How do you respond when you drift off the path to your goals? Did you know your brain already knows what to do?
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!
In his outstanding book Psycho-Cybernetics, Dr. Maxwell Maltz talks about the human success mechanism. Humans are pre-programmed for success. That is, they have a servo-control mechanism that “knows” how to perform. Basically, servo-control is the regulation of a motor based on a feedback signal.
He likens the human success mechanism to a torpedo. A torpedo is released from the submarine and aimed at a very clear target. However, it is only through a feedback mechanism that it reaches its goal. Similarly, Maltz argues, humans must aim for a target, but should recognize that the trajectory won’t necessarily be a straight line.
Here, I have distilled Maltz’s five principles to explain how the success mechanism works, and implications for our behaviors. Use these dos and don’ts to get out of the way of your inbuilt servo-control and let your success mechanism take over.
1. Must have a goal or a target
The human success mechanism does not work solely on a thought or a wish. It must have a goal or a target. We must be clear about what we want and where we’re going. This is the cognitive component of the success mechanism.
However, there’s also a very critical affective component to the success mechanism, too — that is, an emotional one. As we’re using this mechanism, we must believe that the desired result already exists in either actual or potential form, and then use our “steering” or “discovering” capabilities to reach that result.
Belief
Many or perhaps all of us believe in some type of power to accomplish our goals. If it’s a business issue, we might believe in our education and our vast experience to achieve the desired result. Or we might believe in others; we might feel certain that our outstanding corporate team or our coach can help us to succeed. If it’s our health, we might believe in a medication or therapy or the doctor. We might believe in something completely outside of ourselves, such as karma or God or the Universe.
Here’s an example of the intensity of belief that we must have. The scriptures describe the story of the Roman centurion whose daughter is gravely ill. He tells Jesus not to bother going to his home, but rather, to just “speak the word” and his daughter will be healed. What parent among us would have such a strong belief? Wouldn’t we all ask for — and expect — the house call?
Yet, such a depth of belief is exactly what Maltz says we must have to support our human success mechanism. This story demonstrates that the father believed in the power of the healer and the power of the word before the transformation occurred. In her book of the same title, Florence Scovel Shinn tells us, “Your Word Is Your Wand.” Your magic wand is believing that “the word” (and that includes affirmations) will achieve the desired result. Maltz is telling us to establish the goal, and then to feel reassured that it has already happened.
Steering, or discovery
You’ve encountered this, I’m sure. Before GPS, you experienced this many times while driving. You had clarity about your intended destination. But along the way, you encountered a one-way street or some “road closed” sign. Or, perhaps you started to make a recipe and realized you were missing an ingredient. But, knowing your intended result, you may have discovered a substitute that worked better, and cost less.
While you’re doing the steering or making the discovery, you have a feeling. In his book Feeling Is the Secret, Neville Goddard advises: “As you capture the feeling of the state sought, you are relieved of all effort to make it so, for it is already so.” That feeling is your human success mechanism at work.
Now think back to that story of the centurion. As far as I can tell, he continues with his usual daily duties, reassured that what he believed would happen indeed did happen. He does not nag or fret. Those are symptoms of doubt, and he doesn’t have any doubts.
Having trouble getting the feeling? Try to journal about your feelings. If you’re having trouble naming your feeling, take a look at The Feel Wheel.
Dos and don’ts
- Set a clearly defined goal.
- Expect the desired result (outcome) to occur.
- Feel the feeling that it has already happened.
- Relax and receive.
- Don’t fret, push, or grab.
2. Is oriented towards the end results
The human success mechanism focuses on the end goal, not the intermediate steps. Whereas the previous principle was to simply establish a goal — a direction — this one is about the actions or maneuvers that point towards the end result. It focuses on “where,” not “how” or “when.”
Too many of us get hung up on the “how.” We might have no idea how we will do the thing. And if we think about the “how” aspect, we’ll find ourselves generating all sorts of negative self-talk about our capabilities and resources, such as:
- I don’t have the skill to do this.
- I don’t have the human, material, digital, or financial resources to make this happen.
- I don’t have the time to do this.
- What if I try and no one likes it?
- What if focusing on this harms my other projects?
With those words, we’ve started to exhibit our disbelief. We’re fretting and stewing and making up scenarios which may never happen! Mark Twain observed:
Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe. I have spent most of my life worrying about things that have never happened.
Dr. Charles Black cites a study at Cornell that found that 85% of the things we worry about never happen. It’s probably just a symptom of our lack of belief that good things will happen.
Negative energy just doesn’t work. In her book, Shakti Gawain talks about an imaginary “pink bubble:” we put our desire into the balloon, and simply let it float away to become reality. If you want to try this technique, consider using a video to help you do so.
If you feel yourself caught in the “how-to” question, stop and consider some other time when you could not imagine the “how-to” but it all turned out just fine. For example, early in my career, I wanted to do more than just teach other nurses at my hospital. I wanted to teach for a bigger organization. But I didn’t have any contacts, didn’t know how to go about expressing interest, and on and on and on. Then, to my utter amazement, a physician friend of mine called and said, “Hey, the National Perinatal Association had a nurse all lined up to speak at their annual event, but the nurse had to cancel. I told them you’re an expert on the topic, and you might be available.” I was blown away — I didn’t even have to try! It landed in my lap. Have you had experiences like that? That’s about receiving.
Dos and don’ts
- Believe. Believe in yourself, believe in your team, believe in a higher power, or believe in luck. But believe in something! And hold onto that belief.
- Recognize the power of your own words. That might mean doing affirmations.
- Feel the feeling. Again, I’d suggest that Pink Bubble exercise.
- Take the first few steps. Martin Luther King used to say that we don’t need to see the whole staircase, just the first few steps.
- Don’t worry about the how-to. Focus on the outcome, not the processes.
3. Reaches the goal through negative feedback
Like all servo-controls, the human success mechanism achieves a goal through negative feedback. That is, if it moves forward but goes off course, it will immediately correct itself.
Negative feedback isn’t “bad.” Each day, we use servo-control systems that respond to negative feedback. We set our furnace at 70 degrees. The furnace takes temperature readings with the question “Is the house under 70 degrees?” As soon as one of those queries comes back “no,” the furnace shuts off. That’s how negative feedback works. Our bodies do the same thing. We exert intense physical energy, and our body knows it must save us from overheating. We sweat, and we thirst for water. These “negative” signals are protective mechanisms that help us every day. Hence, we encounter negative feedback as we try to achieve many results in a typical day.
Try to view negative feedback as normal, good, and functional. Here are some ideas:
- Ken Blanchard says it’s about nutrition: “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
- Ed Batista uncouples it from its usual partner: “Make feedback normal. Not a performance review.”
- Frank Clark has a good analogy: “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish one’s growth without destroying one’s roots.”
- Tim Fargo talks about accepting a gift and buying success: “Feedback is a gift. Ideas are the currency of our next success. Let people see you value both feedback and ideas.”
- Bill Gates, a lifelong learner, said: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
- Robin Sharma reminds us: “Negative feedback can make us bitter or better.”
- An anonymous author makes it a bit of a riddle: “What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters abcdef? Answer: feedback. Don’t forget that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication.”
And, my husband often points out, “We engineers expect to make mistakes. When we know what doesn’t work, we’re closer to figuring out what does work.
Dos and don’ts
- Accept mistakes as part of the learning process.
- Expect future desirable outcomes.
- Don’t restrict your understanding of feedback to criticism or mistakes.
- Don’t devalue feedback; it’s part of what keeps us moving, living, and growing every day.
- Don’t underestimate how well feedback can lead to logical next steps.
4. Uses the process of trial and error
Trial and error is an integral part of the human success mechanism’s processes. Initially, an error is picked up during the trial; its “aim” is then corrected until it achieves and continues to achieve a “successful” motion, movement, or performance. Thereafter, the mechanism forgets its past errors, and remembers successful responses. That is, the mechanism becomes automatic (or habitual).
Remember that many of the “greats” in different fields failed the first time.
- Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
- Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor said that Walt “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”
- Elvis Presley was told by the concert hall manager at the Grand Ole Opry that he would be better off going back to truck-driving.
- Colonel Harland Sanders peddled his recipe for fried chicken with 11 secret herbs and spices to more than 1,000 prospects before he found a buyer.
- Lucille Ball was a B-rate actress in 72 movies before she began the I Love Lucy series, which continues to air, to this day.
- Steven King’s first novel was rejected 30 times.
- Conrad Hilton wrote in his autobiography, Be My Guest, that he was so desperate for cash that he slept in his office chair so that he could rent his own hotel room to a traveler.
- Thomas Edison failed at creating the light bulb more than 10,000 times.
- In 1510, Michelangelo took a yearlong break from painting the Sistine Chapel, and the frescoes painted after this break are the ones we now think of, such as his most famous, The Creation of Adam.
Dos and don’ts
- Be patient with errors, setbacks and rejections; they are just learning experiences.
- Focus on your outcome. It’s your great north star.
- Don’t assume that your past failures will predict your future.
5. Responds best to specific factors
The human success mechanism can and does work. But like any other mechanism, it can be enhanced or thwarted. It responds best when it is allowed to have:
- an environment of peace and harmony,
- belief in the efficacy of its processes,
- spontaneity to present need,
- trust from the operator, and
- freedom to operate without having to “prove” itself.
Fear and fretting aren’t peace and harmony. The mechanism is less about the steps along the path and more about the journey. Anxiety, or forcing with too much conscious effort, will “jam” the mechanisms.
Doubt, impetuousness, skepticism, rigidity in the process, or insistence on seeing immediate evidence will thwart our progress every time.
Dos and don’ts
- Relax.
- Don’t “jam” the mechanism.
Listen to your human success mechanism
Maltz’s work shows us that our brains already know how to reach our goals. Our job is to figure out how to listen, and to create the best possible environment for our human success mechanism to take us where we need to go. Make the most out of your servo-control — your self-guiding missile — today!
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!
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