The Magic of Thinking Big

Every now and then, one read a book that truly inspires. This is exactly what David has achieved with the Magic of Thinking Big. Not only does he inspire "big" thinking, but he also takes it one step further to inspire action to make it happen. The book is filled with ideas and techniques that can be applied in our everyday life whether at home or at work. These are illustrated by real-life examples that the author draws upon - in which these techniques have proven further success, happiness, and satisfaction to those who have implemented them. Many of the ideas presented, constitute the basis for true leadership. A very enjoyable and educative read. It is structured in such a way as to allow the readers to read and implement specific ideas/techniques presented in one chapter without necessarily reading the entire book. This is in my opinion, the most effective way to take advantage of the wisdom presented. A highly recommended read! Below are excerpts from the book that I found particularly insightful: 1- "The thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you may have." 2- "Knowledge is power - when you use it constructively." 3- "Action cures fear." 4- "Look at things not as they are, but as they can be. Visualization adds value to everything. A big thinker always visualizes what can be done in the future. He isn't stuck with the present." 5- "Practice adding value to things... Practice adding value to people...Practice adding value to yourself." 6- "...The successful person doesn't ask, "Can I do it better?" He knows he can. So he phrases the question: How can I do it better?" 7- "Big success calls for persons who continually set higher standards for themselves and others, persons who are searching for ways to increase efficiency, to get more output at lower cost, do more with less effort. Top success is reserved for the I-can-do-it-better kind of person." 8- "In summation, use these tools and think creatively...Believe it can be done...Don't let tradition paralyze your mind. Be receptive to new ideas. Be experimental. Try new approaches. Be progressive in everything you do...Ask yourself daily, "How can I do better?"...Ask yourself, "How can I do more?" Capacity is a state of mind. Asking yourself this question puts your mind to work to find intelligent short-cuts. The success combination is business is: Do what you do better...and do more of what you do...Practice asking and listening...Stretch your mind. Get stimulated. Associate with people who can help you to think of new ideas, new ways of doing things." 9- "How you think determines how you act. How you act in turn determines: How others react to you." 10- "The way we think toward our jobs determines how our subordinates think toward their jobs." 11- "The person who does the most talking and the person who is the most successful are rarely the same person. Almost without exception, the more successful the person, the more he practices conversation generosity, that is, he encourages the other person to talk about himself, his views, his accomplishments, his family, his job, his problems." 12- "The test of a successful person is not an ability to eliminate all problems before they arise, but to meet and work out difficulties when they do arise. We must be willing to make an intelligent compromise with perfection lest we wait forever before taking action. It's still good advice to cross bridges as we come to them." 13- "Persisting in one way is not a guarantee of victory. But persistence blended with experimentation does guarantee success." 14- "A second way to profit from the "Be-Human" rule is to let your action show you put people first. Show interest in you subordinates' off-the-job accomplishments. Treat everyone with dignity. Remind yourself that the primary purpose in life is to enjoy it. As a general rule, the more interest you show in a person, the more he will produce for you. And his production is what carries you forward to greater and greater success."

In a group that I was in, someone recommended this book. I bought it. That was in 2013. I never bothered reading it. Fast forward to a couple of months ago. I started challenging myself to read 10 pages a day. A member in another group that I am a part of, recommended this book. I dusted it off and started reading it. Why did I wait so long? Although this book was written in 1959, the principles behind it still ring true. In my opinion, that's when you know it's a good book. It talks about changing your mindset. You have to believe you're a winner, in order to be a winner. It gives you tips on harnessing and developing your ideas; how to treat people--you are not PULLED up to a higher level job, you are LIFTED up by the people you interact with. You have to be likeable. This book tells you how to win friends and influence people. It tells you how to turn defeat into victory. The thing I liked most about this book is that it doesn't just TALK about these things. It gives you tips and a roadmap on thinking big. This book is a timeless classic, and I am glad I took the time to read it. I will definitely start applying these principles to my life. The only issue I have with this book is that the format of the book could have been more defined. Some of the concepts run together, and really should be separated by an extra line.

This book provides you with workable methods and not shallow promises, and techniques that are very original. This book sets up a plan for impressive living with the resources you already have. The book says that you do not need to be greatly intelligent or need to have a massive brain to be successful. The book says that if you believe you can be successful, then you will be successful. The intellectual level of the book is strong. The author has a PhD in psychology and he was a professor at Georgia State University. To me, it seems like Schwartz's guidance in the book is instituted in psychology. He also gives many real life scenarios to clarify his opinions. Schwartz is a skilled writer. The book's effectiveness is great. Schwartz talks about methods about how to gain success that include; believing in yourself will take you to greater highs, stop coming up with excuses, building up your confidence, thinking ingeniously and using that to solve problems, focusing on your features, getting into the habit of positive thinking and how to lead yourself by thinking rather than memorizing. In the book there are diagrams and summaries of the chapters to help you easily apply the knowledge to your own life. Even though the book was written five decades ago, the book still has advice that applies to the present. Everyone should read this book. It positively influences your prospective on beliefs, goals and success. The book helped me overcome some self-doubt and helped me to understand to use my thoughts to improve my actions. This book can benefit everyone. It does not take much to make the simple changes that Schwartz suggests in this book. This book helps you positively improve multiple areas of your life.

This book very much mirrors Denis Waitley's series of self-help books/audios--The Psychology of Winning-The Ten Qualities of aTotal Winner. I have found Waitley's other books are based on the same theme just different anecdotes--the message is the same. The Magic of Thinking Big essentially gives the same suggestions almost verbatim as the Waitley series. With that said it is my opinion that Schwartz's book is a good supplement to the Waitley series or the other way around depending on which material you read first. It reaffirms the other author's work. In a nutshell--Schwartz (and Waitley) maintain that an individual develop self confidence and not focus on negativity or fear that prohibits an individual from reaching personal goals. If there is a difference between Waitley and Schwartz it is this context--Waitley goes into much rhetoric about goal setting and reaching those goals. The way an individual feels on the inside has very much to do with how the world views that said individual--it is here where the commonality of the two authors do very good jobs on how an individual molds that part of their person in order to change the way they view themself. There are plenty of exercises and checklists that one can go by in order to help them reach a better you. I recommend this book.

"The Magic of Thinking Big" by David Joseph Schwartz is a truly magnificent book that left a profound impact on me. Reading it reminded me of my father, Walter Leon Freeman, who always emphasized the importance of thinking big. From March 17, 1944, St. Patrick's Day, to April 31, 2023, Easter, his words echoed in my mind, urging me to reach for the stars. This book taught me that thinking big isn't just about dreaming grand dreams; it's about seeing the small things in life from a different perspective. It's about understanding that our thoughts shape our reality and that by thinking positively about ourselves and others, we can achieve great things. Schwartz's words made me realize that while material things may come and go, what truly lasts for eternity is our thoughts. We will be remembered not for our possessions but for the impact our thoughts had on the world and how they helped shape society. I wholeheartedly recommend "The Magic of Thinking Big" to anyone seeking inspiration and guidance on how to live a fulfilling life. David Joseph Schwartz did an excellent job of articulating his thoughts and sharing them with the world. Thank you for this incredible book. Deon C Freeman 3/25/2024

This book will change your life if you let it! Could not recommend it more.

I read this book when it was first published in 1959 and recently re-read it in combination with Richard Newton's The Little Book of Thinking Big, published 55 years later. There are differences between them, of course. (How could there not be?) However, they both stress the great importance of personal accountability, of taking ownership of the consequences of one's decision. I agree that we cannot control everything that happens to us but we can control how we respond to whatever happens to us. Also, both David Schwartz and Newton are convinced -- as am I -- that most human limits are self-imposed. This is what Henry Ford had in mind many years ago when observing, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right." To that last point, the title of Chapter 1 in The Magic of Thinking Big is "Believe You Can Succeed and You Will." As we all know, the fact that we are certain that we will succeed does not ensure that we will. It is true, however, that we are more likely to succeed with a positive rather than with negative attitude. Schwartz urges his reader to think big and it all starts with self-image: "You're bigger than you think. So, fit your thinking to your true size." So, how to think big? Schwartz offers five suggestions: 1. Don't sell yourself short: If you don't believe in you and what you can accomplish, why should anyone else? 2. Use the big thinker's vocabulary: It really is possible to talk yourself into or out of success. Which do you prefer, success or failure? 3. Stretch your vision: Whatever it may be, double or triple its scale. So what if your goal had been earning $10,000 a month and you're "only" earning $7,500? What if the goal had been to earn $5,000 a month? 4. Get the big view of your job: If you think small, you will be small. The same is true of jobs. Think of your current job as a bridge to a much better position. How strong is your bridge? 5. Think about trivial things: Don't let them drag you down. Focus on big objectives and take care of details that help you to achieve. I presume to add one more: Avoid losers. You know who they are. They have more "crutches" than the International Red Cross. They see themselves as victims and refuse to assume any responsibility for their failures and inadequacies. Their negativity and self-pity can be contagious. Although some of Schwartz's material may seem dated, even quaint, his core insights and practical advice are still relevant and can help almost anyone to avoid or overcome self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. To repeat, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right." The choice is yours.

"THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG" by David J. Schwartz This is my second-time reading this book (first time being in 1999, shortly after I joined the Amway biz and shortly before I joined the Air Force), and after these years I still find it to be one of the best self-help books I've ever read. True enough, a lot of the material that Dr. Schwartz teaches within is seemingly common sense that should be boneheadedly obvious....yet in this day & age, common sense really ain't so common, and it's all to easy to lose track of the principles & power of positive thinking when we're surrounded by so much toxic negativity in the world RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS (and noteworthy passages): --p. 2: "There is magic in thinking big. 'If Thinking Big accomplishes so much, why doesn’t everyone think that way?' I’ve been asked that question many times. Here, I believe, is the answer. All of us, more than we recognize, are products of the thinking around us. And much of this thinking is little, not big. All around you is an environment that is trying to tug you, trying to pull you down Second Class Street." Hear, hear! Negative Nancys, Dream Killers, Debbie Downers, and Oxygen Thieves! Or as Gabe Suarez terms 'em, "Rats, Shoemakers, and Lizards." --p. 3: "...there is at least 50 times as much competition for jobs on Second Class Street as for jobs on First Class Avenue. First Class Avenue, U.S.A., is a short, uncrowded street." A First Class travel junkie like me takes heart in this! "....minds like Milton, who in Paradise Lost wrote, 'The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven.'" I've witnessed this myself repeatedly, in school, the military, law enforcement, and contracting alike. --p. 4: "Start out with this thought of the great philosopher Disraeli: 'Life is too short to be little.'" Ah, if only the late great USC Professor and leadership guru Warren Bennis (G-d rest his soul and Fight On Forever) were still around to discuss that particular quote! --p. 12: "Currently, there is some talk of building a tunnel under the English Channel to connect England with the Continent. Whether this tunnel is ever built depends on whether responsible people believe it can be built." And yes, Dr. Schwartz (may you Rest In Peace), the Chunnel has long since become a reality. --p. 37: "We often hear that knowledge is power. But this statement is only a half-truth. Knowledge is only potential power. Knowledge is power only when put to use—and then only when the use made of it is constructive." "Einstein taught us a big lesson. He felt it was more important to use your mind to think than to use it as a warehouse for facts." [author's original emphasis] --p. 39: "Ask yourself, 'Am I using my mental ability to make history, or am I using it merely to record history made by others?'" Wow, powerful stuff right there!! --p. 50: "Jot that down in your success rule book right now. Action cures fear." [author's original emphasis] --p. 131: "Pay twice as much and buy half as many." (Regarding wardrobe) --p. 154: "Let’s face it. Some folks, being jealous, want to make you feel embarrassed because you want to move upward.....It happens in the military service when a clique of negative-minded individuals poke fun at and try to humiliate the young soldier who wants to go to officers’ school.....You’ve seen it happen time and again in high schools when a group of lunkheads deride a classmate who has the good sense to make the most of his educational opportunities and come out with high grades. Sometimes—and all too sadly often—the bright student is jeered at until he reaches the conclusion that it isn’t smart to be intelligent." I can relate from personal experience! --p. 165: "Go first class in everything you do. You can’t afford to go any other way." Life's too short to live it as a cheapo! --p. 182: "People like to be called by name. It gives everyone a boost to be addressed by name. Two special things you must remember. Pronounce the name correctly, and spell it correctly. If you mispronounce or misspell someone’s name, that person feels that you feel he is unimportant." (Similar to what Dale Carnegie teaches in "How to Win Friends and Influence People")

Ein Buch, das Denkanstöße gibt und zum Handeln motiviert. Viele praktische Beispiele und Ideen, die man direkt umsetzen kann. Sicher kein Wundermittel, aber wer offen dafür ist, kann viel daraus mitnehmen.

Dr. David J. Schwartz's "The Magic of Thinking Big" is more than just a self-help book; it is a delightful journey back to a time when things were simpler, yet filled with the wisdom that is just as applicable today as it was when published in the late 1950s. What immediately strikes you about this book is Dr. Schwartz's truly inspiring vision for what we can all achieve with the right mindset. His principles are not overly complex or laden with jargon. Instead, they are clear, concise, and punctuated with engaging anecdotes that make you feel like you're sitting down with a wise friend. A particularly cute and nostalgic touch is the author's references to "messy cigarettes" and the way things were back in his day. These references create a vivid picture of the era, a time when attitudes were different, yet the human desire to achieve greatness remained the same. It's a charming reminder that even though times change, some things remain timeless. The teachings in "The Magic of Thinking Big" extend beyond mere motivation. Dr. Schwartz provides a practical guide, filled with actionable steps to help you set and reach goals, overcome fears, and think more positively. He doesn't just tell you to think big; he shows you how. For those looking to embark on a journey of personal growth, or simply enjoy a nostalgic trip down memory lane, "The Magic of Thinking Big" is a must-read. Dr. David J. Schwartz's inspiring words, combined with his endearing references to a bygone era, make this book a treasured classic that continues to resonate with readers of all ages.

Great book

This book is fantastic. A very easy read, relatable, and motivating to help you find your path in life. When I discovered the power of your mind through this book and the stories told within, it opened my eyes to the endless possibilities for your career as well as overall happiness in life. I highly recommend anyone to read this book and feel the powerful effects it has on your mental well-being.

Pieno di spunti e riflessioni utili. Un libro che ha decenni ma è attualissimo.