The Book: Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, MD Prentice-Hall Inc Copyright 1960.

The Summary: A remarkable discovery by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Maxwell Maltz, MD, leads to a formula for self-development. After surgery, Dr. Maltz found that some patients changed their perspectives about themselves while others did not improve their self-esteem.  Wondering why this was, his investigation leads to this timeless book.

Opinion: If the book has any one message it is that you control how you think of yourself. What you focus on in your mind will determine how you feel about yourself. If you focus on unpleasant events then you will feel that life is unpleasant. If you focus on pleasant events then so will life seem to you and the better you will feel about yourself.

What you remember of the past is only what you imagine your remember. What you know of the future is what you imagine will happen. The only reality you can know is what you are experiencing in this very moment.

If there is one word that can change you it is FOCUS.

Dr. Maltz presents a number of ways to effect change in how you perceive yourself. These methods include meditation, relaxation and visualization. It is the book that began the modern day evolution of the self-help industry.

Thirty years on, the book is still a must read.