Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Book Club: My Top 5 Takeaways from The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

Episode Date: October 13, 2017

If you haven’t read much in the way of self-help/personal development and want to learn some simple but powerful lessons on optimism, positivity, goal setting, and creativity, then you want to read this book. There are two distinct types of self-help books: the analytical, “left-brain” books that offer science-based actions and formulas for betterment, and the whimsical, “right-brain” books that are more like fireside chats with wise old mentors who have illuminating experiences and stories to share. This book is the latter, and one of the better ones of this type that I’ve read (and I tend to not like these types of books). I don’t want to oversell it and put your expectations too high, but I’m recommending it because quite a few of its key ideas are spot-on and actually validated by science. Most of them probably qualify as common sense, but the same can be said of most things that make for good living. The trick isn’t just understanding these ideas intellectually but internalizing and organizing our lives around them, the initial impetus to do this often comes down to timing and delivery. You can come across an idea that, if accepted and acted upon, would completely change your life, but if you’re not ready to accept it or if it isn’t communicated persuasively enough, you won’t give it a second thought. On the other hand, if it’s communicated at just the right time and in just the right way, it can ring you like a bell and motivate you to get into action and transform your very being. I can’t promise this book is going to do that for you, but it is a book that has that potential, and that’s why it has sold millions of copies and continues to top bestseller charts today. Want to be notified when my next book recommendation goes live? Hop on my email list and you’ll get each new installment delivered directly to your inbox. Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Hey, this is Mike from Muscle for Life, and I'm often asked about books. People ask me for book recommendations on various topics. They ask me what book I am currently reading and what books I have recently read and what my favorite books are and so forth. And as an avid reader, I am always happy to oblige and get some book recommendations in return as well. I also just like to encourage people to read as much as possible because I think that knowledge benefits you much like compound interest benefits your bank account in that the more you learn, the more you know, and the more you learn, the more you know,

and the more you know, the more you can do, and the more you can do, the more opportunities you have to succeed. And on the flip side, I also believe that there is little hope for people who aren't perpetual learners. I know that might sound a little bit pessimistic or cynical to you, but let's face it,

life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic. And if we look around, we can find plenty of evidence that it simply suffocates and devours the lazy and ignorant. So if you are a bookworm and you're on the lookout for good reads, or if you'd like to just get into the habit of reading more, then this book club is for you. The idea is very simple. Every week, I'm going to share a book that I've particularly liked, and I'm going to tell you why I liked it and give you several of my key takeaways from it. I'm also going to keep these episodes short and sweet so you can quickly decide whether or not a book is likely to be up your alley or not.

or not. Okay, so let's get to this week's book, which is The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. Now, if you haven't read much in the way of self-help or personal development, self-transformation, however you want to call this genre, and you want to learn some simple but powerful lessons on optimism, positivity, goal setting, creativity, among other things, then you should definitely read this book. You see, there are two distinct types of self-help books. You have the analytical, more left brain types of books that offer science-based actions and formulas for betterment. And then you have the more whimsical right brain books that are kind of like fireside chats with wise old mentors who have illuminating experiences and stories to share. Now, this book is the latter, and I think it's actually one of the better ones of this type that I've read.

And I tend to not really like these types of books, actually. So I think that's saying a little bit of something. so I think that's saying a little bit of something. Now that said, I don't want to oversell this book and set your expectations too high, but I am recommending it because I do think that quite a few of its key ideas are not only spot on, but they're actually validated by science as well. Most of them probably qualify as common sense, so that's probably going to occur to you while you're reading the book. But I think the same can be said of most things that make for good living. The trick is not just understanding these ideas intellectually, but really internalizing and organizing our lives around them, acting on them. And the initial impetus to do this often comes down to timing and delivery. You see, you can come across an idea

that if you just accepted it and if you acted on it, it would completely change your life for the better. But if at that moment you are not ready to accept it, or if it isn't communicated persuasively enough, if you're not really sold on it, you won't even give it a second thought. You'll just go on with your life and completely miss out on the opportunity. Now, on the other hand, if you're not really sold on it, you won't even give it a second thought. You'll just go on with your life and completely miss out on the opportunity. Now, on the other hand, if that idea is communicated at just the right time, if you're in just the right mindset or if something happened that has set you up to be particularly receptive, and if it's communicated in just the right way, the right words, the right stories, whatever, then it can ring you like a bell and motivate you to get into action immediately and transform your entire being. Now, I can't

promise that this book is going to do that for you, but it is a book that has that potential. I really do believe that. And that's why it's sold millions of copies and continues to top bestseller lists today. All right, so let's get to my five key takeaways from the book. Here's the first one. Quote, you will discover that excusitis explains the difference between the person who is going places and the fellow who is barely holding his own. You will find that the more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses. But the fellow who has gone nowhere and has no plans for getting anywhere always has a book full of reasons to explain why. Persons with mediocre accomplishments are quick to explain why they haven't, why they don't, why they can't, and why they aren't.

Study the lives of successful people and you will discover this. All the excuses made by the mediocre fellow could be but aren't made by the successful person. And my note here is that excuses are seductive. They promise freedom from pain, embarrassment, failure. They lull us into letting ourselves off the hook. Because without excuses, then, you know, we have to face the things that we don't want to face. And we have to do the things that we don't really want to do. We have to put ourselves out on the line every day. And we have to prove that we are still worthy of our station, that we're still worthy of our respect, and that we are living up to our standards. Without excuses, having done and having been is never enough. We have to continue doing

and becoming. Hey, quickly, before we carry on, if you are liking my podcast, would you please help spread the word about it? Because no amount of marketing or advertising gimmicks can match the power of word of mouth. So if you are enjoying this episode and you think of someone else who might enjoy it as well, please do tell them about it. It really helps me. And if you are going to post about it on social media, definitely tag me so I can say thank you. You can find me on Instagram at MuscleForLifeFitness, Twitter at MuscleForLife, and Facebook at MuscleForLifeFitness. Takeaway number two, quote, Just enough sense to stick with something, a chore, task, project, until it's completed, pays off much better than idle intelligence, even if idle intelligence be of genius caliber.

For stickability is 90% of ability. Hakuin Akaku, and apologies, dead sir, if I have mispronounced your name, was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. And here's his take on this quote. It's like chopping down a huge tree of immense girth. You won't accomplish it with one swing of your ax. If you keep chopping away at it though, and do not let up eventually, whether it wants to or not, it will suddenly topple down. When that time comes, you could round up everyone you could find and pay them to hold the tree up, but they wouldn't be able to do it. It would still come crashing to the ground.

But if the woodcutter stopped after one or two strokes of his axe to ask the third son of Mr. Chang, why doesn't this tree fall? And after three or four more strokes, stopped again to ask the fourth son of Mr. Lee, why doesn't this tree fall? He would never succeed in felling the tree. All right, takeaway number three, quote, if I looked at myself strictly as I am, old car, low income, cheap apartment, and hamburger diet, I couldn't help but be discouraged. I'd see a nobody and I'd be a nobody for the rest of my life. I've made up my mind to look at myself as the person I'm going to be in a few short years. I see myself not as a rate clerk, but as an executive. I don't see a crummy apartment. I see a fine new suburban home. And when I look at myself that way, I feel bigger and think bigger. And I've got plenty of personal experiences to prove it's paying off. And my note here is that optimism is

one of the most constructive mindsets that you can have. To quote the Nobel Prize winning scientist and author Daniel Kahneman, quote, optimists are normally cheerful and happy and therefore popular. They are resilient in adapting to failures and hardships. Their chances of clinical depression are reduced, their immune system is stronger, and they take better care of their health. They feel healthier than others and are in fact likely to live longer. A study of people who exaggerate their expected lifespan beyond actuarial predictions showed that they work longer hours, are more optimistic about their future income, are more likely to remarry after divorce, which is the classic triumph of hope over experience, and are more prone to bet on individual stocks. Now, there are also potential downsides to optimism, especially when it borders

on delusion, but I'll save that for another podcast. For now, the point is, if we can at least cultivate an optimistic bias in life, we are going to be better for it. All right, the next takeaway, quote, both Mr. Triumph and Mr. Defeat are intensely obedient. They snap to attention immediately. All you need to do to signal either foreman is to give the slightest mental beck and call. If the signal is positive,

Mr. Triumph will step forward and go to work. Likewise, a negative signal brings Mr. Defeat forward. To see how these two foremen work for you, try this example. Tell yourself, today is a lousy day. This signals Mr. Defeat into action, and he manufactures some facts to prove you are right. He suggests to you that it's too hot or it's too cold. Business will be bad today. Sales will drop. Other people will be on edge. You may get sick. Your wife will be in a fussy mood. Mr. Defeat is tremendously efficient. In just a few moments, he's got you sold. It is a bad day. Before you know it, it is a heck of a bad day. But tell yourself, today's a fine day.

And Mr. Triumph is signaled forward to act. He tells you, this is a wonderful day. The weather is refreshing. It's good to be alive. Today, you can catch up on some of your work. And then it is a good day. And my note here is that decades of psychological research has demonstrated that we construct our worldview based on what we pay attention to, not what is. Who we are, what we think, what we feel, what we do, what we love

is really just the sum of what we focus on. And to fully appreciate this, let's do the little experiment described in the book. Let's take a moment to observe our physical surroundings. Do this. Look around, observe your physical surroundings. Do this. Look around, observe your physical surroundings. And for the next several minutes, just kind of look around and ask yourself a few questions and pay attention to how it impacts your mood. So ask yourself, what is right about this environment? What am I okay with? What can I enjoy, admire, and even celebrate? Do that and you'll see that it really doesn't take much before your heart begins to warm. Bask in the good vibes you've created for a minute and then let's turn them off by doing the opposite. This time, look around and find what's

wrong with your current environment. Find things that bother you. Find things that you think should be improved. And if you want to spoil the fun even faster, then think about who's likely to blame for all of this. What you'll notice is that the glow quickly fades. Now, what's funny about this though is objectively speaking, nothing has changed between these exercises. You're still occupying the same space. You're still surveying the same environment. It still contains the things that are both wonderful and woeful. How you feel about these realities though is determined by your frame of mind. If you choose to see the good, you feel good. If you choose to see the bad, you feel bad. So the point here isn't that we should just ignore everything that's wrong in our lives or in the world around us, but we do have a surprising amount of control over our

emotions and we can turn on positivity almost whenever we want by simply controlling our attention. All right, the fifth and last takeaway, creative thinking is simply finding new, improved ways to do anything. And my note here is that many people don't think of themselves as particularly creative individuals or even capable of creative thinking, but that's nonsense. If you feel that way, it's simply because you haven't cultivated habits that are conducive to creativity and you haven't practiced the creative process enough. It's not because you're just wired poorly. Every one of us can be creative if we're willing to work at it. And most of that work just comes down to exposing ourselves to a wide variety of inputs and stimuli, entertaining new and different

ways of analyzing situations and circumstances and thinking about the world around us, and then searching for new and interesting ways to combine disparate elements into unique concepts, solutions, products, and services, and so forth. If you did and don't mind doing me a favor and want to help me make this the most popular health and fitness podcast on the internet, then please leave a quick review of it on iTunes or wherever you're listening from. This not only convinces people that they should check the show out, it also increases its search visibility and thus helps more people find their way to me and learn how to build their best bodies ever too. And of course, if you want to be notified when the next episode goes live,

then just subscribe to the podcast and you won't miss out on any of the new goodies. Lastly, if you didn't like something about the show, then definitely shoot me an email at mikeatmuscleforlife.com and share your thoughts on how you think it could be better. I read everything myself

and I'm always looking for constructive feedback. So please do reach out. All right, that's it. Thanks again for listening to this episode and I hope to hear from you soon. And lastly, this episode is brought to you by me. Seriously though, I'm not big on promoting stuff that I don't personally use and believe in. So instead, I'm going to just quickly tell you about something of mine, specifically my 100% natural sleep supplement lunar. Now lunar's

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