Category: The Power of Thinking Big

There are so many small thinkers in the world, only aware of other restricted thinking in their immediate vicinity. They set their goals by stating them in the negative, for example, “I don’t want to lose this business deal”. Those who think big always speak in the positive and they see the wider, larger environment. They see the big picture.

When you think big you set a goal that is much bigger than just avoiding failure. You create a vision that is so inspiring that, even if it seems impossible, it still ignites you. To achieve such a goal you need to let go of conscious control and trust your subconscious.

A large percentage of people agree they don’t think big enough about their work or business and many of those who do have big dreams say they don’t know where to start or what steps to take to make their dream happen. To succeed in bringing your big dreams to reality it is necessary to take the fear out of stepping forward and doing something outside your comfort zone. Focus on what you need to do and visualise bringing your dream to fruition and giving it life.

The next step is to get started; don’t wait until you think conditions are perfect – that time will never come. Be prepared to go through a necessary process of growth that will enable you to achieve you big goal. You can’t go from imagination to goal attainment in one step. Be prepared to take what may be many necessary steps to get there. If you believe you can succeed you will and if you continue to think big your success will be bigger.

So often, thinking big and acting on larger projects requires no more time and effort than working on a similar small project but the results are much bigger and the achievement so much better. Thinking big is not something to be feared; instead it is challenging, exciting and dynamic. Believe you will enjoy the journey and you will. Be confident and assured that you can do it and nothing will stop you. Never forget, also, that those who follow you, your associates, friends and your children, will take strength and inspiration from your accomplishments which began in your imagination and developed into purposeful action. There is great power in thinking big!

A vibrant workplace atmosphere exudes energy, innovation, productivity and excitement. It is a place where good ideas – big ideas, are being generated.

One way to find the big idea is brainstorming. Brainstorming is simply using the brain power of a compatible group to storm a problem. Sessions such as these excite the imagination of each individual and it stimulates the power of everyone present. It also challenges the group to think creatively. The results of brainstorming can be quite amazing. In this way you often get the best results in a shorter period of time. If creativity dries up and everyone gets bogged down, stop and rest for awhile and come back with a fresh approach later. Some rules of brainstorming should be:
No one must not be allowed to criticise someone else’s idea as it breaks the positive thought processes of the group and creates hostility and division. People must be allowed free reign of ideas – the wilder and bigger the ideas the better.

Quantity is important – the more ideas the better. This is because often the later ideas are higher in quality than the earlier ideas. In this case quantity brings quality.

Allow others to improve on ideas you may have already put out into the brainstorming domain. They may create much better suggestions.

Imagination used in this way is a gold mine of ideas from a co-operative mindset where people are working with and through each other. In this way a business can brainstorm its way to success.

In today’s world community, international corporations are realising that they must think smart and think big to remain relevant. Since their businesses span country boundaries their people are coming into contact with others who are different from themselves – in expertise, geography, culture or some other factor. The coming together of these different factors can kindle newer, more creative ideas and bigger thinking when pursuing a vision for the company and keep them ahead of the competition. The innovation that comes with the diversity of people and their ideas creates positive energy and resultant action.

One man who insisted on thinking big was Merill J Fernando, the creator of what is now the third largest global tea brand – Dilmah. He was born in Sri Lanka and his playground was the tea plantations of his nation. Here he developed his passion for good tea. Soon after leaving school he was accepted as a trainee tea taster to be taken to Britain. When he finished his training he joined a British owned tea business and within two years was made Managing Director eventually bought the business. Although successful he was unhappy with the way his exports were handled. He noticed the problem that companies blended different teas from different countries so what people were buying was not 100 per cent Ceylon tea, which he says, is the finest. He felt the Ceylon identity was lost and quality was also compromised. Also, he could not understand why a country which produces the world’s finest teas could not market its own product.

Merill Fernando dreamt of starting his own brand of quality, totally 100 per cent Ceylon tea. He kept thinking big and learned how tea was exported, how it was blended, branded, packaged and sold. It disturbed him that multi-national companies could source product from multiple origins regardless of quality and package it then sell it at a high price. He challenged the system that prevented him from marketing Ceylon Tea packed at origin. He pursued his dream without fear of failure and although there were many challenges to overcome his dream and big thinking have made him a force in the global tea industry.

Whether the company is small or large, in the current climate business needs a big vision. If you want that big vision to come into being you must be willing to invest in the tools, systems and people to help you get there. When you have a big vision there will be those who feel threatened as they see you striding outside your comfort zone and others will be jealous. Critics will appear from nowhere and when they do and start making a noise, you know it means you must be really doing something worthwhile. Go ahead with your vision and don’t give up. You will see the results and it will give you a great sense of accomplishment.

How far are you prepared to expand your mind? The hallmark of a successful mindset is to think big but very few people are prepared to do that. There is an old saying that your thoughts rule your world. If your thoughts are negative you will act negatively; if you think small, you will get less out of life. What you spend most of your time thinking about, what you focus on, what you secretly desire, you will get. Whatever you think about, your world eventually becomes. Many people are afraid of thinking big; they prefer to conform to what society expects of them and lead an average life. Such thinking seems to be the easiest and most comfortable way to approach life but it saps the energy and drive needed to think big and translate the dreams into solid reality. Those who have the need to conform to get approval from others will never be leaders and they will never be truly independent. They dream of success and such dreams make them feel good but they never take that dream to the next level. Their thinking is small because society teaches them to think small. It follows; therefore, there must be a change in the thought processes, a change in the state of mind because you can never outperform your self-image.

Successful people, on the other hand, take their dreams to reality by thinking big; their thinking is on a higher plane. Take Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, for example. He is daring, flamboyant and successful. He is fearless and is a selfdescribed “opportunist” but he is never boring. He is, however, a very big thinker. He is not afraid of trying something big, moving from the music business to international airlines. He is the head of his international business empire with many diverse investments. But he doesn’t stop there. Continuing to think big, he has decided to break a number of world records. He loves extreme sports such as kite-surfing, hotair ballooning and paragliding. He says, “Well, I’ve always liked a challenge.” And he keeps challenging himself by continuing to think big – his next challenge is to offer commercial space travel with his project Virgin Galactic.

Richard Branson, like many other entrepreneurs, has had to deal with failure and adversity. How does he cope with them? He says, “Whenever I experience any kind of setbacks, I always pick myself up and try again. I prepare myself to have another stab at things with the knowledge I’ve gained from the previous failure. My mother always taught me never to look back in regret, but to move on to the next thing. The amount of time that people waste on failures, rather than putting that energy into another project, always amazes me. I have fun running the Virgin businesses, so a setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve.” He just keeps thinking bigger for each new project.

Big thinking people like Richard Branson always see problems as a challenge and a challenge as an opportunity. They create alternatives and they are outrageous thinkers with possible solutions. Their big thinking unleashes unlimited possibilities and dramatically increases creative alternatives.

If you are having trouble with creatively thinking big, use a creative person like Walt Disney as a model. Ask yourself: what would Walt Disney do, say, or feel in this situation? What action would he take? Walt Disney was outrageous: an amusement park in the middle of an orange grove – how outrageous can you be?

If you want to be free of limited or small thinking, don’t go outside yourself to find that freedom. Freedom is a state of being on the inside so make the changes to yourself and be prepared to throw off the constraints that keep you conformist and average. Allow yourself to think ‘outside the box’, use your imagination to the maximum and bring your big ideas into reality.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” (Albert Einstein).

Ed Mylett, Vice Chairman of World Financial Group says of Albert Einstein, “I believe no truer words were ever spoken and they were said by one of the greatest minds in the history of humanity. (He) knew a thing or two about imagination. His ability to think beyond convention, to question authority and the conclusions of scientists who came before him, gave our world some of the most significant scientific theories and discoveries of our time.” Yes, Albert Einstein knew the power of thinking big!

Imagination is the foundation upon which ‘thinking big’ is built. Creative imagination dreams then the productive imagination takes over and fits that dream to the wheels of reality.

Imaginative and creative people, those who like to ‘think big’, do not waste time with purposeless fantasies; dreams that have no roots. Truly, creative dreams fan the desire for high aspirations and goals in life. When followed through, they lead to the kind of thoughts that enlarge your life to the point of success. Your key for personal success is imagination so an imaginative mind must be developed to the point of enlarging your thinking if you are to achieve your dreams.

All the world’s great inventions began as a thought, then a dream, in the minds of men. Great men dared to dream and they dared to make those dreams a reality. Trains did not exist before 1825. Every time you travel in a vehicle, or in one of those wonderful flying machines called aeroplanes and helicopters, think about the fact that only a century ago they did not exist except in the imagination of men. Then look at the rockets and space vehicles that have travelled far into space; it is less than fifty years since they were the inspiration of someone’s imagination. Radio and television are the result of imaginative thinking during the twentieth century. The imagination of these big thinkers was creative and daring and they had to break through a wall of criticism and limited, small thinking to bring their ideas into reality.

Remember when you were a child and played games of make-believe? There were no limitations and no criticism; you could do or be whatever your imagination created. As an adult you can still see yourself as you want to be and reach the level to which you want to aspire. Vivid imagination seeks for the ideal solution to life’s difficulties and it has the power to examine, and if necessary, change what is found to bring the best results. Creative imagination demands action and causes things to come into existence. It enters into your every act and it sets the goal, the picture which your mind works on. This mental picturing can be a very strong force within you so keep it strong and positive to build confidence in yourself. Keep developing your imagination by letting your ideas flow freely then concentrate on the big idea and don’t give up until your idea is a reality.