All right, let's do this.
Think big, that's what we're talking about today, right?
David Schwartz is the magic of thinking big.
A classic for a reason, right?
Absolutely.
And we're gonna unpack all the best stuff.
You know, you always hear success takes genius
or gotta have some crazy talent.
But Schwartz says, nah, it's way more accessible.
It's all about your mindset, that's the foundation.
Okay, so how we think determines how well we do, love that.
So is that like the core idea of the whole book?
Pretty much, the size of your thinking,
that's what limits or unleashes your success.
Okay, I'm already hooked.
And Schwartz starts with the story, right?
About this guy, Harry.
Yeah, Harry, totally average dude,
didn't work harder than anyone else, wasn't a genius.
But he was making bank.
Five times what his coworkers made, five.
Spill the beans, what was Harry's secret weapon?
He dared to think bigger, that's all.
Schwartz says most of us were drowning in small thinking.
Small thinking?
Yeah, like all those messages that tell you, you can't,
there's not enough, someone else already got there first.
Okay, I feel like I've heard that my whole life.
Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.
Exactly, or all the good opportunities are gone.
But are they really?
Good question, especially when you see someone
like Harry doing his thing.
Right, so gotta break out that small thinking prison.
Okay, how, give me the key.
Schwartz uses this cool analogy, a thought factory.
A what?
A thought factory, our minds are constantly making thoughts.
Like 24 seven production line.
So what's coming off the assembly line?
Some good stuff, some bad stuff.
The positive thoughts, those are led by Mr. Triumph.
Love that name.
Right, but then there's the negative side, Mr. Defeat,
running that show.
The question is who's your foreman,
who are you giving all the overtime to?
Whoa, that's intense.
I can totally picture those little thought workers
hammering away, so if I'm making all these thoughts.
Gotta make sure the right team's in charge.
Okay, so how do we give Mr. Triumph the promotion?
It all comes down to belief.
If you don't believe you can do it, you already lost.
Right, makes sense.
Schwartz tells this story, young writer, super talented.
Oh yeah.
But another author in her genre, like blew up huge.
Ah, so this writer felt intimidated.
Totally, had the skill, the drive, but zero belief.
Already defeated herself just by thinking that way.
Man, I've been there so many times
talking myself out of something before I even start.
Happens to the best of us.
Which is why Schwartz tells the story
of this tool and die worker.
Regular guy, right?
Yeah.
Felt like a total middle class failure.
Oh, I know that feeling, but he turned it around.
Big time, got financially secure, built a great life.
No way, just like that lottery win.
Nope, the only thing that changed was his thinking.
Nothing external, just internal shift.
Okay, I'm on the edge of my seat here.
How'd he do it?
Did he like have a vision board, chant affirmations?
He started by attacking what Schwartz calls excucitis.
Excucitis.
Yeah.
Sounds contagious.
It is, it's all the excuses we use
to avoid doing the things we gotta do.
This guy was loaded with intelligence excucitis.
Meaning?
He thought, I'm not smart enough to succeed.
Which is a total myth, by the way.
Okay, so excucitis is any excuse we make,
not just about smarts.
Bingo.
I'm too old, I don't have connections,
it's the wrong time, all just ways to stay stuck.
Man, I think I've used every excuse in the book.
This excucitis stuff is sneaky.
Super sneaky, and here's the thing.
Schwartz says there are tons
of brilliant failures out there.
Mean them what?
People, sky high IQs, but they achieve nothing.
Why?
Negative thinking, excucitis, holding them back.
Wow, that's messed up.
So it's not about how smart you are,
but what you do with it.
You got it.
Schwartz contrasts these failures with a guy named Phil.
Human engineer, he called him.
What's a human engineer?
Not a tech whiz, but he knew how to inspire,
how to get people fired up, and that's how he succeeded.
Interesting, so people skills matter more than book smarts.
Often, yeah, and that brings us to the power of language.
How we talk to ourselves, it shapes our whole reality.
Oh yeah, I've heard that words have power,
but how does that actually work?
Think of it like this.
Small thinking language creates small,
limited pictures in your mind.
But big thinking language, that opens up possibilities
you never even imagined.
OK, I'm starting to see it.
So instead of saying, I'm screwed, I should say.
Try, we're not there yet, let's find a new way.
Subtle shift, but huge impact.
Love that.
OK, so back to our tool and die guy.
He tackled his excucitis, started
talking nice to himself.
What else flipped the switch for him?
He started adding value to everything, everyone,
and himself.
Adding value.
What's that mean, practically speaking?
It's about seeing potential.
Not just how things are, but how they could be.
OK, give me an example, because I'm a little lost.
Schwartz talks about this realtor.
She doesn't sell houses, she sells what those houses could
become.
Ah, I see.
So like vision, imagination, that's adding value.
Exactly.
And you can add value to yourself, too.
Investing in your growth, learning new skills,
getting knowledge, building your character,
that all adds value, makes you more valuable.
So the better I am, the more opportunities open up.
Makes sense, right?
And this connects to creative thinking.
I thought that was just for artists and stuff.
Nope.
Creativity is key to success, no matter what you do.
Schwartz tells this story about a young woman,
owns a hardware store.
OK, not exactly the most glamorous business.
Maybe not, but she's killing it.
And her secret, every day she asks herself one question.
How can I do better?
Simple but powerful, huh?
Right.
Imagine what we could achieve if we asked ourselves
that every day.
Good point.
But it's not just asking ourselves, right?
We got to ask other people, too.
Exactly.
Schwartz says active listening, that's
a secret weapon for success.
So being quiet and actually paying attention,
that helps us get ahead.
Interesting.
More than you'd think.
You gather info, you build stronger bonds with people.
It's win-win.
OK, I like it.
So asking good questions and listening to the answers.
That's how you learn.
And Schwartz talks about this thing he calls job thinking.
Job thinking.
Like how you view your work.
He tells this story, kid working in the mailroom.
Turns out the bosses were watching him,
grooming him for bigger things.
But the kid, he was stuck in job thinking.
Couldn't see past the mail, so he missed the opportunity.
So he should have been paying more attention, asking
about what else was going on.
You got it.
Instead of just sorting envelopes,
he could have been learning about the whole company.
Right, seeing the bigger picture.
That's a good lesson.
And that brings us to what Schwartz calls
the you are important attitude.
That sounds a little, I don't know, cocky.
It's not about ego.
It's about knowing your worth, that you
have something to offer.
OK, so confidence, not arrogance.
Exactly.
How you see yourself, it impacts how you act
and how others treat you.
Interesting.
So if I act like I'm nobody, people will treat me that way.
Most likely.
But if you radiate confidence and purpose,
people notice that too.
Welcome back to our deep dive into the magic of thinking big.
We just finished talking about goals, being flexible, detours,
all that good stuff.
Yeah, there's a lot to unpack in this book for sure.
Seriously, so much wisdom packed in here.
What else is on our agenda for today?
Well, Schwartz gets into this thing he calls the activationist
mindset.
Activationist.
Yeah, he says it's all about action.
Taking those big thoughts and actually making them happen.
OK, I like the sound of that.
So how is that different from what most people do?
Most people are what he calls passivationists.
They love to plan, analyze, overthink.
I know a few people like that.
Always getting ready, but never actually starting.
Exactly.
Stuck in that ready aim, aim, aim loop forever.
Guilty as charged.
But how do we break out of that?
How do we become activationists?
It starts with a simple habit.
Speaking up.
Speaking up?
Like, what do you mean?
Sharing your ideas, even if you're a little scared.
Voicing your opinions, even if they're different.
Yeah, that's tough for me sometimes.
I always worry about what people will think.
I get it.
But Schwartz says that's just small thinking holding you back.
Your ideas matter.
They deserve to be heard.
You're right.
So speaking up is like a muscle we need to train.
Totally.
And it goes hand in hand with initiative.
Initiative.
Yeah, going above and beyond, taking action
without being told.
Not waiting for someone to give me permission.
Just doing it.
OK, I can dig that.
It's about being proactive, owning your work, your ideas.
Schwartz tells this funny story about how he
got over his fear of people.
Fear of people.
That's a real thing.
Big time.
He was working as a medic at this army base,
had to interview tons of recruits.
Terrified at first.
Yeah, I'd be scared too.
So many people, all those judgments.
How do you handle it?
He had this epiphany, realized everyone's
more alike than different.
We all have needs, fears, desires.
Well, right.
We're all just human.
Exactly.
Once he saw that, the fear vanished.
It's the same with speaking up.
You're not talking to monsters.
You're talking to people just like you.
OK, that makes sense.
But speaking up, taking initiative,
that takes confidence, right?
Big time.
And that's something you can build.
Schwartz talks about managing your memory bank.
Memory bank.
Is this like a metaphor?
Sort of.
He says, be careful what you deposit in your memory,
what you withdraw.
Focus on storing positive stuff.
Good thoughts, successes, things that make you feel strong.
OK, so when I need a confidence boost,
I withdraw from that account.
Exactly.
Don't dwell on the negative.
Don't give those memories any power.
Easier said than done sometimes.
How do I stop those bad memories from popping up?
It's a choice, a habit you've got to build.
Catch yourself when you start thinking negative and redirect.
Oh, like, nope, not going there.
I'm choosing to think about something good instead.
You got it.
And here's another trick.
Act confident, even if you don't feel it.
Wait, like, fake it till I make it.
Doesn't that seem kind of phony?
It's not about being phony.
It's about using your actions to change your feelings.
How does that work?
Your mind and body, they're connected.
If you act confident, even if you're nervous inside,
your mind starts to believe it.
Interesting.
So like, if I stand up straight and smile.
Your brain gets the message, hey, we must be confident.
We're acting like it.
I like that.
Any other tips for faking it till I make it, confidence wise?
Schwartz has a bunch.
Sit in front row, make eye contact, walk faster, smile big.
So basically, act like you own the place.
Pretty much.
It tricks your brain into feeling more powerful.
And remember, we talked about making yourself lighter
to lift.
Yeah, being the kind of person people want to help,
super important.
Right.
It starts with your attitude.
Are you approaching people with negativity or with generosity?
So being a giver, not a taker.
Got it.
And remember that appliance salesman
treated his customers like guests in his own home.
Yeah, that was a good one.
It was all about care, connection.
He listened to them, helped them, made them feel good.
And that made them want to buy from him.
Totally.
People are drawn to those who lift them up,
who make them feel valued.
OK, that makes sense.
It all ties back to conversation generosity too, right?
Exactly.
Letting other people talk, really listening to them,
showing genuine interest.
That builds trust, makes people feel good.
Exactly.
It's a simple but powerful way to connect with anyone.
But what about when you meet someone who's just a total grump?
Schwartz says to see the good in everyone, but.
It's tough, I know.
Yeah.
But even the grumpiest person has something good in them,
somewhere.
So I got to dig deep, find that one good quality.
It's worth the effort.
It changes how you see them, and it changes how they see you.
You might even rub off on them a little.
Food for thought.
OK, so we've covered confidence, connecting with people.
What else is in this Think Big toolkit?
Well, Schwartz talks a lot about handling setbacks,
because they happen to everyone.
Oh, yeah, I know all about setbacks.
But what's the Think Big approach to dealing with them?
It's not about avoiding failure.
It's about how you respond.
He tells this story about his friend, an entrepreneur.
This guy got rejected, constantly doors slammed
in his face.
Ouch, sounds rough.
But he never gave up.
He just kept learning, kept trying new things,
kept believing in his dream.
And eventually, he made it big.
So persistence is key.
Absolutely.
And a positive outlook.
See the setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow.
OK, that's a good way to reframe it.
But how do you stay positive when you just
want to curl up and cry?
It takes practice.
You have to choose to focus on the good, even when it's hard.
Look for the lessons, the silver linings.
Easier said than done, right?
It is.
But it's like a muscle.
The more you practice, the stronger you get.
OK, makes sense.
And then there's the blame game, right?
It's so easy to blame others when things go wrong.
Schwartz says, that's a trap.
When you blame, you give away your power.
Instead, own your choices, learn from your mistakes,
and move forward.
So take responsibility, even when it's hard.
Exactly.
And that brings us back to goals.
We talked about how important they are.
Yeah, goals are like the roadmap to success.
Right.
But Schwartz takes it a step further.
He says, have goals for every area of your life.
Not just work stuff.
Not just work.
Relationships, personal growth, hobbies, everything.
Have a vision for your whole life.
Wow, OK, that's ambitious.
And write those goals down.
Review them regularly.
That keeps them front and center in your mind.
Makes sense.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?
But what about when those big goals just seem impossible?
Break them down into smaller steps.
Makes them feel less daunting.
And you get that sense of accomplishment along the way.
OK, I like that.
Break it down.
Celebrate the small wins.
Exactly.
And remember, goals aren't set in stone.
Life happens.
Things change.
Be flexible.
Adjust course when you need to.
Like those detours we were talking about earlier.
Exactly.
And be willing to learn and grow along the way.
That's what Schwartz calls self-investment.
Self-investment.
I like the sound of that.
It's about putting time, energy, resources
into becoming a better version of yourself.
Read books, take courses, learn from people you admire.
So always be growing.
Always be learning.
That's the key, it's a lifelong journey.
This is seriously inspiring stuff.
I feel like I'm getting a master class in thinking big
right now.
This book is packed with wisdom.
And the best part is, you can apply these principles right
away.
I love that.
Actionable advice we can actually use.
OK, I'm ready for more.
Welcome back to the final part of our deep dive
into the magic of thinking big.
We've covered so much ground, beliefs, actions, confidence,
all that.
But I'm ready for more.
There's plenty more where that came from.
What I love is Schwartz doesn't just talk theory.
He gets into the how to.
OK, so how do we actually put UT all this into practice?
Give us the goods.
Well, he starts with this idea of psychological sunshine.
Psychological sunshine.
Sounds warm and fuzzy.
It is.
It's about the impact our surroundings
have on our thinking.
You got to feed your mind good stuff,
just like you feed your body.
Right, makes sense.
Junk food for the brain, that's no good.
But how do we create this sunshine?
Surround yourself with the right stuff.
Positive people, uplifting ideas, environments
that lift you up.
OK, so like ditch the Debbie Downers in my life.
Pretty much.
And be mindful of what you're letting into your head.
News, social media, all that.
Yeah, got to watch out for that negativity overload.
Big time.
And Schwartz also talks about going first class
in everything you do.
OK, now you're speaking my language.
First class, like champagne and caviar.
Not quite.
It's more about striving for excellence
no matter what you're doing.
High standards, quality over quantity.
So like even if I'm just making a sandwich,
make it the best darn sandwich ever.
Exactly.
It's an attitude.
And it doesn't have to be about money.
Stay at a nicer hotel, wear clothes
that make you feel powerful.
Oh, I love that.
Dress for the job you want.
Exactly.
It all adds up to creating that positive environment
for yourself, internal and external.
OK, so sunshine, first class, any other practical tips?
Big one.
Throw out the thought poison.
That poison sounds dangerous.
It is.
Anything that fills your mind with negativity, doubt,
all that garbage.
So people, news, even my own thoughts can be poisonous.
Yep.
Limit your exposure to the bad stuff.
Be picky about what you let into your head.
Man, that's tough these days.
Negativities everywhere.
It's a constant battle.
But you got to be vigilant.
Guard your mental space.
OK, I'm up for the challenge.
So we've covered personal stuff.
What about applying this to work, leadership roles?
Schwartz is all about that.
He says a big part of leadership is trading minds.
Trading minds.
Is that like some weird sci-fi thing?
Not quite.
It's about empathy.
Putting yourself in the other person's shoes,
really understanding their perspective.
Oh, I get it.
Seeing things from their side, not just mine.
Exactly.
He also talks about the be human approach to leadership.
OK, that sounds simple enough.
What's the secret sauce there?
Treat people like humans, basically.
Kindness, respect, genuine care.
So no more yelling at my team when they mess up.
Probably a good idea.
Schwartz gives this great example, this bank president.
He answers the phone like, good morning.
It's a wonderful world.
May I sell you some money?
OK, that's amazing.
I love that energy.
Right.
It's contagious.
And it shows he cares, that he's not just some stuffy banker.
Makes you want to do business with him, for sure.
So bring that enthusiasm to everything,
even answering the phone.
Exactly.
And as a leader, you got to transmit that enthusiasm
to your team.
But how do you stay enthusiastic when you're dealing
with all the leadership crap?
Same principles as before.
Positive self-talk.
Focus on the good stuff.
Celebrate the wins.
It's like create that positive energy bubble,
and everyone gets to enjoy it.
Precisely.
And remember, leadership isn't about bossing people around.
It's about inspiring them to do their best.
Yeah, I'm more of a cheerleader than a dictator.
Lift people up.
That's my style.
And that's exactly what Schwartz advocates.
Create an environment where people feel valued, empowered,
excited to contribute.
This has been amazing.
So much to think about.
So much to put into practice.
This book is a gold mine.
I go back to it again and again.
I can see why.
It's like a roadmap to a better life in every way.
And remember that quote Schwartz uses,
a wise man will be master of his mind.
A fool will be its slave.
Powerful stuff.
So are we going to be masters of our minds?
Or let them control us, the choice in ours.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive
into the magic of thinking big.
We hope you'll pick up a copy, dive in yourself,
and start thinking BIJU.
And don't forget, big thoughts lead to big actions.
So get out there and make it happen.