"The true secret of success – how to earn more, lead fearlessly and live a happier life"

The title says it all here and paints a picture of what to expect. It's all about thinking big, having lofty aspirations and the power of what doing so has on you and the world.

That's the theory anyway. A personal development style book covering goal setting, mindset and making the most of yourself…

David Schwartz was an American motivational writer and coach, and is probably best known for authoring this book, first published in 1959 with an abridged version released in 1987.

Quotes from the book, followed by my thoughts…

The how-to-do-it always comes to the person who believes he can do it.

There's an order to these things. The how is never really clear until you're in motion and after you truly believe what you're chasing is possible.

This can leave people stuck as they're waiting for evidence first and a clear path. That doesn't usually happen, so it's about knowing it can be done on a deep level and setting about the work.

Those who believe they can move mountains, do. Those who believe they can’t, cannot. Belief triggers the power to do.

The whole conceive-believe-achieve thing has become somewhat parody but the essence of it remains true. Napoleon Hill and others have harped on this point for decades.

And why not throw in some Henry Ford and/or Confucius - those who think they can, and those who think they can't, are both usually right.

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Mr. Triumph & Mr. Defeat

These 2 are the foremen of your 'thought factory'. In your mind there exists these 2 characters who feed you very different things.

Mr Triumph being more of a positive can-do type and Mr Defeat being the negative, it can't be done, woe-is-me voice. Of course we want listen and expand the Triumphant side of things and diminish the other.

Much like the two wolves fighting inside us.

Big ideas and big plans are often easier—certainly no more difficult—than small ideas and small plans.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but a lot of the issue is in getting going and building.

Having a goal of any size is tricky and will take a certain amount of energy anyway, so you might as well make it a big one!

three out of every four hospital beds are occupied by people who have EIL—Emotionally Induced Illness.

Most illnesses are psychosomatic, or at least owe a large part to the mental side. Emotions do feed into the physical being which is why hospitals are filled with these people.

So getting a handle on emotions has a practical, physical effect rather than just feeling better in the moment.

The right attitude and one arm will beat the wrong attitude and two arms every time.

The importance of the right attitude, which will see you through all manner of plans, whereas if you have that wrong even the best laid plans will falter.

the thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you may have.

It's what you do with it that counts. Intelligence for the sake of it can actually be detrimental, but applied intelligently can be a superpower. There's something more that sits behind which is guiding the ship, so needs to be addressed and applied well.

“And remember, Jerry, your age won’t be a handicap unless you make it one.”

Age is just a number… in the general sense but also in the fact that you have very healthy and vital 'older' people and unhealthy old-before-their-time younger folk. So in reality it is how your body and mind are faring in that moment that determines your 'age'.

Stop thinking “I should have started years ago.” That’s failure thinking. Instead think, “I’m going to start now, my best years are ahead of me.” That’s the way successful people think.

This brings up the old classic quote about the oak tree…

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action cures fear. Indecision, postponement, on the other hand, fertilize fear.

Taking action and making any kind of progress is what halts fear and anxiety. Firstly, you're taking action to get it sorted but also you're keeping your mind occupied and in a forward thinking, solution-based mindset.

Look at things not as they are, but as they can be. Visualization adds value to everything. A big thinker always visualizes what can be done in the future. He isn’t stuck with the present.

Visualisation is an important aspect of any success literature and most endeavours.

Whether that be in a more 'official' sense of sitting down and visualising how you want things to go, or just a general, quicker, more subconscious act (or a combo).

What we see in our mind's eye is going to affect our mood, our thinking, our rehearsal of an outcome, how we act, and ultimately what we achieve.

How things are can be acknowledged but it's a case of putting that to one side and seeing how they can be and working towards that.

Thinking big requires envisioning big possibilities and getting into that frame of mind.

When you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. But when you believe, really believe, something can be done, your mind goes to work for you and helps you find the ways to do it.

Back to belief.

Yes, this is pounded on in much of this kind of content, but with good reason. It's probably the cornerstone, it's that important. If you don't believe in what you're doing and the chance of achieving it, then you're simply not going to bother (which is a logical step).

If you do believe, then you'll throw yourself in with gusto and hopefully receive good feedback along the way which will feed it more and keep you going.

Successful people, like successful businesses, live with these questions: “How can I improve the quality of my performance? How can I do better?”

Always looking for those incremental improvements. Getting a little bit better every single day and upping their game. Small tweaks that can add up to big results down the line.

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General Electric uses the slogan “Progress is our most important product.”

Progress is one of the most common words that appears in these articles and rightly so. Any forward momentum is amazing and taking you in the right direction. You feel like something good is happening, even if it's not huge.

GE understood this, and is looked to take those steps each day and constantly build.

the success combination is do what you do better (improve the quality of your output) and do more of what you do (increase the quantity of your output).

Both quality and quantity are important. Improve your offer/service and then do as much as you can handle within that realm. Keep adjusting both up sensibly but definitely.

If you want it done, give it to a busy person.

This is similar to a quote from my dad - if you want something done, ask a busy person.

Reason being they are in the groove of getting things done and have the right attitude. Unless they're - genuinely - overwhelmed, then the new task will fit right in and they will make a much better job of it because they are action orientated.

People with nothing on their plate are generally a bad choice… they may well have the time but they might be a bit shoddy or do the minimum. They may even be less inclined to take on the task.

A leader is a decision-making human machine.

Good leadership is about taking decisions… big ones, difficult ones and fast ones.

Elon Musk is a prime example of someone who takes these decisions, sometimes to his detriment, in order to fail fast. He got rid of a load of waster employees at Twitter (which many people don't like as everyone wants a free meal ticket) and implemented new ideas.

I use him an an example as he's 'in the news' these days, but not necessarily the best example of a leader or person (I wouldn't know). The point is, he is machine-like in his approach and like him or not, we can understand how this concept applies.

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“To sell John Brown what John Brown buys, you’ve got to see things through John Brown’s eyes.” And the way to get John Brown’s vision is to listen to what John Brown has to say.

Getting in the shoes of your market and giving them what they want. You have to become 'John Brown' and listen to his feedback and integrate that with your offers.

a mind that feeds only on itself soon is undernourished, becoming weak and incapable of creative progressive thought. Stimulation from others is excellent mind food.

Getting inspiration and creative growth through hanging out with other smart minds, and coming together over common interests. This needs to be fed and watered on an ongoing basis.

Your appearance talks to you and it talks to others.

People do judge a book by its cover. How you present yourself affects you first and foremost and the confidence you project. This will be picked up by others. Aside from that, other people may categorise you in a certain way, depending on how you look.

Not saying this is right or wrong, just that people do this on conscious and unconscious levels in order to group people and understand where they fit in a situation.

They resell you and resell you and resell you on Coke.

The power of advertising and marketing. Coca-Cola aren't just a one and done campaign, they are everywhere and whenever you're in a situation you may want a drink, they are front and centre.

There are companies out there who take the opposite approach (ie. little or no overt advertising) and it can work well with the right brand, but this is an example of how Coke and many others do things. They're constantly in your head on some level and never out of sight.

In all of life’s situations, ask yourself, “Is this the way an important person thinks?” Then obey the answer.

Thinking like an important person. What would they do? Who would they be? Then raise your standard to that.

big men do not laugh at big ideas.

The people who laugh at big ideas are generally 'small' people who either don't understand or don't want to. Anyone who does well for themselves can see a bit more clearly, or at least respect that someone else may see what they don't.

Go first class

I think this can be taken in a literal and figurative sense.

Try to go as high budget as you can afford to do as it moves you into that role and establishes you as 'that kind of person'. For your own mind for a start, so you believe that's who you are and you will then be more inclined to hit that standard.

It also puts you in front of others who move in 'higher' circles, thus getting you around the types of people you want to be like, work with or associate with.

it’s better to have fewer things and have quality than to have many things and have junk.

Quality over quantity in this case. A few sharp items of clothing for example, rather than a wardrobe full of tat.

To activate others, to get them to be enthusiastic, you must first be enthusiastic yourself.

Enthusiasm is infectious and will rub off on others. But you won't be able to get others excited until you are yourself. Become enthused about yourself, your projects, and the world!

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money can’t be harvested unless they plant the seeds that grow the money.

The old sowing seeds analogy. Plant and nurture what you want to build and it will grow over time. Start digging up the ground before you've done sufficient planting and nurturing, and you'll have an empty field (and wallet).

Put service first, and money takes care of itself.

Ok, let's bring Einstein back. Don't look to become a person of success. Instead look to become a person of value. Service will lead to money eventually but not to be sought first.

Always give people more than they expect to get.

The classic cliché of going the extra mile and surpassing expectations. Whether an overused maxim or not, overdelivering and leaving people not only satisfied but astounded is a good way to be for multiple reasons.

Success depends on the support of other people.

No man is an island etc. Whatever you do is going to require the support of others, so again, it's about building connections, service, nurturing and progress.

The person who does the most talking and the person who is the most successful are rarely the same person.

Empty vessels make most noise! The people who talk the most are usually people with the most to prove and taking the least action. The genuinely successful just crack on and take a back seat when it comes to talking about it all.

how you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.

Keeping in a positive state and being persistent. Finding new ways to tackle the issue and just keeping on until success. Not letting it grind you down, and giving up or whining.

People who get things done in this world don’t wait for the spirit to move them; they move the spirit.

Habit, consistency and showing up. Getting the thing done and not waiting for any whimsical inspiration fairies that may or may not come.

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The important thing is not where you were or where you are but where you want to get.

It's all about the future you're looking to. By all means glance back and learn from the past, but not for long (only to the extent it's useful). Acknowledge where you are too… but keep facing forwards and heading towards it.

Before you start out, know where you want to go.

This is about goals and definiteness of purpose. Knowing where you want to go is probably the most important thing as that is where everything else stems from. Not knowing leaves you blowing in the wind and life just taking you on its whim (and others who do have the clarity).

progress is made one step at a time.

Progress is important as we said earlier but it's important to re-state that this is usually going to be small steps. Occasionally you may get the bigger leaps, but mostly it's that small movement each day towards a target. Then taking the next step…

Remind yourself that the primary purpose in life is to enjoy it.

Easy to forget. We can get caught up in all this stuff and any perceived 'success' but the main point is to enjoy it all. Not in a reckless, hedonistic sense, but have some fun and appreciate the process.

Apply the “Be-Human” rule in your dealings with others.

Be kind, treat unto others, show compassion and be a good human towards other humans, and everyone will have a better time of it.

Think progress, believe in progress, push for progress.

Did we mention progress in this article? It's not just about the action, but to always have it in our minds and a fundamental part of who we are and what we expect from us and others.

Take time out to confer with yourself and tap your supreme thinking power.

Make space to think for yourself, by yourself. Carve out time to check in and think about who you are, what you're doing, how you're progressing, what you need to do etc. We can get a bit distracted with all that's going on, and having that quiet time can work wonders.

This, like anything, is not to be overdone as you need to be out there amongst it, but the majority of people don't do it enough so it should be integrated in to your schedule.

Think Big Enough to be immune to the attacks of petty people.

Rise above that nonsense. When you're thinking and acting big, and doing big things, the petty noise can fade into the background. Don't wrestle with pigs… you both get dirty and the pigs love it ;). You're too busy anyway so leave them to it.

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Look important. It helps you think important.

This goes back to a point from earlier. Dress the part (or at least look the part depending on the context).

Nowadays, things have changed a bit and you can have huge success sat at home in front of a computer in your pyjamas. That's fine of course, but you may want to project a different image.

The fact that the modern day is so different may even highlight the difference which could set you apart (like how receiving a physical letter in the mail stands out over the electronic antics).

Thanks David! Anything Else?

There you have it. A tasty offering to get your teeth into if you're into this space. Quite a famous book that appears on a few 'lists' out there but also not the most obvious either.

There's plenty to be gleaned from this and is bound to have at least a nugget or two you can take away.

As mentioned, it was first published in the late 50s and has been re-jigged since. There may be some things that are a bit 'old hat' but many principles that remain true at any time. A lot has changed since that time (and the 80s when it was updated), but the core 'secrets' to success remain the same.

Think big, act big, and big things can happen. I guess we could all take a slice of that magic!

First image my own, others linked to source

Check out the others in the series…

BookBabble #46: "The Magic of Thinking Big" by David Schwartz

Quotes from the book, followed by my thoughts…

Thanks David! Anything Else?