How to Think BIG.
How you build self confidence
How to build your support system for success
How you work with setbacks
This post is inspired by the book The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz. Learning to think big will empower you to move mountains, achieve your goals and live a successful and exciting life.
Seen other Self Coaching Tools we shared?
The way you think is the way you act
1. Start by reflecting how you think about yourself
Take a piece of paper and answer the following questions to yourself in long text format, at least one page for each question.
How would you describe your way of thinking?
What do you think about yourself, the world?
What do you believe in?
What holds you back?
How do you think and act in difficult situations?
How do you see your future?
What made you come to that conclusion?
How would you like to think about yourself and what benefit would that bring to you?
2. Now it is about to ask other people how they interpret your way of thinking
Build an interview guide by writing down questions you would like to ask.
Example questions you could ask:
How would you describe my way of thinking?
Could you please give me an example when and how you experienced my way of thinking?
When I do this... what do you believe I think?
How would you describe the difference in thinking between you and me?
Get in contact with people and ask them if they would be willing to help you figure something out. Interview at least 5 people who are close to you, friends, colleagues and family members
Tips to do an interview:
Ask open questions
Establish an atmosphere where the people you interview are confident talking
Don’t argue! Just listen and ask curious questions to dig further into what you would like to know.
There is no right or wrong answer, let them know from the beginning that it is important to get their honest opinion.
Take notes or record the conversation. Before you do so ask for their permission
Don’t interpret the answers on the spot, make sure you understand the answers. Ask if you don’t and write them down.
3. Analyse what you’ve got
Now you have two input sources, your view and how your friends and family members interpret your way of thinking.
Take a paper and build a mind map.
Write into the middle of the paper your name
Add key insights from your own reflections
Add key insights from the interviews
Take 2 pens with different colors and mark what stands out in one color and common views in another color.
Reflect and take a new paper, reorder the mindmap in any way that helps you to sort your thoughts.
What are the differences and common things?
How do you feel about that?
What have you / haven’t you expected?
What do you like, don’t like?
Take a new paper, on front you write the headline CHANGE and on the back you write down the headline REINFORCE
Answer the following questions on each a site:
CHANGE
What would you like to change?
What is the reason for that?
How will you feel after you have changed that?
What are you going to do about that?
How do you keep yourself accountable?
How can others help you?
Who can help you to change that?
What will you read, listen to, watch regularly to get inspired by?
REINFORCE
What would you like to keep?
What is the reason you want to keep this?
How will you enforce this?
How can others help you?
4. Build a contract with yourself
Reflect with all papers in front of you.
What would be the most important actions that will help you to change the way you think?
How would you keep yourself accountable?
Who can help you with it?
Take another paper and write CONTRACT WITH MYSELF as headline.
Write down the 3 most important actions you will take from today on to change your way of thinking.
Put the paper somewhere where you will see it at least 4 times per day.
Other self coaching tools that might be interesting to you:
Understanding how you think will give you superpowers.
Thinking and acting is working hand in hand. If you think you can do something you will most probably be able to do it.
Leaders inspire people to think big and to achieve goals bigger than themselves.
Any thoughts or experiences on your side? Let us know in the comments at the end of the page.
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