Upgrade Your World: Environment, Attitude & People

This week, we are picking up speed and covering three pivotal chapters that move us from "thinking" into "living" big. David J. Schwartz reminds us that success isn't a solo act, it’s shaped by where we are, how we feel, and who we know.

 

Chapter 7: Manage Your Environment: Go First Class

 

Schwartz tells us bluntly: "The mind is what the mind feeds on." If you surround yourself with "negators" and small thinkers, you will become one. To think big, you must clean up your environment.

• Avoid the "excusitis" crowd.

• Seek advice only from successful people. (Advice is plentiful, but the wrong kind is dangerous.)

• Go First Class. This doesn’t mean spending money you don’t have; it means choosing quality over quantity in everything you do—your friends, your hobbies, and your work.

Chapter 8: Make Your Attitudes Your Allies Your attitude speaks before you say a word. Schwartz identifies three attitudes that winners always possess:

1. "I’m Activated." Enthusiasm is contagious. To feel enthusiastic, you must act enthusiastic. Dig into everything you do with life and energy.

2. "You Are Important." People do more for you when you make them feel important. Treat everyone—from the waiter to the CEO—as a VIP.

3. "Service First." Put service before money. When you give people more than they expect, money takes care of itself.

 

Chapter 9: Think Right Toward People

 

Success depends on the support of other people. You can't force people to like you, but you can make yourself likable. Schwartz suggests being a "Human Builder." Most people are busy tearing others down to feel tall. Big thinkers build others up. When you lift someone else up, you lift yourself up in the process.

 

Your Challenge for the Week Do an "Environment Audit." Look at the people you spend the most time with. Do they enlarge your thinking or shrink it? Make a conscious effort this week to spend time with people who challenge you to grow.

 

Quick Questions from the Reading

Q: I’m on a budget. Does "Going First Class" mean I have to spend money I don't have?

 

A: Not at all. In The Magic of Thinking Big, "going first class" is a mindset, not a price tag. It means choosing quality over quantity. It means seeking advice from successful people rather than unsuccessful ones. It means refusing to let "second-class" negative thoughts rent space in your head. You can go first class in your attitude for free.

 

Q: I don't always feel energetic. How can I fake the "I'm Activated" attitude?

 

A: Schwartz says you don’t fake it—you generate it. His rule is: "To become enthusiastic, act enthusiastic." If you are bored, dig deeper into the subject. Ask questions. Speed up your walk. Put life into your handshake. Action triggers feelings, not the other way around.

 

Q: What is the single best way to get people to like me?

 

A: Make them feel important. It is the deepest human craving. Whether it’s a client, your spouse, or the cashier at the grocery store, treat them like a VIP. When you make people feel important, they naturally want to support you. Be a "Human Builder," not a critic.

 

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Let’s go first class this week!