Think Big, Achieve Big - How To Do It

Think of the people who earn five times as much as you. Are they five times smarter? Do they work five times harder? If the answer is no, then the question "What do they have that I haven't?" may occur to you.

In a book that has sold six million copies, David Schwartz suggests that the main thing separating them from us is that they think five times bigger. We are all, more than we realize, the product of the thinking which surrounds us. And most of this thinking is little, not big.

The Magic of Thinking Big is a classic of the success literature, written in the golden age of postwar American industrial society. The focus is on sales, production, executives, getting the great job in the good company. It may be a product of its age, but transcends it too.

Schwartz asks you to recast your idea of what is possible. The desire for success begins with a willingness to see thoughts as tools. Thinking larger thoughts is a kind of magic, since the effort put in is small compared with the long-term results.

People make assessments of us whether we like it or not, and the value the world gives us matches the one we give ourselves. Much of the difference between failure and success is in what we believe we are entitled to, so you may as well think big.

In the 1890s, Gottlieb Daimler drew a three-pointed star on a postcard to his family and wrote next to it, “One day this star will shine down on my work.” He co-founded Mercedes-Benz. A person is best measured by the size of their dreams.

Schwartz’s other tips include: • Don't wait until conditions are perfect before starting something. They never will be. Act now • Persistence is no guarantee of success. Combine persistence with experimentation • Walk 25 per cent faster! Average people have an average walk

Improve the quality of your environment. Or as Schwartz phrases it, “Go first class”. This does not mean always getting the most expensive ticket. It does mean getting your advice from successful people, and spending time with those who think on a large scale and are generous.

“The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements... Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier -– certainly no more difficult – than small ideas and small plans." - David J Schwartz