There has Never a Better Time For You to Succeed Than Today!
Earlier this week I watched a really interesting interview with Peter Jackson, discussing the Hobbit.
Aside from outlining that Directing is a challenging game, where you are effectively spending someone else’s money and if you don’t generate a return on that investment, you’ll find yourself directing a lot less movies…
…he was clear that he feels today is the best time there has ever been to direct movies…due to technology, whatever a person can conceive in their mind, they can pretty much put on the screen.
50 years ago he said would have been so difficult for a director, given all the limitations they had to work with.
Now, these restrictions have largely been taken away
But doesn’t that mean more competition and therefore it’s now harder?
That’s a matter of perspective…your perspective!
Barriers to entry might be lower than 50 years ago, technology might be cheaper than 50 years ago, things might move quicker than 50 years ago, communicating with a tremendous amount of people might be easier and cheaper than 50 years ago!
Whether or not you deem that a good or a bad thing is a reflection of your perspective.
What hasn’t changes in the last 50 years – The ability of people to sabotage themselves!
Maxwell Maltz Discovers the Self image – in the 1960s
Maltz was an American plastic surgeon who developed a career as an author, motivational speaker, success coach…and the small matter of effectively creating the field of Self-Image Psychology.
What is the Self Image?
It is the combined pictures, beliefs and expectations that are held internally about you – what you are capable of, what you can achieve, what you can do etc.
It is the internal blueprint of who you are.
As Maltz says, it is the ‘governor’ of your life. If you don’t believe you can succeed and you hold in your mind a mental picture of you as a failure…then you will not succeed.
Your self image will activate your “failure mechanism” and you will sabotage yourself.
On the other hand…build in your mind the self image of someone who can/will do the things you want to do, spend time each day in the Theatre of your Mind seeing yourself living this way and mentally rehearsing success…
…and you activate in yourself the “success mechanism” and your brain goes to work to make you a success.
That was back in the 1960s he published his book, Psycho Cybernetics.
It is no different today
If you don’t have a Self Image that says you can succeed, then you will fail
50 years ago – today – it’s all the same…because people are the same!
The self image is still here, in all of us.
It doesn’t matter if barriers to entry are reduced, things are cheaper, technology is better making things easier…
…if you can imagine and see yourself succeeding (even if you don’t necessarily believe it from the outset)
…you’ll start seeing incredible results in your life
I was listening to a podcast this week with a high successful copywriter, info publisher/marketer and the host asked him where the difficulty is with getting started and what holds people back.
His answer – most people don’t create or find some kind of affiliate product, create a simple squeeze page, drive traffic to it, capture email addresses and start mailing daily giving entertaining information and selling something…because they don’t believe that they can do that!
That’s a shame…but it makes perfect sense when we think of the self image. I actually fully understand that mindset – that was me years ago when I initially started working on the side as a freelance direct response Copywriter – I had some success initially working on several pieces with a client… …but I didn’t scale my operation out with new clients because I didn’t believe I could.
It’s easier today, but that doesn’t mean more competition
A lot of people talk shit online – a quick browse through LinkedIn and you’ll see that everyone is absolutely world class, best of the best…and if you believe the shit they talk, it will hold you back as it will make you feel small and inferior.
It’s the same on FB, YouTube and the like – all these people shouting as loud as they can, “me me me, I’m absolutely amazing, I make millions before my first coffee in the morning, i’m a world class copywriter even though I only wrote my first word last week, but i’m world class because I say I am…blah blah blah, bollocks bollocks bollocks”
Don’t let any of that hold you back, it’s all nonsense…and is just your perception coming out in what you read.
Peter Jackson knew that – yes more directors are kicking about today, but in the Fantasy niche, few have his experience, insight and have focussed and honed his chops and craft like him…so its not really competition – it’s actually more opportunity because more people see investing in films as a way to generate a return on investment.
Do you see how different his perspective is on things?
So make a small start today
That dream you’ve been harbouring – to write that book, to compose that song, to start that blog, to record that video – start right now!
Just 10 mins, that’s all, spend the next 10 mins making a small start…and allow a bit of momentum to build…
…and don’t ever let any loud, living in mummys spare room, fake Instagram ‘world class’ mouthpiece convince you that you shouldn’t even start, because they are so freaking amazing that they will hoover up all the money and all the success like a Dyson hoover on steroids.
If they actually know they are that good, they wouldn’t to scream like a kid in a playground about it.
All the bravado – It’s all bollocks!
There is nothing ‘real’ that is holding you back.
The only thing that will hold you back from the success you crave…is a self image that does not support it.
And your self image can be changed and strengthened
I strongly recommend reviewing the Psycho Cybernetics material of Maxwell Maltz.
You can get his original work on Amazon.
After he died, the rights to his work was sold to Dan Kennedy, so he has versions of this called The New Psycho Cybernetics.
Matt Furey now owns the rights to all of the Psycho Cybernetics material – again you can get his take in his books, on Amazon; he has a few on there.
Paul