

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Part 2: Self-Image

In my previous post on belief about self I focused on the basic idea that what we talk about has a strong influence on how we feel about people, jobs, and situations. In this post I'm hoping to develop an idea that is more difficult to understand. To get more out of this concept and understand more completely you can purchase the book "Psycho-cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz. It is a classic that is under-appreciated in what it teaches. 

I recently heard a story about a person who asked Bob Proctor what the one thing he would most desire to pass on to the next generation. Bob said something along the lines of: give every effort in life to protect your self image. That's it, and from a man who has accomplished quite a bit in life and understands motivation and success on a greater level than any average person does. 

"Self image is so important. The way we see ourselves determines how we interact with others and, eventually, what we realize in life."  -Maxwell Maltz-

Each person typically has 2 images. One is an image we present to the world and hope others will see, a second is the how we see ourselves. A good question to ask yourself is: how do I view myself and is it any different than what I hope others will see? If the answer is that you present someone else to others, it most likely means you struggle with your own self-image. Now, I'm not saying this is good or bad or right vs. wrong. All I'm stating in this post is that it is helpful to understand this all better so that you can begin to realize more out of life than you may be experiencing right now. If you are experience shame when you see yourself you will not reach the same level in any areas of life (fulfillment in relationships, material wealth, success in a sport or activity/hobby that you enjoy, etc.).

The Secret

How you think affects your emotional state and outlook on life. It also affects what you get out of life. If you have watched the movie "The Secret" or read the book you could get the idea that there is a simple law to life and that if you simply think about something, you will receive it. While I'm not a hater of The Secret, I don't believe it portrays an understanding of life that is accurate. I don't believe there is a magical way to get everything you want out of life and I believe the movie suggests this magic. Here is how I believe what you focus on and think about affects you; how I believe the law of attraction works. 

Are you most likely to talk to a person on the bus or street that scowls at you when your eyes meet, or gives you a warm smile and asks "Isn't it beautiful outside right now?" Are you most likely to invest with someone who is upbeat and asks questions about you, or a person who simply talks about a product and never invests or even knows what you need? I know someone who is brilliant at her job and truly a genius in what she does, but she is extremely negative. She wonders, at times, why she isn't getting out of life what she wants and my simple explanation is that while I admire and respect her for the hard work she has put into her chosen field and believe she is excellent at much of her work, I typically don't want to spend too much time with her because I don't feel as good afterward. I don't think other people do either. It's pretty simple really.

I think the key to the law of attraction is two-fold. One part of it is that if you present yourself to others in a certain way, you are more likely to find people respond in a certain way back more of the time. The other part is that if you want to present yourself to others in a certain way, it will have to be genuine to get the best results and to be genuine you will need to actually think in a different way and have a different outlook on life. There is a third element to this, but it applies to more of life than simply the happy things we want out of it: confirmation bias. Confirmation bias basically means that we notice in life what we are focusing on. I'll give two quick examples:

1. If you are looking to purchase a certain make and model of a vehicle isn't it amazing that, all of a sudden, you start noticing that vehicle everywhere on the road... It almost seems as though every third vehicle is now the one you are thinking of buying.

2. You read a fortune cookie or read your horoscope and you begin to realize that it was extremely accurate in its prediction.





What is actually happening here is not that everyone purchased the same vehicle you are looking at purchasing last night and are now all driving them or that the fortune cookie has any basis in reality (sorry for those who love your astrology, but I don't believe there is any real accuracy to it).

While I could go on about the law of attraction at some length, for this post I simply want to present the idea. I sincerely believe that when a person changes the way they think about themselves they will begin presenting themselves in a very different way to others and they will begin realizing different results from what they are doing.

So What?

I had a professor who, after teaching us something about history or anything else would yell: SO WHAT?! What he meant was: information is important, but it is much more important to know what to do with that information. Here is a way you can begin to work on your own self image. This is simply a way to begin moving in the right direction and not the be all end all of everything you can do. Again, I'd highly recommend Maltz' "Psycho-cybernetics". It honestly is a classic.

1. Your subconscious mind is very much like a computer or guidance system in many ways. It will begin influencing you to go in the direction that is suggested by what you put into it. If you put in a lot of television you will be motivated to buy stuff and drink cheap beer. If you consistently put in statements like: you don't need money to be happy, or I'm not very creative, or there's something wrong with me... you will begin moving toward not having money, doing nothing creative, or consistently making poor judgement calls on anything in life. If, on the other hand, you begin to put in your head things that will motivate you toward the things you want: Money allows me to help myself AND others, or I'm learning new things and skills all the time, or I am becoming someone I'm proud of... you will realize the exact opposite.

I'll leave you with a final statement for today's post... It's already getting longer than usual. I think these last words are far better than anything I would come up with myself (even if I forget where I got the quote... probably Bob Proctor).

"Your results are a direct reflection of your image"



Here's to your future of risk-averse investing!

If you would like to learn more about investing in real estate please contact me at the email address listed at the beginning of this article or go to my website at: www.akerahomes.com/investing-in-real-estate.html