For those of you who aren’t familiar with the author, Maxwell Maltz (1889–1975) was an American cosmetic surgeon and author. By combining his daily work experiences as a surgeon with profound studies of the human psychology, Maltz came to the conclusion that our self-image is the cornerstone of our mental state, and therefore of all the successes and failures that happen in our lives as a result.
His best-seller Psycho Cybernetic, published in 1960, is considered one of the best books in the self-help category, of the psychology masterpieces that paved the way for most of today’s personal empowerment programs. In the following lines, we’ll go over the book’s lessons that I consider worthy of attention.
- It’s all about self-image.
The book starts with the concept that everyone has a specific “mental portrait” that defines who he/she is and what he/she believes in. That mental portrait is the result of our past experiences, successes, failures, feelings and behaviors. As a result, this image represents a foundation on which we build our personality.
Thing is, most people let past experiences define them in a negative way. Therefore, they end up behaving in a way that’s not coherent with who they really are, but only with who they “think” they are.
However, this mental distortion can be overcome, and that’s what the book is all…
