BOOK SUMMARY of THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG:

The Magic of Thinking Big contains the secrets to getting the most out of your job, marriage, and family life. The book illustrates how you don’t need to be incredibly intelligent or unique to have the success you want; you need to think in a way that cultivates success. By thinking big you can motivate yourself to improve your work life, earn more money, and get more happiness and fulfillment.

The bigger you can think, the bigger you can achieve. And it has been proved by many people in history. So, it’s very important to think big to do great things. But how can you think big? The author answers this. I am going to share 5 lessons from this book,

which if you apply it in your life, these things will help you to think big.

Thinking Big Makes It Possible:

Let’s start with the first lesson. There was a person named Ben Schwartz who did an exercise in his class. He asked his students a question, think, how we can eradicate this present system. You guys start thinking. As soon as he asked this question, students got confused.

They started arguing. That it can’t happen, it’s not possible. Maximum people thought that it couldn’t be possible. But then he asked students to be calm. He said, at least start thinking. Start flowing creative ideas of your brain. Remember, our mind is like a parachute! It won’t open unless we jump, unless we use it unless we open it.

When Elon Musk started his company SpaceX, everyone used to call him mad because, at that time, there were hardly any private companies to space related.

There were only government organizations like NASA, which is used to launch big projects like satellites.

But Elon Musk stayed persistent and today you know, SpaceX has become a great reality. So, the author says this in the first lesson. Stretch your mind to think big. It doesn’t mean that you start having big dreams now, start having dreams like Elon Musk. No! You can dream big according to your life also. Such as, for a rickshaw driver, getting his son the best education is also a big dream. Dream of making a bungalow instead of buying a flat, this is also great. So, according to your life, start thinking big according to your circumstances.

Progress Happens Step by Step:

The author gives us an example of Eric Severaid. He was also a member of Reader Digest a very bad accident had happened to them in World War 2! where such a situation had come, that he had to jump from the chopper with his friends, in the forest. That forest was in between the Myanmar and India border.

As soon as they jumped he knew, that rescue teams could take weeks to reach them.

Till then they can die also. So, they made a big decision. They decided that, for now, August rain is going on, and summer also. But still, they will do a track of 140 miles,

Which they should do if they have to increase their chances of survival. This thing was very difficult for them. Why? Because on the first day, they came to know, that completing 140 miles will be very difficult. They didn’t have enough food and anything.

Many were wounded too! But still, they started doing it.

You know, what they were used to do, they just used to keep in mind, for now, I’ll go from this tree to that tree. When they reached that tree, they used to say, ‘I’ll go from this tree to that rock’. Or ‘I’ll walk for just a mile’. And moving forward like this slowly, doing one mile and stopping, they completed the journey of 100 miles. and there is a quote related to this,

‘A journey of thousand miles begins with one step’.

Elon Musk when thought about SpaceX, at starting didn’t think that, and he did not think, that they would make homes on Mars. No! He thought, at least they will go to Mars, and will grow plants on Mars, and will make chambers, to take a good picture.

And moving forward, such a time came, when NASA started giving them big contracts. Due to this, many things seem possible now, which were impossible before.

Today, the net valuation of SpaceX is more than $127 billion.

Similarly, Tesla people didn’t think on the first day that, they would make such cars, which everyone can afford. No! Yes, it may be in their vision. But their small goal was to make luxury cars first. First, let’s serve rich people, earn a profit, and then we’ll make such cars, which can become affordable.

The second step is, ‘Have a vision’ but to complete that big vision, start taking small steps. Set small goals, and after taking such small actions, you complete them.

Believe You Can Do Big Things:

Imagine, someone catches you, locks you in a box! and says to you, ‘No matter how much you try, you won’t be able to come out of this box. To survive, I’ll keep giving you food, will keep giving everything important for survival, but you can’t come out of this box.

If you believe that person that you can’t come out of that box, then what will happen?

You’ll try a little or maybe you won’t try, and will give up! Because you’ll think that life is going on! But instead of believing that person, you start believing that, you also can get out of that box, you just have to do something innovative.

If you start thinking like this, maybe you start breaking that box or start asking questions of those people, start checking the width of the walls, and start negotiating with that person, only after that, you will do something, that will increase your probability of coming out! Now, you tell, which approach is better? Sitting and saying that nothing great can be done, or at least trying, that great things can be done and can get out of the box.

The second option is better. Trying is important, and believing in ourselves is important so that we can do great things. Because when we believe, we’ll be able to take action,

and when we take action, only then our dreams will become reality.

And this thing happens to many people. We’re not able to believe that we also can do that thing.

Can we also become YouTubers,?

Can we also become creators,?

Can we also earn money online,?

Can we also create businesses and become millionaires and billionaires?

It just can’t be done for us! But the author says, gradually, you start believing that you can do such things, and then many impossible things will become possible. Trust me, this thing has also happened to me. First, I also used to think, that by becoming a YouTuber and earning money online, only special people can do this. A general person like me, can’t do this. But trust me, when I started believing that I also can do it,

then I started taking action, and from there, my whole life started changing.

So, the third important lesson is ‘Belief in yourself’. And along with this, focus on this fourth lesson. You’ll understand well through a story.

• Network:

There is a rabbit who is eating carrots while sitting in the forest. Then a fox comes there,

and asks him, ‘Aren’t you afraid, that you’re eating carrots so freely, anyone can kill you easily! Wait, let me kill you!

As soon as Fox says this, the rabbit says to him,

‘you can’t kill me, you don’t have such power, and if you have power, come with me in that cave, we’ll fight there.

Let’s see, who wins. And that fox gets angry! And he thinks, how can such a small rabbit challenge me? And goes with him in that cave. After some time, that rabbit comes with that fox’s bones. After which that rabbit starts eating carrots, sitting in the forest.

Then the hyena comes there and then he also says the same thing to the rabbit.

And says, let me eat you! Again, the rabbit says to him, see, “You think you can kill me but you can’t kill me. If you have power, come in that cave with me, and fight there.”

I’ll make you lose. That hyena also goes there in confidence. After some time, that rabbit comes with that hyena’s bones. While all this is going on, there is one rabbit also there, who is watching all these things?

He asks the rabbit, how are you able to do this? Those animals who can kill you easily,

how are you able to kill them in the cave? The rabbit tells him; the thing is that a lion is hiding in that cave!

I and Lion have cracked a deal, lion knows that I don’t have that much meat to fill his stomach. So, I’ve cracked a deal with him, I will bring him hunting, and in return, he’ll protect me!

Rabbit focused on two things, the first is smart work and the other one is network.

He is a small animal but he befriended such an animal, who was very powerful. And this is the lesson no. Fourth, if you keep standing on a giant’s shoulders, you’ll be able to see far away! If you start living with great people, and network with them, this thing will make you so powerful! Now, how can you build a network? If you do these seven things well,

you’ll become likable and do networking well! What are those seven things?

• The first one is to remember people’s names!

• Introduce yourself to the right people! Most people hesitate while introducing themselves, but you shouldn’t do this!
• The third is, to appreciate and compliment people genuinely!
• Fourth, dress well!
• Fifth, be a good listener! Instead of speaking, learn to listen!
• Sixth, maintain eye contact!
• Seventh, talk about common interests! Start talking about common similarities.

You’ll have fights if you talk about differences, but if you talk about similarities, likability will increase. Do all these things.

Do More, Not Less:

The year 1999 was a very bad year for Amitabh Bachchan. Everything that was happening was bad with him! His multiple companies had gone bankrupt! His bank account went almost zero! He didn’t understand, what he should do! Dhirubhai Ambani came to know about this! Then he told Anil and Mukesh Ambani, that this person is very tense, you should help him by giving him money! He said we should give them loans to pay off his loans and debt.

But when he put this offer in front of Amitabh Ji, he politely refused to take that money!

After which, he started working again, without giving up! And guess what, after this he did KBC, and it became a big hit! After which, in a few years, he paid off his loans.

This thing was quite impressive.

So, Dhirubhai Ambani invited him to the party, where he was sitting with many experts in the finance world. He called Amitabh in and said in front of all, that this kid had fallen,

but he stood again by working hard. and we should be like this!

When Amitabh Bachchan listened to this, his eyes watered! And this is true! And you see, despite being 80 years old, is very hard-working. He always keeps working, and keeps doing something! He always keeps testing himself! And keeps changing himself according to the time!

He doesn’t keep sitting! If he wanted, like many others, he would think that I only want to be a hero. No, but he guessed, his time was moving forward, and he should try new roles and new things, which he kept doing! He never stopped! He always kept taking action! This thing is very important! Always doing something! People walking on the road also talk about big things,

But real ones are those who take action, and produce results by taking action! And this thing is very important! No matter how big you think, no matter how big plans you make,

unless you take action, unless you take moments, till then you won’t be able to do anything! So, you must take action! Instead of doing time passes, start working on your life. And this is the last lesson, which is quite important.