Think Big - NOTHING is holding you back

Most people believe that events or current circumstances indicate success. Yet events are more likely to be a reflection of confidence, writes David J Schwartz in his 6-million copy bestseller The Magic of Thinking Big (1959).

Every unsuccessful person has a bag of ready excuses to justify their lack of success. Successful people have no excuses, only intentions.

Franklin Roosevelt did not think that because he was disabled he could not be President. Truman did not hold the fact of his limited education against himself, and Kennedy chose not to believe that his youth was a bar to power.

By earmarking our upbringing, age, luck, intelligence, spouse, health etc. as “the thing which is holding us back”, we are falling prey to the disease of Failure Excusitis. The only vaccination is conscious self-belief.

As soon as we hit a rough spot our thinking is likely to shrink back to its normal size, yet this is exactly when it is crucial not to. Sporting champions do not collapse when, in the course of a game, they are being beaten.

Instead of building a case against themselves, they will at this point remember that they are a champion. Tennis great Boris Becker tells up¬-and-coming tennis players: talent is not enough; you must walk, talk and think like a champion.

It is said that a large vocabulary is a determinant of success. But what counts is the effect that our words have on how we think about ourselves. Instead of trying to use long words, use positive language. See how it transforms your mood and the perceptions of others.

Don't see yourself just in terms of how you appear now. You may have an old car, dingy apartment, debts, job stress and a crying baby, but they are not really a reflection of you as long as you are working on the vision of what you will be two years from now.

Concentrate on your abilities and beliefs and how you are deploying them to change the situation. Avoid getting mired in petty recrimination. Absorbing the blows is a quality of greatness.

David Schwartz advises: Every big success is created one step at a time. So measure yourself against the goals you have set rather than comparing yourself to others. (Jordan Peterson makes the same point in 12 Rules For Life). Next up, more tips on thinking big to succeed:

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Think Big, Achieve Big - How To Do It Think of the people who earn five times as much as you. Are they five times smar