The Magic of Thinking Big — David J. Schwartz
Summary in 15 minutes. Success starts in the head. First belief, then clearing out the excuses, then facing the fear. Thinking big is not an inborn gift. Sizing yourself up, choosing your words, asking creative questions and shaping your self-image can all be practiced. The right attitudes draw people to you, the action habit brings dreams down to earth, and learning from defeat keeps the road open. Without knowing where you want to go, big thinking just spins. Goals give direction; leadership brings others with you.
Key ideas of "The Magic of Thinking Big"
The Power of Belief
Success starts in the head. First belief, then clearing out the excuses, then facing the fear.
- Believe You Can Succeed: Belief isn’t magic, but it works like it
- Excusitis, the Failure Disease: The favorite illness of the unsuccessful, and its vaccine
- Action Cures Fear: Confidence isn’t born; it’s built
How to Think Big
Thinking big is not an inborn gift. Sizing yourself up, choosing your words, asking creative questions and shaping your self-image can all be practiced.
- Size Yourself Up: Most of us sell ourselves short
- Think and Dream Creatively: Believe it can be done, and your mind finds a way
- You Are What You Think You Are: Your self-image and your surroundings
Attitude and Action
The right attitudes draw people to you, the action habit brings dreams down to earth, and learning from defeat keeps the road open.
- Make Your Attitudes Your Allies: Enthusiasm, valuing people, service first
- Get the Action Habit: Don’t wait for perfect conditions; start now
- Turn Defeat into Victory: Salvage something from every setback
Goals, Leadership, Action
Without knowing where you want to go, big thinking just spins. Goals give direction; leadership brings others with you.
- Use Goals to Help You Grow: Draw the person you’ll be in ten years
- Think Like a Leader: Four rules for leading without a title
- 7-Day Think Big Plan: One task a day. Tick it off when done.
- One-Page Cheat Sheet: The whole book at a glance. Save it.
- Final Word: Living Big: The magic is really practice
From the free first chapter
David J. Schwartz taught marketing at Georgia State in Atlanta and spent years studying successful people. He opens with a blunt question: is someone who earns five times as much as you five times as smart, or five times as hard-working? Almost never. The real gap, he argues, is the size of their thinking.
This is not wishful thinking; saying “I can” does not move mountains. But when you believe something can be done, your mind starts looking for ways to do it. Believe it can’t, and the mind dutifully collects reasons why not. Schwartz pictures the mind as a thought factory with two foremen, Mr. Triumph and Mr. Defeat. Whichever one you keep busy ends up running the place.
Read the first chapter free · Price: ৳250 · or every book with a membership
Common questions
What is "The Magic of Thinking Big" about?
Success starts in the head. First belief, then clearing out the excuses, then facing the fear. Thinking big is not an inborn gift. Sizing yourself up, choosing your words, asking creative questions and shaping your self-image can all be practiced. The right attitudes draw people to you, the action habit brings dreams down to earth, and learning from defeat keeps the road open. Without knowing where you want to go, big thinking just spins. Goals give direction; leadership brings others with you.
What are the key ideas of "The Magic of Thinking Big"?
Believe You Can Succeed; Excusitis, the Failure Disease; Action Cures Fear; Size Yourself Up; Think and Dream Creatively; You Are What You Think You Are; Make Your Attitudes Your Allies; Get the Action Habit; Turn Defeat into Victory; Use Goals to Help You Grow; Think Like a Leader; 7-Day Think Big Plan.
Who wrote "The Magic of Thinking Big"?
David J. Schwartz.
How long does the Gistbook summary take to read?
About 15 minutes. It is available in English and Bangla, and the first chapter is free.