In the winter of 1965, I was a young married man trying to raise a family and get an education at night at Georgia State University. One of my Marketing classes was taught by Dr. David Schwartz, the author of “The Magic of Thinking Big.”

Dr. Schwartz was a chain smoking bundle of energy and charisma. As it would turn out, he would have a tremendous impact on my life.  At that time, I was working 40 hours a week at a hotel and restaurant supply company and trying to make ends meet. I had no idea what the future would bring, but was pushing forward as hard as I could to get my degree and support my family.

One night, I made a sales presentation to the class and after class Dr Schwartz pulled me aside. What he said changed my life. He said, “Eric, I have been watching you and I know you are going to be very successful and I would like to help you.” For the next year, Dr. Schwartz mentored me and conveyed the philosophies that are described in his book. His mentorship and caring helped remove the limiting belief that I had and made me belief that I would be successful.

I encourage you to read the “The Magic of Thinking Big” by Dr. David Schwartz. This is a powerful book that was originally published in 1959 and today is still the 411 most popular books on Amazon.   Although it is a little dated today, it still has wonderful examples and techniques on how to achieve success in life.

The two most important things that I learned from this book when I read it 45 years ago were:

• Goals are as critical to success as air is to life. No one ever stumbles into success without a goal. The important thing is not where you were or where you are but where you want to go. My experience has been that the clearer my goal and the firmer my commitment to that outcome, the better the result. If you don’t know where you are going, all roads lead there.
• The Power of Belief is critical to success.  In order to succeed in life, you must firmly believe you are capable of achieving success.  Attitude is everything in achieving success. You must act like, look like, and feel like you are a successful person. What Dr. Schwartz did for me on that winter night in 1965 was make me believe that I WOULD be successful and to go out an act that way. It helped take away any limiting beliefs.
• Develop a value added prospective:   You will be successful if you take a value added prospective in dealing in all situations.  If you concentrate on adding  value in  a relationship , a product or customer , you will have long term success

Amazon note: Millions of people throughout the world have improved their lives using “The Magic of Thinking Big” by Dr. David J. Schwartz, long regarded as one of the foremost experts on motivation, will help you sell better, manage better, earn more money, and—most important of all— find greater happiness and peace of mind. “The Magic of Thinking Big” gives you useful methods, not empty promises. Dr. Schwartz presents a carefully designed program for getting the most out of your job, your marriage and family life, and your community. He proves that you don’t need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction—but you do need to learn and understand the habit of thinking and behaving in ways that will get you there. This book gives you those secrets!

Learn the secrets of success—magnify your thinking patterns and achieve everything you’ve always wanted:

• Believe you can succeed and you will

• Cure yourself of the fear of failure