Another book that was highly recommended for personal development was The Magic of
Thinking Big, by Dr. David J. Schwartz. I do not like this book's name, but at least the
cover looked ok. Dr. Schwartz discussed many items. The following is a few of the
items.
1. Believe you can succeed and you will
A. Think success, not failure
B. Successful people are not supermen; they are normal folks who have
developed belief in themselves and what they do.
C. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief.
2. Cure Yourself of Excusitis, the Failure Disease
A. There is no successful person who could not have found major excuses
to hide behind. Roosevelt had bad legs, Truman had no college education,
Kennedy was too young, Johnson and Eisenhower could have ducked behind heart
attacks
B. Accept the law of cause and effect. Look at what appears to be good
luck, normally it is preparation, planning and positive thinking. Look at what
appears to be bad luck, and you will discover certain specific reasons. Mr. Success
receives a setback, he learns and profits. Mr. Mediocre loses, he fails to learn.
3. Build Confidence and Destroy Fear
A. Action cures Fear
B. Deposit only positive thoughts in your memory bank
C. Put people in the proper perspective. People are more alike than different.
D. Practice doing what your conscience tells you is right.
4. How to Think Big
A. Don't sell yourself short. Determine your five chief assets. Examples
would be education, experience, technical skills, attitudes, personality, and
initiative. Under each asset list the name of a successful people you know who do
not have this asset to as large a degree as you.
B. Stretch your vision. See what can be, not just what is.
C. Get the big view of your job.
