The following lists are some of my favorite excerpts from The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Become a Big Thinker! Take this test to measure the size of your thinking:
|
Situation |
Petty Thinker’s Approach |
Big Thinker’s Approach |
| Expense Accounts | Figures out ways to increase income through chiseling on expense accounts. | Figures out ways to increase income by selling more merchandise. |
| Conversation | Talks about the negative qualities of his friends, the economy, his company, the competition. | Talks about the positive qualities of his friends, his company, the competition. |
| Progress | Believes in retrenchment or at best the status quo. | Believes in expansion. |
| Future | Views the future as limited. | Sees the future as very promising. |
| Work | Looks for ways to avoid work. | Looks for more ways and things to do, especially helping others. |
| Competition | Competes with the average. | Competes with the best. |
| Budget Problems | Figures out ways to save money by cutting down on necessary items. | Figures out ways to increase income and buy more of the necessary items. |
| Goals | Sets goals low. | Sets goals high. |
| Goals Vision | Sees only the short-run. | Is preoccupied with the long-run. |
| Security | Is preoccupied with security problems. | Regards security as a natural companion of success. |
| Companionship | Surrounds himself with petty thinkers. | Surrounds himself with persons with large, progressive ideas. |
| Mistakes | Magnifies minor errors. Turns them into big issues. | Ignores errors of little consequence. |
How am I Thinking? Check List
|
Situation |
Ask Yourself: |
| When I worry | Would an important person worry about this? |
| An idea | Would the most successful person I know be disturbed about this? |
| My appearance | Do I look like someone who has maximum self-respect? |
| My language | Am I using the language of successful people? |
| What I read | Would an important person read this? |
| Conversation | Is this something successful people would discuss? |
| When I lose my temper | Would an important person get mad at what I’m mad at? |
| My jokes | Is this the kind of joke an important person would tell? |
| My job | How does an important person describe his job to others? |
Practice Trading Minds
|
Situation |
For Best Results, Ask Yourself: |
| Giving someone work instructions | Looking at this from the viewpoint of someone who is new to this, have I made myself clear? |
| Writing an advertisement | If I were a typical prospective buyer, how would I react to this ad? |
| Telephone manners | If I were the other person, what would I think of my telephone voice and manners? |
| Gift | Is this gift something I would like or is it something he will like? |
| The way I give orders | Would I like to carry out orders if they were given to me the way I give them to others? |
| Child discipline | If I were the child-considering his age, experience, and emotions- how would I react to this discipline? |
| My appearance | What would I think of my superior if he were dressed like me? |
| Preparing a speech | Considering the background and interests of the audience, what would I think of this remark? |
| Entertainment | If I were my guests, what kinds of food, music, and entertainment would I like best? |
“Take the initiative in building friendships – leaders always do…The most important person present is the one person most active in introducing himself.”
6 Ways to Win Friends
- Introduce yourself to others at every possible opportunity – at parties, meetings, on airplanes, at work, everywhere.
- Be sure the other person gets your name straight.
- Be sure you can pronounce the other person’s name the way he pronounces it.
- Write down the other person’s name, and be sure you have it spelled correctly. If possible, get his phone number.
- Drop a personal note or make a phone call to the new friends you feel you want to know better.
- And last but not least, say pleasant things to strangers.
To be successful, every 30 days, develop a new 30-day Improvement Guide that looks like this:
Break these habits:
- Putting off things.
- Negative language.
- Watching TV more than 60 minutes per day.
- Gossip.
Acquire these habits:
- A rigid morning examination of my appearance.
- Plan each day’s work the night before.
- Compliment people at every possible opportunity.
Increase my value to my employer in these ways:
- Do a better job of developing my subordinates.
- Learn more about my company, what it does, and the customers it serves.
- Make three specific suggestions to help my company become more efficient.
Increase my value to my home in these ways:
- Show more appreciation for the little things my wife does which I’ve been taking for granted.
- Once each week, do something special with my whole family.
- Give one hour each day of my undivided attention to my family.
Sharpen my mind in these ways:
- Invest two hours each week reading professional magazines in my field.
- Read one self-help book.
- Make four new friends.
- Spend 30 minutes daily in quiet, undisturbed thinking.
What was your favorite advice from the above excerpts? My favorite is regarding taking initiative to make friends…so true! Wishing everyone happiness and success in all they do!
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