The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz
There is nothing magical or mystical about the power of belief.
“I-am-positive-I-can” attitude, generates the power, skill and energy needed to
do. When you believe I can-do-it, the how-to-do-it develops. Think victory and
succeed. Thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how
much intelligence you have. Attitude is more important than intelligence.
A person is a product of his own thoughts. Believe big and adjust
your thermostat forwarding.
The three guides to acquiring and strengthening the power of
belief:
Think success, don’t think failure.
Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you
are.
Believe Big.
Any training program must do three things: It must provide content
(the what to do) . Second, it must supply a method (the how to do it) and
third, it must meet the acid test (how to get the result).
Action cures fear. Indecision, postponement, fertilizes fear.
These simple actions automatically and instantaneously banish
shyness. Confident action produces confident thinking.
Be a front seater.
Practice making eye-contact
Walk 25 percent faster
Practice speaking up
Smile big
Following pay in every way to think big:
1.
Don't sell yourself
short. Conquer the crime of self-deprecation. Concentrate on your assets.
You're better than you think you are.
2. Use the big thinker's vocabulary. Use big, bright, &
cheerful words. Use words that promise victory; hope, happiness, pleasure;
avoid words that create unpleasant images of failure,defeat, grief.
3. Stretch your vision: See what can be, not just what is.
Practice adding value to things, to people, and to yourself.
4. Get the big view of your job. Think, really think your present
job is important. That next promotion depends mostly on how you think toward
your present job.
5. Think above trivial things. Focus your attention on big
objectives. Before getting involved in a petty matter, ask yourself, "Is
it really important?"
USE THESE TOOLS AND THINK CREATIVELY
1.
Believe it can be done.
When you believe something can be done, your mind will find the ways to do it.
Believing a solution paves the way to a solution.
Eliminate impossible,"won't work," can't do," no
use trying, " from your thinking and speaking vocabularies.
2. Don't let tradition paralyze your mind. Be receptive to new
ideas. Be experimental. Try new approaches. Be progressive - in everything you
do.
3. Ask yourself daily, "How can I do better?" There is
no limit to self.improvement. When you ask yourself, "How can I do
better?" sound answers will appear. Try it and see.
4. Ask yourself, "How can I do more?" Capacity is a
state of mind. Asking yourself tills question puts your mind to work to find
intelligent shortcuts. The success combination in business is: Do what you do
better (improves the quality of your output), and: Do more of what you do
(increase the quantity of your output).
5. Practice asking and listening. Ask And Listen, and you'll
obtain raw materials for reaching sound decisions. Remember: Big people
monopolize the listening; small people monopolize the talking.
6. Stretch your mind. Get stimulated. Associate with people who
can help you think of new ideas, new ways of doing things. Mix with people of
different occupations and social background.
Cement in your mind the question - "Is this the way an
important person does it"- . Use this question to make you a bigger. More
successful person. In a nutshell. Remember the following:
1. Look important; it helps you think important. Your appearance
talks to you. Be sure it lifts your spirits and builds your confidence. Your
appearance talks to others. Make certain it says. "Here is an important
person: intelligent prosperous and dependable."
2. Think your work is important. Think this way; and you will
receive mental signals on how doing your job better. Think your work is
important, and your subordinates will think their work is important too.
3. Give yourself a pep talk several times daily. Build a
"sell-yourself-to-yourself" commercial. Remind yourself at every
opportunity that you're a first-class person.
4. In all of life's situations, ask yourself, "Is this the
way an important person thinks?" Then obey the answer.
MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL
1. Be environmentally-conscious. Just as body diet ,makes the
body, mind diet makes the mind.
2. Make your environment work for you, not against you. Don't let
suppressive forces-the negative, you-can't-do-it-people-make you think defeat.
3. Don't let small-thinking people hold you back. Jealous people
want to see you stumble. Don't give them that satisfaction.
4. Get your advice from successful people. Your future is
important. Never risk it with freelance advisors who are living failures.
5. Get plenty of psychological sunshine. Circulate in new groups.
Discover new and stimulating things to do.
6. Throw thought poison out of your environment. Avoid gossip.
Talk about people, but stay on the positive side.
7. Go first class in everything you do. You can't afford to go any
other way.
Grow attitudes that will carry you forward to success.
1. Grow the ''I'm activated" attitude. Results come in
proportion to the enthusiasm invested. Three things to do· to activate yourself
are:
- Dig into it deeper. When you find yourself uninterested in something, dig in and learn more about it. This sets off enthusiasm.
- Life up everything about you: your smile, your handshake, your talk, even your walk. Act alive.
- Broadcast good news. No' one ever accomplished anything positive telling bad news.
2. Grow the "You are important" attitude. People do more
for you when you make them feel important. Remember to do these things:
- Show appreciation at every opportunity. Make people feel important.
- Call people by name.
3. Grow the "Service First" attitude, and watch money
take care of itself. Make it a rule in everything you do: give people more than
they expect to get.
IN A CAPSULE, PUT THESE PRINCIPLES TO WORK
1. Make yourself lighter to lift. Be likable. Practice being the
kind of person people like. This wins their support and puts fuel in your
success-building program.
2. Take the initiative in building friendships. Introduce yourself
to others at every opportunity. Make sure you get the other person's name
straight, and make certain he gets your name straight too. Drop a personal note
to your new friends you want to get to know better.
3. Accept human differences and limitations. Don't expect anyone
to be perfect. Remember, the other person has a right to be different. And
don't be a reformer.
4. Tune it!. Channel the Good Thoughts Station. Find the qualities
to like and admire in a person, not things to dislike. And don't let others
prejudice your thinking about a third person. Think positive thoughts towards
people-and get positive results.
5. Practice conversation generosity. Be like successful people.
Encourage others to talk. Let the other person talking to you about his views,
his opinions, his accomplishments.
6. Practice courtesy all the time. It makes other people feel
better. It makes you feel better too.
7. Don't blame others when you receive a setback. Remember, how
you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.
GROW THE ACTION HABIT Practice these key points:
1. Be an activationist. Be someone who does things. Be a doer, not
a don't-er.
2. Don't wait until conditions are perfect. They never will be.
Expect future obstacles and difficulties and solve them as they arise.
3. Remember, ideas alone won't bring success. Ideas have value
only when you act upon them.
4. Use action to cure fear and gain confidence. Do what you fear,
and fear disappears. Just try it and see.
5. Start your mental engine mechanically. Don't wait· for the
spirit to move you. Take action, dig in, and you move the spirit.
6. Think in terms of now. Tomorrow, next week, later; and similar
words often are synonymous with the failure word, never. Be an "I'm
starting right now" kind of person.
7. Get down to business-pronto. Don't waste time getting ready to
act. Start acting instead.
8. Seize the initiative. Be a crusader. Pick up the ball and run.
Be a volunteer. Show that you have the ability and ambition to do.
The difference between success and failure is found in one's
attitudes toward setbacks, handicaps, discouragements, and other disappointing
situations.
Five guideposts to help you turn defeat into victory are:
1. Study. Setbacks to pave your way to success. When you
lose,learn, and then go on to win next time.
2. Have the courage to be your own constructive critic. Seek out
your faults and weaknesses and then correct them. This makes you a
professional.
3. Stop blaming luck. Research each setback. Find out what went
wrong. Remember, blaming luck never got anyone where he wanted to go.
4. Blend persistence with experimentation. Stay with your goal,
but don't beat your head against a stone wall. Try new approaches. Experiment.
5. Remember; there is a good side in every situation. Find it. See
the good side and whip discouragement.
Put these success-building principles to work:
1. Get a clear fix on where you want to go. Create an image of
yourself ten years from now.
2. Write out your ten-year plan. Your life is too important to be
left to chance. Put down on ·paper what you want to accomplish in your work,
your home, and your social departments..
3. Surrender yourself to your desires. Set goals to get more
energy. Set goals to get things done. Set goals and discover the real enjoyment
of living.
4. Let your major goal be your automatic pilot. When you let your
goal absorb you, you'll find yourself making the right decisions to reach your
goal.
5. Achieve your goal one step at a time. Regard each task yourelf
regardless of how small it may seem, as a step toward your goal.
6. Build thirty-day goals. Day-by-day effort pays off.
7. Take detours in stride. A detour simply means another route. It
should never mean surrendering the goal.
8. Invest in yourself. Purchase those things that build mental
power and efficiency. Invest in education. Invest in idea starters.
HOW TO USE THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG IN LIFE'S MOST CRUCIAL
SITUATIONS
A. When Little People Try to Drive You Down, THINK BIG
B. When That "I-Haven't-Got-What-It-Takes" Feeling
Creeps Up on You, THINK BIG
C. When an Argument or Quarrel Seems Inevitable, THINK BIG.
D. When You Feel Defeated, THINK BIG.
E. When Romance Starts to Slip, THINK BIG
F. When You Feel Your Progress on the Job Is Slowing Down, THINK
BIG