The Magic of Thinking Big

Introduction

The Magic of Thinking Big is a self-help classic written by David Joseph Schwartz and first published in 1959.

He argues that achieving significant success and personal fulfilment does not require exceptional intelligence or natural talent.
Instead, it depends on cultivating the right mindset, especially the ability to think big, maintain a positive attitude, and take consistent action toward ambitious goals.

Life is too short to be little.

Believe You Can Succeed and You Will

Everyone wants to be successful; nobody enjoys living in mediocrity or feeling second-class.

However, not many people believe they can achieve greatness, and as a result, not many do.
Wishful thinking alone cannot lead to success, but believing in your ability to succeed generates the power, skill and energy to do so.
The belief that something is impossible prevents us from studying and observing how successful people approach problems and make decisions, and it stops us from finding our own ways to achieve success.
Strong beliefs not only trigger your mind to figure out the ways and means to succeed, but they also make others confident in you.

On the other hand, the "I'll give it a try, but I don't think it'll work" attitude often leads to failure.

The disbelief or doubt in your mind constantly seeks out reasons (excuses) to support your failure.
It is wise to respect and learn from a leader by observing and studying them, but do not worship them. You should believe you can surpass and go beyond their achievements.

Here are the 3 guides to acquiring and strengthening the power of belief.

Think success, not failure.

When faced with a difficult situation, your mindset is crucial. Instead of thinking, "I will probably lose", tell yourself, "I will win".
Similarly, when an opportunity arises, replace "I cannot" with "I can do it".
Thinking about success trains your mind to create plans that lead to success, while thinking about failure does the opposite.

Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are.

Successful people are not supermen, but are ordinary individuals who have developed a strong belief in themselves and their abilities.
Success is not a matter of having a super intellect or being lucky.

Believe big

The extent of your success is directly tied to the size of your belief.
If you aim for small goals, you will likely achieve small results.
But if you set your sights on big goals, you will have the motivation to achieve big success.

Cure Yourself of Excusitis, The Failure Disease

A careful study of successful people reveals that "excusitis" - the habit of making excuses - often explains the difference between a person who is going places and one who is barely holding their own.

The more successful the individual, the less inclined they are to make excuses.
However, the person who has gone nowhere and has no plans for getting anywhere always has lots of reasons to explain why.
They might cite poor health, a lack of education, being too old or too young, bad luck, or their family upbringing.
They rely on these excuses to justify their lack of progress to themselves and others.
Each time they make the excuse, it becomes more deeply embedded in their subconscious.
Thoughts, whether positive or negative, grow stronger when fertilized with constant repetition, until the person is eventually convinced that the lie is true.

The 4 most common forms of "excusitis" and the antidotes are:

Health excusitis: My health is not good

Refuse to talk about your health. The more you talk about an ailment, even the common cold, the worse it seems to get. While you may receive a little sympathy, you will not gain respect or loyalty by being a chronic complainer.
Refuse to worry about your health. Every minute a person spends worrying about dying is a minute they might as well have been dead. Don't be only half-alive.
Be genuinely grateful that your health is as good as it is.
Remind yourself often, "It is better to wear out than rust out." Life is yours to enjoy. Do not waste it by thinking yourself into a hospital bed.

Intelligence excusitis: I lack brains to succeed

Never underestimate your own intelligence or overestimate the intelligence of others. Instead, focus on discovering and developing your unique talents and managing your intellectual abilities effectively. Knowledge is potential power; it only becomes powerful when used constructively.
Remind yourself several times daily that a positive, optimistic and cooperative attitude is more critical than raw intelligence. Practice positive attitudes to find ways to succeed, not to confirm that you will fail. Otherwise, you contribute little and create nothing.
Remember that the ability to think creatively and solve problems is far more valuable than the ability to memorize facts. Use your mind to generate and develop new ideas and to find innovative and better ways of doing things.

Age excusitis: I am too old (or too young)

How old we are is not important, but you are only as old as you feel.
Instead of focusing on your age, think about the productive time you have left. For example, a 30-year-old still has roughly 80% of their productive life ahead of them. Life is longer than you might think, and it is never too late to start something new.
Invest your future time in pursuing what you are passionate about. The only time it is truly "too late" is when you let your mindset become negative and convince yourself that it is.

Luck excusitis: My case is different, and I attract bad luck

Accept the law of cause and effect. Stop attributing others' success to pure luck and recognize the preparation, planning and productive thinking that led to their good fortune.
Avoid wishful thinking, as there is no effortless path to success. Instead, focus on developing the qualities within yourself that will make you a winner, whether for a promotion, a personal victory, or a better life.

Build Confidence and Destroy Fear

Soothing remarks like "It is only your imagination. Do not worry. There is nothing to be afraid of", might provide temporary relief from fear.

However, they do not build genuine confidence or offer a lasting cure.

Fear is a real, powerful psychological barrier that prevents many of us from achieving what we truly want in life.

To counter it, it is crucial to understand a fundamental truth: all confidence is acquired, developed. No one is born with confidence.
Those people you know who radiate self-assurance and seem at ease in any situation acquired their confidence, bit by bit. This means you can, too.
Gaining confidence is very similar to learning a new skill like swimming or driving; the initial fear fades as your competence grows.

Action cures fear. Indecision and postponement, on the other hand, only fertilize it.

When facing tough problems, it is easy to become paralyzed by worry and think, "There is not much I can do but hope for the best."
Instead of letting inaction take over, you should first isolate your fear and determine precisely what you are afraid of.
Passive hope is not enough; you must support it with prompt, proactive measures and a solid backup plan.
To illustrate, if you are embarrassed by your personal appearance, practice better grooming. If you fear failing an exam, convert worry time into study time. If you are afraid of other people, put them in the proper perspective by remembering they are human beings, just like you.
Ultimately, hope requires action to achieve victory.

Your brain is much like a bank.

Every day, you make thought deposits into this "mind bank”, and these deposits grow to become your memory.
When you face a problem, your mind automatically supplies you with information you've previously deposited that relates to the situation.

Everyone encounters unpleasant, embarrassing and discouraging situations.

Unsuccessful people tend to take these experiences to heart and dwell on them.
To be successful, you must consciously deposit positive thoughts and count your blessings in your memory bank.
This way, when you face hardship, you can draw assurance and confidence from past victories and achievements.

It is also crucial to withdraw only positive thoughts to build your confidence.

A negative or self-deprecating thought from a past unpleasant event, if fertilized with repeated recall, can develop into a real mind monster.

Moreover, practice doing what your conscience tells you is right to prevent a poisonous guilt complex from developing.

In life, you will often be tempted to act against your conscience, and you might even succeed temporarily.
However, remember that deep down, each of us desires to think and act rightly.
If you do not, feelings of guilt will take hold, leaving you with a persistent unease and fear of being caught.
Additionally, people will sooner or later find out and lose confidence in you.

Psychologists tell us we can change our attitudes by changing our physical actions.

For example, you actually feel happier if you make yourself smile. You feel more confident and capable when you stand tall than when you slouch.
Hence, to think confidently, you must first act confidently.

Be a front seater.
Practice making eye contact.
Walk 25% faster.
Practice speaking up.
Smile big.

How to Think Big

When it comes to success, people aren't measured by inches, pounds, college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking.

How big we think determines the size of our accomplishments.
Yet, in the current world, many people are so narrow in their vision for the future, interested only in their retirement plan or job security.

Perhaps the greatest human weakness is self-deprecation - selling yourself short.

Many people fail to take action because they believe they are not good enough.
For this reason, a self-evaluation should not just focus on your shortcomings and areas for improvement.
It must also identify your five chief assets, such as your education, experience, technical skills, appearance, attitude, personality, and initiative.
Remember, you are bigger than you think.

Your mind constantly converts words and phrases into mental pictures.

When you say "We have failed", people see an image of defeat and feel disappointment. On the other hand, if you say "Here is a new approach that I think will work", they see an image of hope and feel encouraged to try again.
Similarly, we create very different mental images when we frame a situation as a "problem" versus a "challenge", or a "big expense" versus a "big investment".
Big thinkers specialize in creating positive, forward-looking, and optimistic pictures in their own minds and in the minds of others.
To think big, we must use words and phrases that produce large, positive mental images. This applies to everything from describing how you feel and encouraging others with compliments to outlining your plans for the future.

Big thinkers train themselves to see not just what is, but what can be.

They are skilled at visualizing a better future, even when little or nothing currently exists.
This practice of visualization adds value to everything.
A compelling proposal, for example, does more than just present facts; it paints a clear picture of a successful outcome, making it far more convincing.
To bring out the best in ourselves and in others, we must first visualize it. Without a clear vision of our potential, we can get stuck in our current circumstances, believing we are destined to live with a low income in a cheap apartment forever.

Many potentially successful people let petty, insignificant things block their path to achievement, a mistake known as the "triviality trap".

For example, when preparing for a public speech, do not be overly concerned with a long list of "do's and don'ts" like standing perfectly straight or avoiding any hand gestures. In reality, many top speakers have minor defects, such as an unpleasant voice. What they have in common is far more important: they have something to say and a burning desire for others to hear it.
This principle also applies to arguments. Most quarrels start over unimportant matters and quickly escalate as other issues are introduced. Before complaining, accusing someone, or launching a counterattack in self-defense, ask yourself one simple question: "Is this really important?" In most cases, it is not, and the conflict should be avoided.
In short, focus on what truly matters. The big objective in a marriage is not to win a small argument, but to maintain peace, happiness and tranquillity. Similarly, the main goal with neighbours is to foster mutual respect and friendship.
When you think big, the little things would not hold you back.

How to Think and Dream Creatively

Creative thinking is not reserved for specific occupations like science, engineering, art and writing.

Rather, creative thinking is simply the process of finding new and improved ways to do anything.
For example, a low-income family devises a plan to send their child to a leading university.

To develop and strengthen our creative thinking ability:

To do anything, we must first believe it can be done. Believing something can be done sets the mind in motion to find a way to do it.

Conversely, when you believe something is impossible, your mind works just as hard to prove why it cannot be done, effectively shutting down your creative ability.
Where there is a will, there is a way.

Challenge tradition instead of letting it freeze your mind.

Be receptive to new methods and believe that there is always more than one way to do a job effectively
Remember, "average" people have often resented progress, from the initial protests against the automobile to the scepticism about the airplane. To overcome this, be experimental.
Break your fixed routines, try new approaches, and be progressive in everything you do.

Ask yourself daily, "How can I do better?", not "Can I do better?".

The first question triggers creative solutions, while the second can lead to self-doubt.
Your capacity is a state of mind; how much you can do depends on how much you think you can do.
The limits to your growth are self-imposed, but the room for improvement is endless.
Constantly asking how you can do better puts your mind to work finding intelligent shortcuts to increase efficiency and achieve more with less effort.

Remember this key difference: Big people monopolize the listening; small people monopolize the talking.

Top-level leaders in all walks of life spend far more time requesting advice than giving it.
Practice asking questions and then truly listening to the answers. By doing so, you obtain the raw material (i.e. the ideas and suggestions of others) needed to reach sound decisions.

Stretch your mind and get stimulated through discussion.

Associate with people who can help you discover new ideas and new ways of doing things.
Make an effort to mix with people from different occupational and social backgrounds to gain fresh perspectives.

You Are What You Think You Are

Human behaviour can often seem puzzling.

For example, why will an employee consistently follow the instructions of one superior but only grudgingly do what another requests?
Why do some people naturally command confidence and loyalty while others do not?
This phenomenon is best explained by a simple principle: others see in us what we see in ourselves. We receive the kind of treatment we subconsciously believe we deserve.

Therefore, a person who thinks they are inferior is inferior, regardless of their actual qualifications, because their thinking dictates their actions.

If you feel unimportant, you will act that way.
To be seen as important, you must genuinely believe you are important first. Once you do, others will begin to think so too.

To increase your self-respect and earn more respect from others,

Your appearance always "talks".

Never leave home without feeling certain you look like the kind of person you want to be.
Your physical exterior - how you dress - directly affects your psychological interior. Looking sharp lifts your spirits and builds confidence.
It also influences how others see you; your appearance is the first thing people use to evaluate you, and these first impressions are disproportionately powerful and long-lasting.
If you are concerned about the cost of quality clothing, follow this simple rule: pay twice as much, but buy half as many.

Think your work is important

How you think about your job says a lot about your potential for greater responsibility.
When you see a long-term vision for the work you do beyond the daily tasks and paycheck, you will be motivated toward self-improvement and, ultimately, success.

Give yourself a pep talk multiple times a day.

An inspirational affair can make you feel good.
On the other hand, if you convinced yourself that you will fail, you develop fear, instead of courage.
Hence, practice uplifting self-praise, not belittling self-punishment, to continue viewing ourselves as first-class individuals.

Upgrade your thinking: think like important people think

In all of life's situations, ask yourself:

Would an important person worry about this?
Do I look like someone who has maximum self-respect?
Would an important person get mad at what I am mad it?
How does an important person describe this job?

Then, obey the answer.

Manage Your Environment: Go First Class

Our body is a reflection of the diet it is fed, and similarly, our mind is a reflection of what we feed it.

This "mind food" is our environment - all the countless things that consciously and subconsciously influence us.
The kind of mind food we consume shapes our thinking, which in turn determines our habits, attitudes, and personality.
To illustrate, if you had grown up in a different country or culture, you would be a materially different person with different preferences for music, literature, entertainment, and clothing.
Therefore, prolonged association with negative people makes us think negatively, while companionship with people with big ideas raises the level of our thinking. Close contact with ambitious individuals gives us ambition.

As children, we are all ambitious. We set high goals, want to do exciting things, and make plans to conquer the unknown.

However, long before we work toward our great objectives, we encounter a multitude of suppressive influences from our environment.
These influences cause us to rationalize that we are "happy" with our current situation or that greater success is not worth the effort.
Only those who never surrender make it to the top. These people find life stimulating, rewarding, and worthwhile, and they look forward to each new day as an adventure.

Negators are everywhere; Some are simply jealous people who are not moving ahead themselves and want you to stumble or become mediocre, just like them.

Remember, people who tell you something cannot be done are almost always unsuccessful people; they are strictly average or, at best, mediocre in their accomplishments. Their opinions can be poison.
Develop a defence against people who want to convince you that you cannot succeed.
Accept negative advice only as a challenge to prove that you can do it.
Do not let them destroy your plans for success.

Make it a rule to seek advice from people who know.

As a rule, the most successful people are also the most humble and willing to help.
Because they are sincerely interested in their work and its success, they are eager to see that the work lives on and that someone capable succeeds them when they retire.
Hence, to make your social environment first class, circulate in new groups and make new friends to enlarge your social orbit. Friends with views from your own adds spice to life and gives a broader dimension.

Another insidious poison to avoid is "thought poison," more commonly known as gossip.

It narrows our perspective, forcing us to concentrate on petty, unimportant matters that are often based on distorted facts.
Instead, we should engage in healthy conversations that are encouraging, uplifting, and focused on the positive qualities in others.

Remember: you cannot afford to go any way but first-class.

In the long run, a first-class approach actually costs less than a second-class one.
Moreover, it is better to have a few quality things than to accumulate junk.

Make Your Attitudes Your Allies

Reading minds is easier than you think.

We are constantly evaluating others and being evaluated by them through attitudes.
Our thoughts are spoken without a sound, revealed instead through our actions (e.g., body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice).
Therefore, when our attitude is right, our abilities reach their maximum effectiveness, and good results inevitably follow.

Since the right attitude helps you win in every situation, you should cultivate a mindset that will carry you forward to success.

Grow the “I’m activated” attitude.

To inspire excitement in others, you must first be enthusiastic yourself. This energy is contagious, whether you are delivering a speech or making a sale. Ultimately, your results are directly proportional to the enthusiasm you invest.
How to develop enthusiasm

Dig deeper

To inspire excitement in others, you must first be enthusiastic yourself.
This energy is contagious, whether you are delivering a speech or making a sale.
Ultimately, your results are directly proportional to the enthusiasm you invest.

Liven up your actions

Liven up your smile, your handshake, your conversation, and even the way you walk.
Projecting vitality makes you feel more alive and inspires those around you.

Broadcast good news

Be a source of positivity.
Sharing good news and encouragement captures people's attention and builds hope.
Spreading bad news accomplishes nothing positive; it only creates worry and anxiety.

Grow the “You are important” attitude.

Every person, regardless of their background, age, status or income, shares a fundamental desire: they want to feel important.
Instead of making people feel insignificant, actively work to make them feel valued.
Remember, people will always do more for you when you make them feel important.

Show Genuine Appreciation: Seize every opportunity to give honest, personalized compliments. Never let anyone feel that you take them for granted.
Addressing someone by their name is a simple yet powerful way to show recognition and respect.
Do not hog glory, but invest it back into your team by publicly acknowledging their contributions.

Ultimately, when you help others feel important, others will help you feel important in return.

Grow the “Service first” attitude.

Money is a powerful tool. It provides the means to give your family the standard of living they deserve, to help the unfortunate, and to live life fully.
However, people with a "money-first" attitude often end up with less of it. They become so money-conscious that they forget money cannot be harvested unless the seeds are planted first. And the seed of money is service.
Make it a rule to always give people more than they expect. Each little extra something you do for others is a money seed.
Think of it this way: you do not get a raise based on the promise of future performance, but as a reward for performance you have already demonstrated.
Afterall, if you put service first, the money will take care of itself.

Think Right Toward People

The only hurdle between you and what you want to be is the support of others.

To illustrate, an executive depends on people to carry out instructions, a salesperson needs customers to buy their products, and a writer relies on an audience to read their work.

In the past, a person could gain authority through force, but that era is over.

Today, people support you willingly, or they do not support you at all.

So, if achieving success depends on others, what must you do to earn their support and to accept your leadership?

People are not promoted based on academic or technical skills alone. Rather, they are lifted up by those who find them to be likable and personable. Therefore, your goal is to become a more likable person.

Learn to remember names.
Be a comfortable person to be around. Cultivate a relaxed, easy-going nature so that others feel at ease with you and minor issues do not ruffle you.
Do not be egotistical. Focus on others instead of yourself.
Never miss a chance to congratulate someone on an achievement or express sympathy for their sorrows and disappointments
Give emotional and spiritual strength to others, and they will offer you their genuine affection in return.

Take the initiative in building friendships

Say pleasant things to strangers.
Introduce yourself at every opportunity - at parties, meetings, on airplanes, at work, everywhere.
Make sure you get the other person’s name straight, and make certain he gets your name straight too.
Follow up with a personal note to new friends you want to know better.

Accept human differences and limitations.

Do not expect anyone to be perfect. The most human quality is our ability to make mistakes.
Recognize that others have a right to be different. You do not have to approve of what someone does, but you should not dislike them for it.
Do not be a reformer. Most people intensely dislike being told "you are wrong." You have a right to your opinions, but sometimes it is better to keep them to yourself.

Your mind is a mental broadcasting station, tune to the "Positive Channel".

Appreciate suggestions from your superiors rather than resisting them.
Find qualities to like and admire in people, not things to dislike. Positive thoughts create a chain reaction.
Given thoughts breed like thoughts, so do not let one person's prejudice influence your thinking about someone else.

Practice conversation generosity

The person who does the most talking and the person who is most successful are rarely the same.
Successful people encourage others to talk about themselves - their views, accomplishments, family, job and problems.
Conversation generosity is one of the easiest and simplest way to win a friend.

Don’t blame others when you receive a setback

Remember, how you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.
Instead of sulking, reason things out. Ask yourself, "How can I be more deserving of the next opportunity?" Plan to win next time.
Do not waste time and energy on discouragement or self-criticism.

Get the Action Habit

Excellent ideas are not enough.

A mediocre idea that is acted upon is far better than a brilliant one that is never implemented.
After all, nothing happens by merely thinking about it.

Successful people are activationists. They take action, get things done, and follow through on their ideas and plans.

On the other hand, the passivationist is someone who is always going to do something but never does. They insist on waiting for perfect conditions that will never arrive. They postpone action until they find an excuse not to do it, or until it is simply too late.
Taking action builds confidence and self-reliance. Conversely, the tasks we fail to act on erode our self-worth, leading to a life of mediocrity.

To avoid the costly mistake of waiting until conditions are perfect before acting.

Recognise that every day, thousands of people bury good ideas because they are afraid to act on them. Remember, use action to cure fear and gain confidence.
Be willing to make an intelligent compromise with perfection. Do not let the pursuit of a flawless plan become a form of procrastination.
Expect future obstacles and difficulties, and be ready to find solutions as you encounter them.

Remember, thinking in terms of now gets things accomplished, but thinking in terms of someday or sometime usually means failure.

How to Turn Defeat into Victory

At the heart of mediocrity often lies an unhealed wound from past defeats.

A person in this state has surrendered, become overly cautious, and now simply endures the "fate" they feel life has handed them.
Successful people experience every tough situation imaginable (including opposition, discouragement, setbacks, hardship and personal misfortune); what truly sets them apart is their response to defeat.
Rather than staying down or running away, they bounced back, learned from the root cause, put the defeat behind them, and immediately moved forward on a corrected course.

How to turn defeat into victory

Study your setbacks

When you lose, learn from the experience.
Find the root cause of the problem and correct it to ensure you do not make the same mistake again.
Every loss is a lesson on the path to success.

Be your own constructive critic

Avoid the tendency to blame luck or others for your failures.
Instead, have the courage to seek out your own faults and weaknesses.
Correcting them is how you build personal strength and efficiency.

Combine persistence with experimentation

Persistence alone does not guarantee victory.
While staying committed to your goal, do not just beat your head against a wall.
Be willing to experiment with new approaches.

Step back when you are stuck

When you hit a snag, sometimes the best solution is to back off and start fresh.
Staying too close to a problem for too long can blind you to new solutions and creative approaches.

Find the good in every situation

There is a positive side to every setback.
Find that silver lining, focus on it, and use that perspective to conquer discouragement and move forward.
Trust that things will ultimately work out for the best.

Use Goals to Help You Grow

Every bit of human progress - from small inventions and medical discoveries to major business successes - was first visualized before becoming a reality.

A goal is more than a dream; it is a dream being acted upon.
Without goals, people wander aimlessly through life. Never knowing where they are going, they never get anywhere.
Goals are as essential to success as air is to life; no one simply stumbles into it.
Therefore, clearly define where you want to go. Create a vivid image of yourself ten years from now.

The important thing is not where you were or where you are but where you want to get.

A practical guide to achieving your goals

Create a clear vision

Write out a ten-year plan for your work, family and social life.
Remember to visualize a big future, because no one accomplishes more than they set out to accomplish.

Harness the power of desire

Success requires a heart-and-soul effort, which is only possible when you pursue something you truly desire.
Setting goals based on your desires multiplies your energy and enthusiasm.
Yet, in reality, many people murders their desires because of self-deprecation, insecurities, competition, parental pressure or family responsibilities.

Let your goal be your guide

Allow your major goal to act as an automatic pilot, helping you make the right decisions.
Surrendering to your desire also puts your subconscious mind at ease, freeing it from hesitation, confusion, and indecision.

Achieve your goal one step at a time, no matter how small the steps may seem.

Accomplishment requires a plan; without one, we simply drift aimlessly through the day.
Therefore, set clear goals with deadlines, target dates and self-imposed quotas.
What often appears to be overnight success is almost always the result of solid groundwork being laid patiently over time.

Be flexible, not fragile

When working toward a purpose, unexpected events can upset your plans, such as illness or accidents. This is normal.
Be prepared to take detours (Plan B) if needed, but never surrender your ultimate goal. Simply find a different route to the same destination.

Continuously invest in yourself

True education is not measured by university degrees, but by how well your mind is developed - in short, by how well you think (i.e. the competency).
Education helps to mould your mind, stretching and training it to solve new problems.
Idea starters, like reading at least a stimulating book each month, feed your mind with constructive material to think about.

How to Think Like a Leader

Achieving high-level success requires the support and the cooperation of others. To be a more effective leader, put these 4 leadership principles to work.

Trade minds with the people you want to influence.

It becomes much easier to get others to do what you want when you make an effort to see things through their eyes.

For example, a salesperson who understands a customer's budget can recommend the right merchandise, and a supervisor who considers their team's perspective can provide clearer, more effective instructions.

Before you act, always ask yourself this simple question: “What would I think of this if I were in their place?”

Think: What is the human way to handle this

People perform best when they are treated with dignity and respect.
There are two leadership styles that consistently fail because they ignore this principle:

The Dictator: The leader who makes all decisions without consulting those affected does not last long. While employees may feign loyalty for a time, the best ones will eventually leave, and those who remain will often work against the tyrant.
The Rule-Book Operator: This cold, mechanical approach handles everything exactly according to the book (policy). It fails to recognize that rules are guides for typical cases, not rigid laws. Above all, people dislike being treated like machines.

The solution is to lead with "being human" approach

To put people first and give them the kind of treatment you would like to receive. This approach builds unquestioned loyalty and support.
Treat everyone with respect and dignity.
Show genuine interest in your team members' off-the-job accomplishments. The more interest you show in a person, the more productive they will be.
Praise people personally at every opportunity, including acknowledging their cooperation and extra efforts.

When an employee makes a mistake, be extra careful not to hurt their feelings or make them feel small and embarrassed.

Talk to them privately.
Praise them for what they are doing well.
Point out the one thing they could do better and help them find a solution.
End the conversation by praising their good qualities again.

Think progress, believe in progress, push for progress.

Strive for continuous improvement and high standards in everything you do.
Lead the way you want your team to follow. Over time, subordinates tend to become carbon copies of their leader. The simplest way to get high-level performance, therefore, is to ensure the master copy - you - is worth duplicating.
Change the thinking at the top, and you will automatically change the thinking throughout the organization.

Take time out to confer with yourself and tap your supreme thinking power.

Great leaders use solitude to piece problems together, work out solutions and make plans.
In contrast, many people fail to access their creative leadership because they constantly surround themselves with others, rarely spending time alone to think without distractions.
Make it a habit to spend time in managed solitude every day and think your way to success. Use this time to release your creative power and find solutions to both personal and business problems.

Summary

The Magic of Thinking Big is a well-written guide that uses relatable examples to analyze human behaviour in detail.

It offers actionable strategies that empower readers to think on a grander scale, inspiring them to be more ambitious and work diligently toward success.

A wise man will be master of his mind. A fool will be its slave.

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