In an idea review, I take the ideas from a book and write about them.
Today’s idea comes from The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz.
- Let me start with some questions.
- Why does our thinking matter?
- Can we change it?
- If we change our thinking will it really change the quality of our lives?
Thinking is the starting point of all action. The quality of our thinking will in large measure determine the quality of the results in our lives.
On the very first page of Chapter 1, Schwartz says, “Believe, really believe, you can move a mountain, and you can. Not many people believe they can move mountains. So, as a result, not many people do.” This is a huge assertion. Can people really move mountains. Do we have any proof that people have moved mountains?
I really want to believe this is true. Maybe we don’t have proof that anyone has moved mountains. However, we have plenty of proof of people creating incredible things and against unfathomable odds.
It was said of Steve Jobs that he had a reality distortion field. This comes from Walter Isaacson:
“Steve has a reality distortion field.” When Hertzfeld looked puzzled, Tribble elaborated. “In his presence, reality is malleable. He can convince anyone of practically anything.”
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/467797-steve-has-a-reality-distortion-field-when-hertzfeld-looked-puzzled
What are we to make of this? Was reality different for Steve Jobs?
It seems that the answer is yes. Look at what he created. His reality was based on what he saw. And what he saw was different from what everyday people see. In order to do this we need to be able to imagine. We need to be able to play with ideas. We need to see past what we witness with our physical eyes.
Unfortunately, this is an ability that diminishes for many of us as time goes on. “Life happens,” as the say. “Reality settles in.” What is in front of us is so immediate that we don’t see anything else. It takes enormous effort to see beyond our current circumstances.
Schwartz says:
Belief in great results is the driving force, the power behind all great books, plays, scientific discoveries. Belief in success is behind every successful business, church, and political organization. Belief in success is the one basic absolutely essential ingredient of successful people.
We often think of belief as passive. I love that he states that belief is THE driving force. If you look at people’s lives, you can often figure out the driving beliefs of their lives. Take a look at your own. Look at your results. They are determined in large measure by your beliefs. What beliefs are driving your life? Do you need to make some changes?
Schwartz wrote The Magic of Thinking Big many years before the tunnel underneath the English channel was built. When he wrote the book, he said that there was talk about building the tunnel. But what he said next is key:
Whether this tunnel is ever built depends on whether responsible people believe it can be built.
Whether something happens in this life depends on whether or not responsible people believe it can happen!
I’m always amazed at the architectural and engineering beauty in this world. I always tell me kids that what they are seeing was once inside someone’s mind. Someone had to believe that it could be built.
What do you need to believe in your life? Work on the belief first. See things that don’t exist. Look beyond your current reality.