"For imagination sets the goal picture which our automatic mechanism works on. We act, or fail to act, not because of will, as is so commonly believed, but because of imagination." -- Maxwell Maltz
Maxwell Maltz (March 10, 1899 SpringerLink - Journal Article — April 7, 1975) was an American cosmetic surgeon and author of Psycho-Cybernetics, which was a system of ideas that he claimed could improve one's self-image. In turn, the person would lead a more successful and fulfilling life. He wrote several books, among which Psycho-Cybernetics (1960) was a long-time bestseller ... influencing many subsequent self-help teachers. His orientation towards a system of ideas that would provide self help is considered the forerunner of the now popular self help books.
In 1923, Maltz graduated with a doctorate in medicine from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 1960, A New Way to Get More Living out of Life was first published by Prentice-Hall and appeared in a pocket book edition by 1969. The book introduced Maltz's views where a person must have an accurate and positive view of his or her self before setting goals; otherwise he or she will get stuck in a continuing pattern of limiting beliefs. His ideas focus on visualizing one's goals and he believes that self-image is the cornerstone of all the changes that take place in a person. According to Maltz, if one's self-image is unhealthy or faulty ... all of his or her efforts will end in failure.
Maltz also wrote fiction, including a play called Unseen Scar (1946) and a novel, The Time is Now (1975). His autobiography, Doctor Pygmalion: The Autobiography of a Plastic Surgeon (1953), was popular and influential, being discussed in many subsequent books on body and identity. It was re-titled Doctor Psycho-Cybernetics after his self-help work was published.
Although the book Psycho-Cybernetics was first published in 1960, as of 2008 the book is one of 50 recommended in the book “50 Self-Help Classics".
"Accept yourself as you are. Otherwise you will never see opportunity. You will not feel free to move toward it; you will feel you are not deserving.""Close scrutiny will show that most "crisis situations" are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are.""If you make friends with yourself you will never be alone.""Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-break on.""Man maintains his balance, poise, and sense of security only as he is moving forward.""Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk, and to act.""Our self image, strongly held, essentially determines what we become.""Realizing that our actions, feelings and behaviour are the result of our own images and beliefs gives us the level that psychology has always needed for changing personality.""Remember you will not always win. Some days, the most resourceful individual will taste defeat. But there is, in this case, always tomorrow - after you have done your best to achieve success today.""Self-image sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment.""Self-improvement is the name of the game, and your primary objective is to strengthen yourself, not to destroy an opponent.""Take the trouble to stop and think of the other person's feelings, his viewpoints, his desires and needs. Think more of what the other fellow wants, and how he must feel.""The "self-image" is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self image and you change the personality and the behavior.""To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior.""To think, when one is no longer young, when one is not yet old, that one is no longer young, that one is not yet old, that is perhaps something.""We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.""We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.""You can always find the sun within yourself if you will only search.""You make mistakes. Mistakes don't make you.""You may live in an imperfect world but the frontiers are not closed and the doors are not all shut.""Your most important sale in life is to sell yourself to yourself."