The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz, PhD

A classic from 1959 and often referenced amongst the likes of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ and ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’, The Magic of Thinking Big reiterates the important role your attitude and thought processes play in your success and happiness.

Full of positive affirmations, plus simple checklists and practical exercises which you can use to manifest the ideas for yourself, perhaps The Magic of Thinking Big can be the tool that helps you take that next step forward in your business.

It isn’t so much what you know when you start that matters. It’s what you learn and put to use after you open your doors that counts most.

Having said that, to be honest, if you are a regular consumer of material of the self-help and life success variety, there may not be a whole lot in this book that is new to you.  Certainly, the first time I attempted to read it I felt there was a dearth of new, useable, ideas.

But of course I was reminded, this book almost certainly came first!  And much modern advice on the subject had its genesis within this book, and others like it written in the early to mid 20th century.

There is also another important consideration when evaluating a book (or seminar, documentary, podcast or similarly instructive material for that matter)… your state of mind at the time of consumption will make a huge difference to your appreciation of that material and the impact it has on you (or lack of impact).

I was reminded this when I picked up The Magic of Thinking Big a second time, having only made it about half way through at first.

Suddenly ideas that I previously dismissed as lacklustre, seemed much more poignant.

For example –

Around the time of revisiting the book, I had actually gone some three to four weeks without reading anything else with any vigour.  I was also feeling a little sluggish, slightly inundated by decisions required to be made, plus somewhat devoid of creative ideas.  Then I read the passage –

“Remember, a mind that feeds only on itself soon is undernourished, becoming weak and incapable of creative progressive thought.  Stimulation from others is excellent mind food.”

I had also recently been a little lax when it came to my attire at work (some of you may have noticed a more casual version of me around the office 🙂 ).  This time, I was reminded –

“Remember: your appearance talks to you and it talks to others.  Make certain it says ‘Here is a person who has self-respect. He’s important.  Treat him that way.’  You owe it to others, but more important you owe it to yourself – to look your best.”

The Key Takeway

Ultimately however, the key take away for me is actually all in the title.  There is magic in thinking big!

A principle we have come to embrace here at CapitalQ is that “the goal dictates the behaviour”.

If your think small, and set your goals low, then you will behaviour accordingly, doing just enough to get you there but no further.

If on the other hand you think big, and set potentially outrageous goals, your behaviour will change, it will have to, in order to give yourself at least a chance of achieving this big result.

And even if you don’t get there, behaving in a manner that gave you a chance all but guarantees you will finish well ahead of where you otherwise would have.

So as with just about all things in life, keep an open mind, be ready and willing to receive new ideas, and then when something of value finds you at the right moment, grasp the opportunity presented and make it work for you.