The Magic of Thinking Big

Every now and then, one read a book that truly inspires. This is exactly what David has achieved with the Magic of Thinking Big. Not only does he inspire "big" thinking, but he also takes it one step further to inspire action to make it happen. The book is filled with ideas and techniques that can be applied in our everyday life whether at home or at work. These are illustrated by real-life examples that the author draws upon - in which these techniques have proven further success, happiness, and satisfaction to those who have implemented them. Many of the ideas presented, constitute the basis for true leadership. A very enjoyable and educative read. It is structured in such a way as to allow the readers to read and implement specific ideas/techniques presented in one chapter without necessarily reading the entire book. This is in my opinion, the most effective way to take advantage of the wisdom presented. A highly recommended read! Below are excerpts from the book that I found particularly insightful: 1- "The thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you may have." 2- "Knowledge is power - when you use it constructively." 3- "Action cures fear." 4- "Look at things not as they are, but as they can be. Visualization adds value to everything. A big thinker always visualizes what can be done in the future. He isn't stuck with the present." 5- "Practice adding value to things... Practice adding value to people...Practice adding value to yourself." 6- "...The successful person doesn't ask, "Can I do it better?" He knows he can. So he phrases the question: How can I do it better?" 7- "Big success calls for persons who continually set higher standards for themselves and others, persons who are searching for ways to increase efficiency, to get more output at lower cost, do more with less effort. Top success is reserved for the I-can-do-it-better kind of person." 8- "In summation, use these tools and think creatively...Believe it can be done...Don't let tradition paralyze your mind. Be receptive to new ideas. Be experimental. Try new approaches. Be progressive in everything you do...Ask yourself daily, "How can I do better?"...Ask yourself, "How can I do more?" Capacity is a state of mind. Asking yourself this question puts your mind to work to find intelligent short-cuts. The success combination is business is: Do what you do better...and do more of what you do...Practice asking and listening...Stretch your mind. Get stimulated. Associate with people who can help you to think of new ideas, new ways of doing things." 9- "How you think determines how you act. How you act in turn determines: How others react to you." 10- "The way we think toward our jobs determines how our subordinates think toward their jobs." 11- "The person who does the most talking and the person who is the most successful are rarely the same person. Almost without exception, the more successful the person, the more he practices conversation generosity, that is, he encourages the other person to talk about himself, his views, his accomplishments, his family, his job, his problems." 12- "The test of a successful person is not an ability to eliminate all problems before they arise, but to meet and work out difficulties when they do arise. We must be willing to make an intelligent compromise with perfection lest we wait forever before taking action. It's still good advice to cross bridges as we come to them." 13- "Persisting in one way is not a guarantee of victory. But persistence blended with experimentation does guarantee success." 14- "A second way to profit from the "Be-Human" rule is to let your action show you put people first. Show interest in you subordinates' off-the-job accomplishments. Treat everyone with dignity. Remind yourself that the primary purpose in life is to enjoy it. As a general rule, the more interest you show in a person, the more he will produce for you. And his production is what carries you forward to greater and greater success."

In a group that I was in, someone recommended this book. I bought it. That was in 2013. I never bothered reading it. Fast forward to a couple of months ago. I started challenging myself to read 10 pages a day. A member in another group that I am a part of, recommended this book. I dusted it off and started reading it. Why did I wait so long? Although this book was written in 1959, the principles behind it still ring true. In my opinion, that's when you know it's a good book. It talks about changing your mindset. You have to believe you're a winner, in order to be a winner. It gives you tips on harnessing and developing your ideas; how to treat people--you are not PULLED up to a higher level job, you are LIFTED up by the people you interact with. You have to be likeable. This book tells you how to win friends and influence people. It tells you how to turn defeat into victory. The thing I liked most about this book is that it doesn't just TALK about these things. It gives you tips and a roadmap on thinking big. This book is a timeless classic, and I am glad I took the time to read it. I will definitely start applying these principles to my life. The only issue I have with this book is that the format of the book could have been more defined. Some of the concepts run together, and really should be separated by an extra line.

This book is a great read

After reading Tim Ferris 4-Hour Work Week, I was moved to action by Tim's comment that Prof Schwartz's Magic of Thinking Big is one of the best books he has ever read. That sealed my decision to buy this book. The book has its heart in the right place but falls short in the practice of the techniques Key takeaways, 1. Think +ve outcome, Think I am better than I think and Think big goals - These mechanisms allow you to develop the power of belief. 2. Never underestimate your intelligence and overestimate the intelligence of others. Attitudes are more important than intelligence. Focus on those qualities that make you a winner. 3. Build Confidence: Action cures fear, pin down your fear and then take action. Practice depositing successful thoughts in your memory not negative ones. Recall +ve experiences during eating/before bed time. Count number of reasons to be happy. Also learn to smile till your teeth show, Speak up and Walk 25% faster. 4. Join and meet regularly one Professional Group. Think how an important person would think about the same issue you are thinking about. Model after them. 5. Go first class in everything you do. 6. Praise is power. Invest the praise you receive from your superior. Pass praise down to boost team's performance. Think what can I do to make my wife and family happy every day. Random special acts go very well. Call people by name. 7. Create a list as to why you should like them. Practice liking people until you learn to do so genuinely. Don't expect everyone to score 100% , that leads to disappointments. Don't tell people they are wrong. No person is all good and no person is all bad. The perfect just doesn't exist. 8. Tune to Channel P (Positive) and not to your Channel N (negative). Let the other person talk. 9. If you don't produce , you don't get where you want to go. One fine way to prevent a war of words is to take a long pause before answering. 10. Think of goals across work, home, and social categories. Think of 10 years planning guide. All successful people I personally know seem to do a variation of this one. They have a written version of this and not a hazy picture. Track a 30 day improvement guide for all the improvements you want to make. The Seinfeld technique would be ideal. 11. Think like a leader: Trade minds with people you want to influence. Think like a human. Think progress. Take time out to confer with yourself and develop your supreme thinking power. Overall good ideas for its time and enables a solid framework. I would have preferred more ideas around how to implement these things in a more practical manner. Your enraptured in the power of thinking big reader, Fred

Really nice book to make your thinking like a winner

The Magic of Thinking Big كتاب ملهم وبسيط في نفس الوقت، يذكّر القارئ أن النجاح يبدأ من طريقة التفكير. مليان أمثلة عملية وأفكار تساعد على توسيع الآفاق وكسر الخوف من الفشل

Bellissimo libro, consiglio a tutti!

Great book

If you have been wondering about how to be a good boss and also how to keep human at the same time. This book is for you!!! For me it is without a doubt one of my favorite books of all time, I wish I had read this book before

思考法の勉強として、ティムフェリスが推薦していたので、買いました。原書ですが読みやすいので、おススメです。モチベーションも上がります。