Mind Control and Distraction: Mind Control Techniques for a Lifetime

Chapter 28 Imagination is the beginning of success (3)
...Since I sneaked in.Since taking weeks to prepare for my first meeting with the other party, which will be a confidential one, I've been working hard on my preparations.I will do my best to obtain and study all the materials and information related to this person.I read a book he wrote, read books and articles about him, found and watched tapes of his interviews on TV networks and shows, perused his biography, and finally formed in my mind that he is a person of flesh and blood. A "duplicate" of him, in order to be able to talk to him.I couldn't find someone in real life who would behave like this person to role-play (as politicians prepare before a debate with their political opponents), so I had to "clone" one in my mind's imagination.

To be honest, I followed the steps you instructed in the book "Psycho-Cybernetics", hoping to draw inferences from one instance and draw inferences by analogy.After constructing this imaginary person, I would spend hours practicing in what you call a "mental theater," physically enacting meetings, our possible conversations, etc.I imagined myself as writer, director, main actor and spectator.At first I found it difficult to do this, but as I persisted, it gradually became less difficult.I quickly discovered that the imaginary clones were "really" proactively making arguments, questions, and claims.I can still recall sitting in a comfy chair, eyes closed, lost in this imaginary meeting, pausing, throwing a tantrum, and slamming my fist on the arm of the chair with a bang!
As this practice evolved into a "mental movie" with promising results, I began the transition to the latter stage.It is to repeat the same "movie" over and over again.After watching it so many times, I even went so far as to write it down verbatim, like a clerk in a courtroom, sitting there and transcribing our conversations verbatim.The result is gratifying: on the day of the actual meeting, the meeting not only proceeded and progressed in an orderly manner according to my "script", not only what I said was exactly the same as the content of the "spiritual movie" that I had played in my mind many times, even his speech and behavior , as if it was moved from the same "script"! In the second half of the letter, he described a very successful result, that is, this negotiation really led to a big deal for him, and he got A big order was placed.

Find a good job by using "mental imagery"
A late eminent psychologist recommended what he called a "dress rehearsal exercise" to young men and women who came to him for advice on job-hunting tips.If you're about to attend an important interview, such as applying for an important position, take a look at this piece of advice—make an interview plan ahead of time.Predict in your mind all the questions the interviewer may ask you, think carefully about the answers you will give, and then "rehearse" the interview in your mind.Even if none of the questions you predicted during the rehearsal were asked in the interview, the practice of rehearsing can still work wonders because it boosts your self-confidence.Even though real life doesn't have the rehearsal nature of a stage play, the practice of rehearsing can be a great help in improvisation, helping you to deal with the situations you find yourself in because you've practiced , can respond easily and naturally.

This is actually not surprising at all, and the reason for this is the "mental rehearsal" I just described for professional salespeople--the job interview process is actually the process of selling yourself.You are both the product and the product's salesman.You need to market yourself to the company you are applying for.Like the negotiator above, you may also need to take some time out of your busy schedule (weeks, maybe even months) to plan and prepare for a new job or a better position.If you squeeze out this part of the time, you should make the most of it anyway.That said, you need to use your imagination to construct the "perfect" job interview scenario and rehearse it until you feel sure enough that when you actually sit across from the interviewer, you will be able to appear relaxed, confident, and calm.

A recital pianist practicing in his head

World-renowned concert pianist Arthur Schnabel studied piano for just 7 years.He hated practicing, and rarely practiced for long on the piano keyboard.When people questioned how little he practiced compared to other concert pianists, he replied, "I practice in my head".

An authoritative piano teacher in the Netherlands also suggested that all pianists "must practice the piano in their heads".He said that a new piece of music should be played in the head first, so as to get twice the result with half the effort in practice.The pieces should be memorized and played in the head first, and then practiced live at the piano.

It can be said that "practicing in your head" has become an important basic part of modern piano instruction.Pat Carlson is a renowned composer, pianist and lecturer, widely credited for popularizing the "How to Play the Piano Overnight" video tutorial.In her tutorials, she teaches people how to "feel" music, not just sight-singing from sheet music and boring exercises.

Imaginative exercises can help improve sports performance

Golfing is a popular pastime and sporting activity among white-collar workers, and the relationship between golf training and mind control has a long history.I've already given the example of the great golfer Jack Nicklaus' "Mental Practice" method.According to the US "Time" magazine, Ben Hogan has to rehearse every shot in his head when playing golf tours, and then practice.He imagined the motion and effect of the shot to be perfect (feeling the clubhead hitting the ball the way it should, feeling himself following the ball perfectly), then walked to the front of the ball, relying on his scale For the "muscle memory" ability to complete the perfect shot as imagined.

Ben Hogan is the originator of contemporary golf psychology research. If this science has developed into an industry, its main foundation is "visual display" and the mastery of relaxation techniques.

Alex Morrison was the most famous golf instructor in the world at the time I was writing the first edition of this book.In fact, he really developed a systematic method of spiritual practice.With this set of exercises, you'll improve your golf game by practicing his "Morrison's Seven Essentials" with your head from the comfort of your chair.Morrison believes that the spiritual factors of golf account for 90% of the sport, the material level accounts for 8%, and the mechanical level accounts for only 2%.In his book "Golf Without Practice," Morrison recounts how he taught Lou Rear to break the 90 mark for the first time without any practice!
Morrison sat Lear in a comfortable chair in his living room and kept him relaxed while he demonstrated the correct swing for Lear, briefly explaining and demonstrating the "Morrison Points."According to Morrison's instructions and requirements, Lear did not do any actual exercises, and he would spend 5 minutes a day sitting on a chair with his muscles relaxed, imagining how he would correctly understand the "points" action essentials.Morrison went on to write: A few days later, with no physical preparation, Lear joined Morrison's regular four-handed match, and with a score of 9 pars and 9 holes, all present The golfers were taken aback.The core of Morrison's training system is: "Before you can successfully practice, you must first have a clear "mental picture" of the correct approach." Through this method, Morrison has made many celebrities in the clubs. The reduction is as much as 10-12 strokes.

You only need to see the target clearly, and the other details will be handled by the success mechanism

Well-known professional golfer Jonnie Brad once wrote such an article.He said in the article that if you can form a clear "mental image" of where you want to hit the ball and how you want the ball to roll when it hits the ground, it is more important than practicing golf on the ground.George Bulla said that most professional golfers have certain defects in their swings, and these defects may be fatal.However, they are unaffected by their flaws and find ways to play beautiful golf.George Bulla's theory is this: If you can picture the end result, watch the ball go where you want it to go, and know with confidence that it will go where you want it to go, then the subconscious mind will work the results. Come on, direct your muscles correctly.If your grip is wrong and your posture is not optimal, your subconscious will still improve them by directing your muscles to do whatever it takes to correct the error.

Golf's "mind training" is an excellent experimental platform for practicing these mind-control techniques, because unlike many other sports, the ultimate state of golf is really purely your own struggle.

Tim Galway, author of The Inner Game of Tennis, was challenged with an experiment many years after Morrison taught Lear to use only mental exercises to practice golf, but it is still is a meaningful experiment.The purpose of the experiment was to see to what extent Galway could learn golf if he applied only tennis and the "inner compositional skills" that guide his development to learning golf.He set himself the goal of reaching 80 points.During the experiment, he only played golf once a week and received no technical instruction.In addition, he only practiced in his imagination, and the duration was not long, less than a year.At the time, he played golf only a few times a year and scored between 95 and 105.The author's diary recording this experiment has been included in his book "Golf's Inner Game".His book is well worth reading whether you're interested in golf or not.Because this book proves that its own thinking is superior to tools, machinery or technical intelligence.In fact, this is the victory of mind control.

Over the years I have had the privilege of working with many top golfers and golf instructors.Due to professional habits, it is prudent for me to keep the identity of most of them confidential.Some of them improved their performance a lot just from my book (with no other help from me).Here's a well-known example: In 1964, Dave Stockton was struggling to qualify for the Pro Tour. "Generally speaking, I played well, but the putting putt was so average," Stockton told a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. "My dad is a retired professional golfer. He Insisted that my putting problems were mental, not external, and gave me a copy of Psycho-Cybernetics to read. I read it a week before the PGA Championship, and then I went to When I entered, I knew I was going to win." Dave Stockton went on to enjoy a long and successful career after beating Arnold Palmer in that fight.In fact, it was his former weakness—putting skills—that made him famous. Twenty-two years later, Dave won the highest level of golf in the United States in 22.

The Secret of "Heart Image"

Many successful people have achieved success using the method of "mental imagery" formation and rehearsal exercises.Napoleon, for example, practiced how to be a soldier in his imagination many years before he actually went to fight on the battlefield.Weber and Morgan told us in their co-authored book "Making the Most of Your Life": "During the years when he was a soldier on the battlefield, Napoleon read books, and there were more than 400 pages of printed notes alone. He Imagine yourself as a commander and draw a map of Corsica. It is not difficult to see where he used his extremely precise calculation skills." Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton Group, actually bought Long before a hotel, I imagined myself running a hotel.As a child, he often played the role of a big hotel owner.His earliest successes were buying some worn out and damaged "dated" objects, restoring them to their original beauty, and turning them into first-class items.He said that when he recognized the items from the junkyard and wanted to get them, he didn't look at them in their real condition, but imagined in vivid detail what they would look like when they turned up in the hotel after being refurbished, and then Take pictures in your brain and store these "photos" in your mind.Since he sees them as they should be, he sees a value in them that no one else sees.

"Heart image" can guide you to success

Jane Sawa is one of America's most respected equestrian instructors. In 2000, the U.S. equestrian Olympic team she coached participated in the equestrian competition in the Sydney Olympic Games.She once narrated such a case to prove that the power of imagination can make "possible" become reality:

Take, for example, my experience preparing for the 1989 North American Championship Trials.I have plenty of evidence that it's impossible for me to do well in the trials.I do have a good horse, Zapatero, but the rest of the situation is: one, Zapatero is still very new to me, we don't have time to form an intimate relationship, and we don't have time to really communicate; two, he is still a horse A very young horse, not strong enough to perform the various maneuvers required
These facts make it difficult for me to imagine how to participate in the most perfect game.So I turned to imagining the awards ceremony.Several times, at the end of the day, I would find a quiet place, close my eyes, relax my body, and imagine that I was going around the field as a winner.In the process, I force myself not to stop and think about "those facts" to keep doubts and insecurities from creeping into my mind.In fact, when the final results were announced that day, Zapatero and I were actually there to circle the field as winners.

It may sound unbelievable, and I have absolutely no intention of downplaying the need for thorough preparation and hard training.But mentally focusing on the desired outcome (if the outcome is already in your mind) is an important factor in our ultimate success.It is crucial to focus on a positive outcome (an outcome you have formed in your head), rather than letting your vivid imagination picture failure.From this, my mind (servo mechanism) can provide me with the means I need to achieve my goals by helping me ride the horse skillfully and efficiently.

(End of this chapter)