Personal Development Business Psychology

The Magic of Thinking Big (Summary)

by David J. Schwartz

Two factory foremen were discussing their star employee. One said, "He's a great worker, but he'll never be a leader. He just doesn't have it." The other foreman disagreed. A week later, he deliberately started calling the worker by the wrong name. The worker, instead of just accepting it, confidently corrected him. From that moment on, the worker began to see himself differently—as someone who deserved respect. Six months later, he was promoted to supervisor. The only thing that changed was the size of his own thinking.

Cure Yourself of 'Excusitis,' the Failure Disease

Unsuccessful people are masters of making excuses for why they can't achieve their goals—blaming their health, age, intelligence, or luck. Schwartz calls this 'excusitis.' To succeed, you must vaccinate yourself against it by refusing to broadcast or accept negative excuses.

Schwartz tells the story of a 40-year-old who was told he was 'too old' for a job. Instead of accepting the excuse, he replied, "Your company has problems older than I am, and I have the experience to solve them." By refusing the excuse and reframing his supposed weakness as a strength, he got the job.

Action Cures Fear

Fear is a powerful obstacle, but its source is almost always inaction and uncertainty. The best way to conquer fear is not to think your way out of it, but to act your way out. Taking any small, concrete step immediately shrinks the fear.

A student is terrified of giving a class presentation. The fear grows as he sits and worries. The cure is to act: stand up, walk to the front of the room, and say the first sentence. The physical act of starting breaks the paralysis and makes the rest of the speech manageable. The fear was in the waiting, not the doing.

Think Like an Important Person

How you see yourself determines how others see you. To be treated as an important person, you must first believe you are one. This means upgrading your self-image, from your posture and clothing to the quality of your thoughts.

A junior executive wanted a seat at the main table where senior leaders sat, but he felt he didn't belong. He followed the book's advice: he bought a high-quality suit, sat up straight, and consciously thought, "I belong here." Within weeks, his colleagues began asking for his opinions, and he was soon invited to sit at the table he once felt was out of reach.

Turn Defeat into Victory

Every successful person has faced setbacks. The difference between success and failure is how you respond. Big thinkers don't see failure; they see lessons. They have the persistence to study their setbacks, extract the valuable feedback, and try a new approach.

When an advertising campaign fails, a small thinker says, "I knew it wouldn't work. We wasted our money." A big thinker says, "Excellent, we just learned what our customers don't respond to. Let's analyze the data and create an even better campaign next time."

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