David J Schwartz - THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE BOOK

More than 6 million readers around the world have improved their lives by reading The Magic of Thinking Big .

First published in 1959, David J Schwartzs classic teachings are as powerful today as they were then. Practical, empowering and hugely engaging, this book will not only inspire you, it will give you the tools to change your life for the better starting from now. His step-by-step approach will show you how to:

Defeat disbelief and the negative power it creates
Make your mind produce positive thoughts
Plan a concrete success-building programme
Do more and do it better by turning on your creative power
Capitalise on the power of NOW

Updated for the 21st century, this is your go-to guide to a better life, starting with the way you think.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DR DAVID J SCHWARTZ was a world-renowned motivational speaker and personal development expert. Born in the United States in 1927, he went on to be a professor at Georgia State University, and later founded his own consultancy firm, Creative Educational Services Inc. CES Inc. specialised in leadership development and life strategy, subjects which Swchartz went on to write several highly-acclaimed books about. He passed away in 1987.

For David III

Our six-year-old son, David, felt mighty big when he was graduated from kindergarten. I asked him what he plans to be when he finishes growing up. Davey looked at me intently for a moment and then answered, Dad, I want to be a professor.

A professor? A professor of what? I asked.

Well, Dad, he replied, I think I want to be a professor of happiness.

A professor of happiness! Thats a pretty wonderful ambition, dont you think?

To David, then, a fine boy with a grand goal, and to his mother, this book is dedicated.

PREFACE

Why this big book? Why a full-scale discussion of The Magic of Thinking Big? Thousands of books will be published this year. Why one more?

Permit me to give you just a little background.

Several years ago I witnessed an exceptionally impressive sales meeting. The vice president in charge of marketing for this company was tremendously excited. He wanted to drive home a point. He had with him on the platform the leading representative in the organization, a very ordinary-looking fellow, who earned in the year just ended just a little under $60,000. The earnings of other representatives averaged $12,000.

The executive challenged the group. Here is what he said: I want you to take a good look at Harry. Look at him! Now, whats Harry got that the rest of you havent? Harry earned five times the average, but is Harry five times smarter? No, not according to our personnel tests. I checked. They show hes about average in that department.

And did Harry work five times harder than you fellows? No-not according to the reports. In fact, he took more time off than most of you.

Did Harry have a better territory? Again Ive got to say no. The accounts averaged about the same. Did Harry have more education? Better health? Again, no. Harry is about as average as an average guy could be except for one thing.

The difference between Harry and the rest of you, said the vice president, the difference is that Harry thought five times bigger.

Then the executive proceeded to show that success is determined not so much by the size of ones brain as it is by the size of ones thinking.

This was an intriguing thought. And it stayed with me. The more I observed, the more people I talked with, the deeper I dug into whats really behind success, the clearer was the answer. Case history after case history proved that the size of bank accounts, the size of happiness accounts, and the size of ones general satisfaction account is dependent on the size of ones thinking. There is magic in thinking big.

If Thinking Big accomplishes so much, why doesnt everyone think that way? Ive 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. You are told almost daily that there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians. In other words, that opportunities to lead no longer exist, that there is a surplus of chiefs, so be content to be a little guy.

But this too many chiefs idea simply doesnt square with the truth. Leading people in all occupations will tell you, as theyve told me, that the trouble is, there are too many Indians and not nearly enough chiefs.

This pettily petty environment says other things too. It tells you, Whatever will be will be, that your destiny is outside your control, that fate is in complete control. So forget those dreams, forget that finer home, forget that special college for the children, forget the better life. Be resigned. Lie down and wait to die.

And who hasnt heard the statement that Success isnt worth the price, as if you have to sell your soul, your family life, your conscience, your set of values to reach the top. But, in truth, success doesnt demand a price. Every step forward pays a dividend.

This environment also tells us theres too much competition for the top spots in life. But is there? A personnel selection executive told me that he receives 50 to 250 times as many applicants for jobs that pay $10,000 per year as for jobs that pay $50,000 a year. This is to say that 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. There are countless vacancies waiting there for people like you who dare to think big.

The basic principles and concepts supporting The Magic of Thinking Big come from the highest-pedigree sources, the very finest and biggest-thinking minds yet to live on planet Earth. Minds like the prophet David, who wrote, As one thinketh in his heart, so is he; minds such as Emerson, who said, Great men are those who see that thoughts rule the world; 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. Amazingly perceptive minds like Shakespeare, who observed, There is nothing either good or bad except that thinking makes it so.

But where does the proof come from? How do we know the master thinkers were right? Fair questions. The proof comes from the lives of the select people around us who, through winning success, achievement, and happiness, prove that thinking big does work magic.

The simple steps we have set down here are not untested theories. They are not one mans guesses and opinions. They are proven approaches to lifes situations, and they are universally applicable steps that work and work like magic.

That youre reading this page proves you are interested in larger success. You want to fulfill your desires. You want to enjoy a fine standard of living. You want this life to deliver to you all the good things you deserve. Being interested in success is a wonderful quality.

You have another admirable quality. The fact that youre holding this book in your hands shows you have the intelligence to look for tools that will help take you where you want to go. In building anythingautomobiles, bridges, missileswe need tools. Many people, in their attempt to build a successful life, forget there are tools to help them. You have not forgotten. You have, then, the two basic qualities needed to realize real profit from this book: a desire for greater success and the intelligence to select a tool to help you realize that desire.