The Magic of Thinking Big Review by Vanga Srikanth

About the Author:

Dr. David J. Schwartz was a professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta and the president of Creative Educational Services, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in leadership development.  

 The Magic of Thinking Big Review by Vanga Srikanth

Success means many wonderful, positive things. Success means personal prosperity: a fine home, vacations, travel, new things, financial security, giving your children maximum advantages. Success means winning admiration, leadership, being looked up to by people in your business and social life. Success means freedom: freedom from worries, fears, frustrations, and failure. Success means self-respect, continually finding more real happiness and satisfaction from life, being able to do more for those who depend on you.

Success means winning.

Success -- achievement -- is the goal of life!

Simple actionable advice for self-improvement. Basically, we are what we think, so think big.

Chapters:

1) Build confidence in yourself. Action reduces fear, so act.

Take small steps at first: Sit in the front everywhere you go, practice eye contact, walk 25% faster, practice speaking up, smile big, use positve words. 

2) Think and dream creatively. Believe that it can be done and then the mind finds a way to get it done. Be open to new ideas and be progressive. Stimulate yourself with diverse ideas from diverse people. Capacity is a state of mind. 

3) You are what you think. "The price tag you put on yourself, is probably the same price tag that the world will put on you." (pg 75) Dress up. Think your work is important. Think enthusiastically. Ask yourself if you are the type of manager that a subordinate would respect and follow?

4) Manage your environment because it is food for your mind.
People who tell you that it cannot be done are usually unsuccessful people. 

5) Make your attitudes your allies. Live it up. Broadcast good news. Do better work that others expect. Remember people's names. Take initiative to build friendships. Talk less. Listen. 

6) Get the action habit. Nothing happens just by thinking. Do not worry about problems. You can handle them as they come. Successful people handle problems as they arise. You cannot buy insurance on all problems. Start now. 

7) Turn defeat into victory. Defeat is a state of mind. Be constructively self-critical; do not just look for another reason that you are a loser. Think that there IS A WAY. If it does not work, then back off and start afresh. Get mentally refreshed. 

8) Use goals to help you grow. Goal is a dream acted upon. "The important thing is not where you were or where you are but where you want to get." (pg 195) Know where you want to go. Visualize your future. 

9) How to think like a leader. Achieving success requires the help of others. Trade minds with the people you want to influence. "What would I think if I were that person?" Be human, and put people first. 

The last words of the book, sum up its meaning:

"A wise man will be master of His Mind. A Fool will be Its Slave." 

Regards
Vanga Srikanth