The Magic of Thinking Big

How much of society accepts less than their best?  And I don’t just mean in day-to-day things, as I know I am not always performing my best, be it time management, a class, etc., but more in terms of accepting life.  
People yearn for the other side’s ‘grass’ so to say.  We can all take steps to make our own grass greener right here.  Yes, limitations are all around us, but opportunities also exist all around to take steps in a positive direction.

Book of inspiration for today’s post: David J. Schwartz’s THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG

Here are Schwartz’s Six Steps for developing and strengthening our creative thinking ability:
 

• Step 1: Believe it can be done. This is pretty straightforward. In order for us to do anything, we first must believe it can be done. Once we have that belief, it sets the mind in motion to find ways to accomplish it.
• Step 2: Don’t get paralyzed by tradition. Too many of us think that something cannot change because that’s the way it always has been and always will be. Instead, experiment. Be open to new ideas. Try out new ways of doing the same thing. Be progressive in all that you do.
• Step 3: Ask yourself daily, “How can I do better?” Self-improvement in all areas of life comes when we ask ourselves this question and take the time to listen to what our mind presents to us.
• Step 4: Ask yourself, “How can I do more?”Asking this type of question forces the mind to figure out ways to find intelligent short-cuts.
• Step 5: Practice asking and listening. Take advantage of leveraging others’ knowledge.
• Step 6: Associate and surround yourself with people who can help you to think of new ideas and new ways of doing things.

 
 
 
Awesome already, and this is just one excerpt.  Here are some of his other quips (worth printing some and taping to your bathroom mirror, no?):
 
Cure Yourself of Exusitus, the Failure Disease
 
Build Confidence and Destroy Fear

1. Isolate your fear.This is where you determine exactly what it is that you are afraid of.
2. Then take action. Every type of fear has some type of action which will counteract it. When deciding what course of action to take, do not hesitate. Hesitation only magnifies the fear. Be decisive and act immediately.

“Being confident in yourself is another way of banishing your fear. Confidence is not something that people are born with, it is developed; And developing it requires a little effort on your part.
The best way to build confidence is the “fake it ’till you make it” approach. In other words, to think confidently, act confidently. Schwartz quotes the great psychologist Dr. George W. Crane who said, “Remember, motions are the precursors of emotions. You can’t control the latter directly but only through your choice of motions or actions…Go through the proper motions each day and you’ll soon begin to feel the corresponding emotions!” This example can best be seen with smiling. It’s hard to feel sad if you try to smile as hard as you can. [Go ahead try it  ] The same holds true with confidence. It’s hard to be shy and uneasy if your body is telling you you’re confident.”  [excerpted from LifeTrainingOnline]
You Are What You Think You Are

THINK BIG

If you are liking the sound of this book, I recommend listening to the audio version while working out! It’s great cover to cover.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!


Here's to YOU!
Kate

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And some of the bits I’ve highlighted in my book over the years:
 
“…success is determined not so much by the size of a person’s brain as by the size of his thinking.”
 
“Some of the most practical success-building wisdom is found in that Biblical quotation stating that faith can move mountains.”
 
“Believe you can succeed and you will.”
 
“And believing you can succeed makes others place confidence in you.”
 
“1. We underestimate our own brain power, and
2. We overestimate the other fellow’s brain power.”
 
“Smile big.”
 
“Be a ‘front seater’.”
 
“Most of them seem to define the word success as synonymous with security.”