The Magic of Thinking Big

Books, Personal Development

David J. Schwartz (1927-1987) was an American Professor, Life Strategist and Writer. He was best know for his self-help books, especially “The Magic of Thinking Big” published in 1959.

These are my key takeaways from the book

  1. If you want to succeed, don’t make excuses. Take full responsibility of your actions and outcomes. Sometimes we use as an excuse our family, health, age, social status, job, intelligence or luck; when in reality none of those are an issue. The issue is you. Instead of wasting time making excuses, or on wishful thinking, concentrate on developing your character, skills and qualities; those are the one that will likely help you win.
  2. Create the right habits in life:
    1. Value yourself
    2. Believe in yourself
    3. Build Confidence and Destroy Fear: Shun negative thoughts.
    4. You are What you Think you Are: If you think your job is important, guess what, your brain will send signals to help you improve your work. Same thing with all things in life.
    5. Have the Right Attitude: Positive attitude will have an influence in your life and others.
    6. Take Action
  3. Create the right environment and surround yourself with the right people.
  4. Think Big!

How to Think Big

Self-deprecation is terrible and will only make you fail. You have an important role in your life. If you don’t change your vocabulary, attitude and thoughts; you will end up with the same results. Change your posture, vocabulary and the way you think about your job, family, relationships and you will see your potential.

You can blame somebody else or some other entity, like the government, but at the end of the day you need to take personal responsibility for your life, actions and outcomes. You are the only one who can change your life.

Stephen Covey said: Start with the end in mind (goals) and this will keep you on track, motivated and positive. Start controlling your circle of influence, and with time you will have an impact in your circle of concern.

  • How do you see yourself 5 years from now?
  • How do you see yourself 10 years from now?
  • What is your attitude towards life?

I was watching a TED Talk from Isabel Allende, and she said that even though she is aging, she was full of ideas, she was curious and she was embracing life to the fullest. This is the right attitude to healthy aging, life and success. Think Big!