Summary of Psycho-Cybernetics

1. Servomechanism
We are, just like any machine, built to successfully strike our goals, only that we are much
more complicated than a machine. Just like a machine, we gather information through our
senses and use them to achieve our goal. Using the information that we have, we perform a
task and see how far we are from our goal, and then again, incorporating the new
information (negative feedback), we try to strike our goal again. We gain accuracy as we
repeat the task. Thus, we succeed when we obtain the required accuracy.

2. Self-Image
Now, to succeed in life, we need to have an appropriate self-image (what we subconsciously
think of ourselves). The most appropriate self-image for human beings is that they reflect
God's image (meaning that they are fully capable of doing great wonders in life). Self-image
is what one is for them in their subconscious mind. It is different than what one can
consciously think of themself (conscious positive or negative thinking) because self-image
lies in your subconscious mind, whereas conscious thinking happens in your forebrain.
Nonetheless, this conscious thinking impacts man's self-image in the long run. So, we can
say that positive thinking can benefit people by changing their self-image in the long run.
However, positive thinking would not earn them anything in the present when it conflicts
with their self-image because their positive thinking might say that they can do a particular
task. In contrast, their self-image in the subconscious mind, which is much stronger, might
say the opposite, and the subconscious mind always wins over the conscious mind.

3. Imagination, Dehypnotization and Rational thinking

There are several ways to improve self-image and let the subconscious mind automatically
work to achieve our goals. We can train our subconscious mind through practice. If
someone wants to become good at shooting, they better practice as much as they can. In
addition to field practice, one can also employ the power of imagination, which is almost as
equal as a field practice if done appropriately. The trick is to focus and imagine as many
details as possible and repeat the imagination regularly. It is also necessary to dehypnotize
one from false beliefs that have distorted one's self-image. Just like a hypnotized person can
believe in crazy things, it is certainly possible for us to start believing in ideas that are not
true—for instance, believing that one can never become a shooter due to having failed in
the past. One can eradicate these false beliefs and improve self-image by using the power of
imagination and rational thinking.

4. How to Free the Creative Mechanism

One cannot force their subconscious to work in a certain way. They need to free their
creative machinery in the following ways to let it work properly:
1. Do worrying before placing the bet. Think as much as one can before setting a goal, but
do not be double minded after setting a goal.
2. Live in the present (24hours). Living in the past or future will make you anxious for no
gain. Think about doing best today instead of trying to do best tomorrow, this month, or this
year.
3. Try to do only one thing at a time. Remember how hourglass works.
4. Sleep on it when one gets stuck. The subconscious mind works in a relaxed and better
mode when the interference of the conscious mind is minimum.
5. Perform meditation/relaxing exercises twice daily (30mins total). Few relaxing exercises
are mentioned in the book. During work hours, when one feels stressed, recall the relaxed
feelings one gets from meditation.
5. How to be Happy
Our brain performs best when we are in a happy mood. One should not be happy because
of success. Instead, without waiting for a success, one should develop the habit of being
happy by consciously deciding throughout the day that they will be as cheerful, friendly,
tolerable, less critical, more optimistic, smiling, calm, and intelligent as possible. Act as if
one has already achieved the goal which they are trying to achieve.

6. SUCCESS Mechanism
Ingredients of success type personality are:
1. Sense of direction towards the goal
2. Understanding attitude towards the problems
3. Courage to act because only by actions can goals be achieved
4. Charity towards people because when one is thinking about people in general, they
subconsciously think about themselves.
5. Esteem as high as possible, which means believing that one is an image of God and can
achieve whatever goal they choose.
6. Self-confidence achieved from prior successes, so choose a series of easy goals at first.
7. Self-acceptance because we all are images of God, and we cannot be better than that. We
only must realize who we are.

7. FAILURE Mechanism
Ingredients of failure type personality are:
1. Frustration, hopelessness, futility due to perfectionistic goals.
1. Misdirected Aggressiveness which should be directed towards a goal or work/exercise.
3. Insecurity because of the feeling of not being enough but remember we are an image of
God.
4. Loneliness, which is a lack of oneness with the society.
5. Uncertainty which means being indecisive in order to avoid a mistake. We should just
take a bet after thinking for a reasonable period of time because even making a mistake is
better than being indecisive.
6. Resentment over failures that makes one think that they were wronged and takes off
their responsibility. One should become an actor instead of being a reactor.
7. Emptiness which is a result of not having worthwhile goals in life.
8. How to Remove Emotional Scars
Emotional Scars can let us to make a protective shell around us, which traps us in loneliness.
Forgive (yourself and others) and forget to remove the emotional scars of the past
altogether. To avoid emotional scars in future, we need to be too big to feel threatened (by
increasing self-esteem and reducing self-centeredness), be self-reliant and responsible, and
relax away from emotional hurts (when people are feeling tense, it is easy to get hurt).
 9. How to Unlock one’s Personality
Excessive negative feedback (criticism) can inhibit our brain, and we can leave our goal
altogether. Conscious self-criticism and excessive carefulness make one do worst. Hence, we
should not wonder in advance what we are going to say, should not plan for tomorrow, stop
criticizing ourselves, speak louder than usual and let people know when we like them as a
sign of disinhibiting ourselves.

10. DIY Tranquilizers for Peace of Mind

We all have excessively become sensitive to outside stimuli such as telephone rings compel
us to pick the phone no matter what, and at times, social media posts compel us to watch
those memes for long hours. Later we realize that we wasted our time. In such situations,
we must remember that the ultimate solution is not to kill the stimuli but to limit our
response. At first, we can start only by delaying response in case the compelling force is very
strong. Relaxation (which, in other words, is the practice of doing nothing) helps to prevent
our body from responding unnecessarily. Everyone should have a quiet room and a vacation
spot in their mind, which they can enter whenever needed. One should enter this place in
their mind every time before starting a new task to erase emotional carry-overs from
previous tasks.

11. Turning Crisis into Opportunity

In crises, we can perform well only if we have practiced without the pressure before the
crisis. Later during the crisis, the pressure brings energy with it to help us deal with the
crisis, and hence we should not play passively during a crisis and trust our instincts. We only
mess up when we create more energy than needed for a particular situation, so keep the
goal in mind so that the energy released in the crisis is appropriate. Also, ask what worst can
happen. Once we mentally face that worse case and think logically, we will find out that the
worst would mean 'no gain' (instead of a loss, which means, at worst, we will remain where
we were).

12. How to get the Winning Feeling

To get the winning feeling, one needs to think in terms of possibilities first, and then take
hold of the desirable possibility and let imagination play with it. Moreover, when a negative
feeling comes, fight it aggressively to prove it wrong, just like sometimes we love to
disprove our enemies.

13. More years of life and more life in years

Our thoughts, attitudes, and emotions are so strong that they can help us live longer and
healthier. For instance, a man who has got to do something in life will heal faster than
someone who has nothing to do after getting healed. Similarly, people who are retired from
their jobs soon die afterward because they become stagnant, and the purpose of that man's
existence (being a goal-striker) is lost.