Upon quick glance of the back cover of David J. Schwartz’s self-help book entitled, “The Magic of Thinking Big,” I questioned his inspiring argument that “you don’t need to be an intellectual…to attain great success.” Intrigued by this promise, I quickly submerged myself into a sea of practical methods, motivation, and largely, the use of Dr. Schwartz’s program to uncover success. The juxtaposition of attitude and success is defined as interrelated as the book guides you through a sequence of progression towards both happiness and spirit.

From page one to the last inspirational turn of the book, I took several notes which I believe helped me make actual progress to commit to this program. For example, I was simply astonished at how straightforward and unforced several of the advices were, particularly on page thirty-three: “the right attitude and one arm will beat the wrong attitude and two arms every time.” To a growing young adult, I was growing eager to read on about the “right attitude” and how it can help me in my immediate life. I can honestly say, my positive and ideal thinking have figuratively flooded my mindset. I no longer worry about dreaded essays in which the student is to maintain the thesis while flowing in proper grammar. I seize the opportunity, work on improving myself, and have kicked procrastination out of my life. Of course, failure and downfalls arrive, but the book testifies what to do in those events as naturally as possible. If you believe “success is worth its price,” you can rebound from your mistakes and capitalize on learning from them. It was as simple as the text itself, and we often hear it among our environment to “learn from our mistakes,” but Dr. Schwartz presents the advice in a way that makes the reader want to do it.

Another chapter in the book that I benefited from reading was how to “manage your environment.” In particular, the list at the end of the chapter; the list presented quick and inspirational statements such as “throw thought poison out of your environment.” I believe what helps the reader acknowledge the statement is Dr. Schwartz lack of detail because it is up to the reader to figure out his or her own situation, manage it, and “stay on the positive side.” The “positive side” enables a person to quit making excuses and improve.

The principles behind this book were obviously an optimistic and focused attitude. To “attain great success,” one must “learn and understand the habit of thinking in ways that will get you there.” To a teenager, “how to think big” may come across as nothing more than a statement, but I grasped “The Big Thinkers Approach.” Prior to reading this book, I believe, as many teachers dictate to us, success is proportional to your intelligence. I believe now that success, depending on your situation, comes in the form in which you approach it. One should never underestimate intelligence and should concentrate on one’s assets. This way, management instead of IQ will lead you forward to success.

As I conclude this report, I want to mention one additional section towards the back of the book: “Use Goals to Help You Grow.” Going through the planning guide and asking myself questions with confidence such as “what level of responsibility do I seek” or “what community leadership positions would I like to hold,” I now know success is attained via principles of management, thinking, progress, seizing your environment, and high standards. Certainly, I capitalized on “thinking big.”