Overcoming Excusitis: The Magic of Thinking Big

Belief in oneself is the key to success; thinking big triggers positive thoughts, fosters confidence, and leads to achievements.

### "The Magic of Thinking Big": Achieving Success by Believing in Yourself
* 🧠 The size of success is determined by the size of one's thinking, as **success is dependent on the size of one's thinking**.
* 🛡 All around us is an environment that tries to pull us down "**second-class street**," leading to **small thinking**.
* 💪 "Believe you can succeed and you will." Success is not based on **superhuman abilities** but on developing **belief in oneself**.
* 🧠 Your mind is like a thought factory, with foremen **Mr. Triumph** and **Mr. Defeat**. Use Mr. Triumph's **positive thoughts** to succeed.
* 📈 The population is growing, creating **vast opportunities for success**. Make the most of the **open door to success**.
* 🚫 Excusitis, the "failure disease," is a common obstacle to success. Successful people make **fewer excuses**.
* 💊 The four most common forms of excusitis are **health, intelligence, age, and luck excusitis**.
* 🏋 To overcome health excusitis, **refuse to talk about your health**, be grateful for what you have, **live until you die**, and **take positive action**.

### Overcoming Excusitis and Fears to Build Confidence and Success
* 🤒 Refrain from discussing bad health, as it can **bore people**, create a **self-centered image**, and **hinder success**.
* 🚫 Avoid worrying about health, as it can lead to **unnecessary concerns and anxiety**.
* 😊 Be genuinely grateful for your current health, as it helps **prevent new health issues**.
* 🧠 "It's better to **wear out** than **rust out**," emphasizing the importance of **living life to the fullest**.
* 🧠 Overcome "intelligence excusitis" by focusing on **how you use your intelligence**, rather than underestimating your own or overestimating others'.
* 🧠 Dr. Edward Teller highlights that **interest and enthusiasm are crucial**, even in science, more so than intelligence.
* 🧠 Use "**stickability**," the ability to persist until a task is completed, as it is more important than idle intelligence.
* 🧠 Many people fail due to **negative thinking** that guides their intelligence, even if they have **high native intelligence**.
* 🧠 "The thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than **how much intelligence you may have**."
* 👴 Age excusitis comes in the forms of "**I'm too old**" and "**I'm too young**," but it can be overcome by changing one's perspective on age.
* 👴 "You're only as old as you feel," and realizing that **age is just a number** can help overcome age excusitis.
* 🍀 Luck is not the primary determinant of **success**.
* 🍀 Top executives don't select major executives by drawing names from a hat, highlighting that **success comes from qualities like hard work and good sense**.
* 😨 Fear is a significant obstacle to success, but it can be **overcome by taking action**.
* 😨 "**Action cures fear**," and finding specific actions to address different fears can help **conquer them**.
* 🧠 Manage your memory bank by depositing **positive thoughts** and withdrawing **negative ones** to build confidence.
* 😔 Negative self-deprecating thoughts can become "**mental monsters**," hindering **confidence and success**.
* 😔 "Withdraw only **positive thoughts** from your memory bank," as your mind naturally wants to **forget the unpleasant**.
* 😔 Conquer fear of people by putting them into the proper perspective and realizing that they are just **human beings**.

### How to Think and Act Confidently to Succeed
* 😨 Lack of confidence is often rooted in **fear of inadequacy and failure**.
* 👥 A balanced view of people helps alleviate fear and build confidence by realizing that **everyone is fundamentally alike**.
* 💪 Acting confidently can lead to thinking confidently, as **emotions follow actions**.
* 👀 Making eye contact, sitting in the front, and speaking up help **build confidence**.
* 😊 Smiling can instantly boost confidence and **improve interactions with others**.
* 🧠 "The size of our thinking determines the **size of our accomplishments**."
* 💭 Big thinkers see not just what is, but **what can be**.
* 💰 People are measured by the **size of their thinking**, and self-worth is determined by **how much one plans to get**.

### How to Think Big and Develop Creative Power
* 🧠 "Big thinkers see themselves as members of a team effort, as **winning or losing with the team**, not by themselves."
* 🔮 "Creative thinking is simply **finding new improved ways to do anything**, and it's not reserved for **certain occupations or super-intelligent people**."
* 💡 "To do anything, you must first believe it can be done. **Believing something can't be done is destructive thinking**."
* 📈 "The success combination is doing what you do better and improving the quality of your output, then **doing more of what you do to increase the quantity of your output**."
* 👂 "The bigger the person, the more likely they are to **encourage you to talk**. Your ears are your intake valves, feeding your mind **raw materials that can be converted into creative power**."
* 🏆 "The young accountant's successful real estate venture was sparked by the ideas of others. He turned the idea of **owning a five-acre estate** into profit by **buying a farm and dividing it into estates**."
* 💼 "Successful businesses invest large sums in consumer research. They listen to people to **design products and their promotion to please consumers**."
* 📚 "Many of the benefits of advanced management training programs for senior executives come from the **opportunity to exchange and discuss new ideas**."
* 🚀 "The real test of a speaker is whether the audience gets the **points they wanted to put across**, not minor errors like grammar or posture."
* ❓ "The successful person doesn't ask 'Can I do it better?' He knows he can, so he phrases the question '**How can I do it better?**'"
* 👂 "Every day it seems that the boss asks an employee to take on extra duty. The employee who feels he can take on more, even if he's just as busy as the rest, is the one who will **forge ahead**."
* 💬 "Before making a decision, top-level leaders spend much more time **asking for advice** than **giving it**."
* 💡 "The young hardware store owner's weekly improvement program helped her find ways to **do a better job** as each week rolled around."
* 🧘 "Capacity is a state of mind. How much we can do depends on **how much we think we can do**."
* 🏆 "Every time you begin work, devote 10 minutes to thinking '**How can I do a better job today?**' This simple exercise helps you **discover and develop unlimited creative ways to win greater success**."

### The Power of Positive Thinking: Strategies to Harness Ideas, Cultivate Self-Respect, and Manage Your Environment for Success
* 🧠 "Ideas are fruits of your thinking, but they've got to be **harnessed and put to work** to have value."
* 💡 Two ways to harness ideas: **write them down daily** and **review them regularly**.
* Cultivate and fertilize your ideas by thinking about them, tying them to related ideas, and putting them into **tangible forms for practical use**.
* 👥 "You are what you think you are. Others see in us what we see in ourselves."
* 💼 Think your work is important to receive mental signals on how to do your job better, and to **influence how your subordinates think about their jobs**.
* 🌱 "The mind is what the mind is fed." Your environment, the "**mind food**" you consume, influences your **habits, attitudes, and personality**.
* 🚫 The number one obstacle to high-level success is the belief that major accomplishments are **beyond reach**, often influenced by **suppressive forces**.
* 🛡 Develop a defense against negators, people who try to convince you that you can't achieve your goals.

### The Power of Attitude: Strategies for Success
* 😎 Attitudes are mirrors of the mind and sound through **expressions, voice tones, and inflections**.
* 🚀 Enthusiasm is the catalyst that can be defined in a single word: **attitude**.
* 🌟 To activate others, you must first **activate yourself**.
* 👑 Everyone has a natural desire to **feel important**.
* 🌞 Broadcast **good news** to develop **enthusiasm**.
* 💼 Make your environment make you **successful**.
* 🚪 Dig into it deeper to **develop enthusiasm**.
* 💬 "The hunger to be important carries you forward to **success**."

### The Power of Thinking Right Toward People
* 👤 "Pronounce and spell names correctly to make others feel **important**."
* 💼 "Share praise from superiors with subordinates to **encourage better performance**."
* 💑 "Do something special for family members frequently to show **thoughtfulness**."
* 💰 "Put service first to create wealth, as the **seed of money is service**."
* 🛠 "A service station's popularity was due to providing **unexpected service**."
* 💸 "The backward approach to money is putting money first, while the correct approach is **putting service first**."
* 👥 "Most successful people have a clear plan for **liking people**."
* 🗣 ️ "Listen to others generously to **win friends** and **learn more about them**."

### The Power of Action: Overcoming Fear, Procrastination, and Perfectionism
* 🚀 Taking action is the key to success, as it **feeds confidence** and **starves fear**.
* ❌ Procrastination leads to **lost opportunities** and **destroys confidence**.
* 💯 Waiting for perfect conditions is futile, as it is **impossible to eliminate all risks**.
* 🧠 Ideas alone have no value; they must be **acted upon to yield results**.
* 🌟 Use a "**mechanical**" approach to start tasks and generate ideas.
* 🔥 "Now" is the magic word for achieving goals; **waiting leads to failure**.
* ♂ Initiative is the ability to **take action without being told**, and it is a **crucial trait for success**.
* 🏆 Turn setbacks into learning opportunities and **stepping stones to victory**.

### The Path to Success: Overcoming Setbacks, Constructive Self-Criticism, and Goal Setting
* 🛑 Many people believe that investing in common stocks is akin to gambling, but this is a false conclusion, as **success can be achieved by learning from setbacks**.
* 🧐 It is essential to be constructively self-critical and seek out and correct personal faults and weaknesses to build **personal strength and efficiency**.
* 🎯 Goals are crucial for success, as they provide **direction and energy**. It is necessary to set **clear, long-term goals** and work towards them **step by step**.
* 🛤 ️ Like a road with detours, the path to success may have unexpected obstacles, but it is important to **adapt and find alternative routes** while staying focused on the **ultimate goal**.
* 📚 The most rewarding investment is self-investment, with education being a key component. Real education is about **developing and cultivating the mind to improve thinking ability**.
* 🚶 Success is achieved not in one big leap, but through **continuous small steps**. The "next mile" principle, focusing on the **immediate task at hand**, is an effective way to make progress.
* 🔒 Persistence is important, but it must be combined with **experimentation to find new approaches and techniques for success**.
* 💪 "The only way to get full power, to develop full 'go' force, is to **do what you want to do, surrender to desire**, and gain **energy, enthusiasm, mental zip, and even better health**."

### Leadership Principles for Success and Growth
* 🤝 "Trade minds with the people you want to influence to get them to **act the way you want**."
* 😊 Apply the '**be human**' rule by treating others with **respect, dignity, and kindness**.
* 🚀 "Think, believe, and **push for progress** in everything you do."
* 🧠 "Take time to be alone and **tap into your supreme thinking power**."
* 📈 "Subordinates tend to emulate the leader, so **set an example worth following**."
* 💪 "When faced with challenges, remember the **magic of thinking big**."
* 👀 "Put things in perspective and see the **bigger picture** to overcome obstacles."
* ❤ ️ "Focus on the **most important qualities** in your relationships to keep the **romance alive**."
* 💼 "Continuously strive to **improve the quality and quantity** of your work."

The Magic of Thinking Big (Audio-book) by David Schwartz

Abundant Mindset Library

A sales meeting experience illustrates that success is not determined by intelligence or hard work, but by thinking big.

The environment around us often promotes small thinking, but success is achievable for those who think big.

Belief in one's ability to succeed is the essential element for reaching the top and achieving great results.

This belief acts as a thermostat, regulating what we accomplish in life, and ultimately, believing big leads to growing big and achieving success.

A man shares how he turned his life around by harnessing the power of belief and self-confidence.

He explains the impact of positive thinking and the importance of believing in oneself to achieve success.

The text emphasizes the need to cure "excusitis," which is the habit of making excuses for failure, and highlights the common forms of this mindset, such as health, intelligence, age, and luck excuses.

Overcoming Health and Intelligence Excusitis

Two different attitudes towards health are illustrated through the stories of individuals facing health challenges.

The key to overcoming "health excusitis" lies in refusing to dwell on health issues, avoiding worry, being grateful for one's health, and maintaining a positive attitude.

Similarly, "intelligence excusitis" stems from underestimating one's own intelligence and the overestimation of others, but the focus should be on how to use one's intelligence effectively.

(Note: The output has been truncated to meet the 500 character limit.

Overcoming Excusitis and Building Confidence

Age should not be an excuse for pursuing goals, as demonstrated by individuals who made significant career changes later in life.

Luck is not the primary factor in success, as taking action and hard work are the true drivers of achievement.

Fear can be conquered by taking specific actions to address the root of the fear, leading to increased confidence and success.

Building Confidence Through Efficient Memory Management

Positive thoughts in the memory bank boost confidence and mental well-being, while negative thoughts can lead to worry and frustration.

By focusing on positive experiences and accomplishments, individuals can improve their confidence and overall outlook on life.

Conquering fear of other people involves putting them into the proper perspective and developing an understanding attitude, realizing that everyone has similar desires and problems.

Handling negative situations and guilt with integrity is crucial for maintaining self-confidence, as doing what is right helps to build and preserve a strong sense of confidence.

Building Confidence and Expanding Your Thinking

Taking three simple actions simultaneously can banish shyness and boost confidence: reaching for the other person's hand, making direct eye contact, and expressing gladness to know them.

Building confidence also involves sitting in the front, making eye contact, walking faster, speaking up, and smiling big.

Additionally, thinking big is crucial for success, as small thinking limits opportunities, and using positive language and words to create big, positive mental images is key.

Developing a big thinker's vocabulary involves using positive words to describe feelings, people, and plans, as well as training the mind to see potential where it may not currently exist.

Seeing the Bigger Picture in Business and Life

A salesman's success is attributed to his ability to visualize the potential of a property, rather than just its current state, leading to increased sales and higher commissions.

A retail executive's realization of the true value of customers, not just based on single sales but on their long-term worth, significantly improves customer service and repeat business.

Small thinking and focusing on petty issues can lead to missed opportunities and conflicts, whether it's in business decisions, personal relationships, or career advancement.

Overcoming Trivial Thinking for Greater Success

Belief in the possibility of achieving a goal is essential for creative thinking and problem-solving.

Traditional thinking can stifle progress and innovation, so it's important to be receptive to new ideas.

A mindset of continuous improvement and a focus on finding better ways to do things are crucial for success in any endeavor.

Maximizing Efficiency and Success in Business

The key to success in business is continually setting higher standards and searching for ways to increase efficiency.

Capacity is a state of mind, and believing you can do more leads to creative thinking and increased productivity.

To strengthen creativity, it's essential to ask for and listen to the ideas and suggestions of others.

The Power of Positive Thinking in Business

Positive thinking is crucial for selling ideas effectively, finding solutions, and improving self-respect, as it paves the way for success.

It is important to eliminate negative thinking and be open to new, progressive approaches in order to drive self-improvement and increase productivity.

The way we think about our jobs directly influences the attitudes of our subordinates, making positive thinking a key factor in creating a motivated and enthusiastic work environment.

Positive attitudes and self-motivation are key to getting the best performance from subordinates, as demonstrated by an automobile salesman's self-pep talk technique.

Giving yourself a pep talk and practicing uplifting self-praise can significantly improve your performance and confidence in various situations.

The concept of "selling yourself to yourself" through a personalized commercial can help in building self-respect and a belief in your own abilities, ultimately leading to success.

- Negative people can hold you back and it's important to surround yourself with positive thinkers.

- Your social environment and the company you keep can significantly impact your success and mindset.

- Gossip and negative conversation can be thought poison, so it's crucial to focus on positive interactions and go first class in everything you do.

The Power of Attitude in Communication and Success

Our attitudes are revealed through our actions, expressions, and mannerisms, influencing how others perceive us.

Enthusiasm is a catalyst for success, as it not only affects our own performance but also inspires and activates others.

Broadcasting good news and making others feel important not only uplifts them but also brings positive results and success in various interactions and endeavors.

The Power of Making People Feel Important

Making people feel important can lead to them caring more about you and doing more for you in return.

It not only benefits them but also makes you feel more important and ultimately leads to mutual support and cooperation.

Putting service first and focusing on giving more than is expected of you can lead to financial success and the support of others.

Liking people is crucial for success, as it often outweighs technical competence, especially in academic and professional settings.

Taking the initiative in building friendships and thinking positively about others is a mark of real leadership and can lead to greater success.

By genuinely liking and respecting others, whether they are colleagues, prospects, or clients, individuals can achieve better cooperation and results in their personal and professional lives.

The Power of Taking Action and Making Decisions

Listening more and talking less is a key to success, as the most successful people are often the best listeners, practicing conversation generosity.

The action habit is crucial for success, as taking action and getting things done is a major difference between successful and unsuccessful people.

Waiting for perfect conditions to take action can lead to missed opportunities, and it's important to act on ideas to gain mental satisfaction and confidence.

Overcoming Fear and Procrastination through Action

Taking action is the cure for fear, as it helps in gaining confidence and overcoming dread.

Procrastination only leads to increased fear and makes it harder to take action.

The key to success is to start taking mechanical actions, which in turn, sets the mind in the right direction.

Initiative, demonstrated through action without being told, is crucial for success in any profession.

Being a volunteer not only sets one apart but also provides the opportunity to showcase abilities and ambitions, ultimately gaining the confidence of others.

Individuals on skid row, despite their differences in age, education, and background, share a common sense of defeat.

Each person has faced situations that have conquered them, leading to their current state, emphasizing the need to overcome defeat through positive action.

Overcoming Setbacks and Achieving Success

Setbacks are a common experience for people at all levels of society, but the key difference lies in how they respond to defeat.

Successful individuals use setbacks as a stepping stone to propel themselves forward, learning from their failures and persisting in the face of adversity.

Blaming luck or external factors for mediocrity is a counterproductive approach, instead, combining persistence with experimentation is crucial for achieving success.

Having a clear goal and surrendering to one's desires is crucial for success, as it provides energy, enthusiasm, and a clear direction towards the objective.

Surrendering to a goal allows the subconscious mind to provide specific directions and automatic instrumentation to stay on course, while the lack of a goal leads to confusion and inconsistency.

The story of two hypothetical persons, one with a firmly entrenched goal and the other without, illustrates how goal-setting can make the difference between success and mediocrity.

The Path to Success: Setting Goals and Developing Leadership

Setting clear goals and surrendering to them is crucial for accomplishing tasks and finding enjoyment in life.

The step-by-step method and the use of 30-day improvement goals are effective strategies for achieving success.

Taking detours in stride and investing in self-improvement are also important for reaching goals and overcoming obstacles.

Additionally, developing leadership skills through trading minds with others, humanely handling situations, focusing on progress, and enhancing thinking power is essential for influencing and leading people effectively.

Understanding the Importance of Empathy in Influence and Leadership

Commercials and retailing efforts often fail because the creators don't consider the perspective of the target audience, leading to a lack of empathy and understanding of their needs.

Effective influence and leadership require the ability to see things from the other person's point of view and take actions that would resonate with them.

A human-centric leadership approach, as demonstrated by successful leaders, not only fosters loyalty and support but also drives progress and improvement in all aspects of work.

The Power of Progressive Thinking in Leadership

Progressive thinking is crucial for leadership and can significantly impact the performance of a group.

Leaders should focus on continuous improvement and set high standards to influence their followers positively.

Taking time for solitary, uninterrupted thinking is essential for making sound decisions and finding solutions to problems.