Permission to Think Big
At any given point in the day, I’m just one thought away from losing it and going over the edge! At the very same time I’m just one thought away from being ecstatically happy.
Last Sunday I was rear ended by a car while standing at a red light. I took a second, got out of the car, smiled and walked over to the other driver. With a lighthearted attitude I asked if she was okay, and asked her if she’d like to pull over around the corner to clear room for traffic.
I asked her if she would like to have a police report made, or handle it ourselves. She didn’t care either way. Luckily she had Geico, which facilitated me getting into a rental car within 10 minutes of walking into their shop, and a 24 hour turnaround for the fix!
I could have gotten angry, stormed out of my car, asked her if she was a complete idiot, degraded her for wasting my time, and perhaps even threatened her. Yes, this would be very extreme, but it would have been a result of just one thought, much like my lighthearted attitude was the result of one thought.
Thoughts are a Choice
Above I gave an example of how we can choose to respond with class, instead of reacting with temper. While this example is obvious, and many people can openly relate, it’s not the only place where we make choices. Everything in life is how we choose to think about it.
“As long as you have to think, you might as well think big. It takes the same amount of energy.”
~Donald Trump
Donald Trump has lost billions of dollars. On the other hand, he has also made billions of dollars. The reason being is that he has given himself permission to think big, risk big, and pursue mega deals in his career.
Most of our decisions in life are based on whether or not we can give ourselves permission to tackle the big things. Whether or not we give ourselves permission is based on the amount of courage and self-esteem that we possess.
Look at a person like Erin Pavlina, who at one point only gave herself permission to earn barely $10/hr as a secretary. After growing her talent as a psychic, and building up a tremendous following, she now gives herself the permission to charge $800/hr for an in person reading (and people are happily lined up around the corner for her service). That’s 2 weeks of income in just 1 hour as compared to where she was before.
A tremendous leap like this comes simply from thinking a certain way. First she had to give herself the permission to pursue her talent, versus answering phones, then to improve her skill through practice and learning. Finally she had to see that being booked for months means that she can give herself the permission to charge what she’s worth at the time.
In life, and in your business, you may also be stuck because of a situation where you aren’t giving yourself the permission to think big. Do you possess the knowledge and skills to be your own boss, but instead you’re letting your boss make more money from you than you make from yourself? Can you give yourself the permission to deserve better friends, better relationships, and a better lifestyle than your parents, or perhaps just better than what you have now?
What’s the difference between entry level and CEO, or between employee and boss? Is it not just giving yourself the permission to succeed, learning everything there is to do the job, and taking risks that other are not willing to?
Remember, if you’re going to listen to conventional wisdom, and follow everyone else’s advice, then you’re probably going to get the same results as everyone else. If you decide that’s not good enough for you anymore, make your own rules.
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Posted by Alex Shalman in Thinking | June 29, 2009 | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumble | Print | 25 comments
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Great article, Alex! I love the picture that goes along with it.
This is such powerful advice! I think we often forget the power of our own thoughts! Thank you for the reminder.
perfect timing. i just got laid off two weeks ago and have been thinking of starting my own bookkeeping service while job hunting. Better ‘think big’ and get moving on starting my own business!
I agree. Leaders are self elected.
You can’t wait for permission to think big. Especially considering that your life quality is directly related to the standards you set for yourself.
As always, excellent work Alex. : | <— And that is the money you could be saving with Geico.
Thanks for your feedback everyone!!
i am suddenly in the mood for sushi thanks to this wonderful article
@Anna Try the Earth-Roll
Great post
Great post, Alex! I especially liked the concrete example of Erin Pavlina’s story. Going from $10 per hour to $800 per hour is quite a jump… very inspiring. Not that it all comes down to money, but rather the ability to have more time to spend doing things she loves (including how she earns her living).
Thanks!!
I would have bitched the lady out…of course, you need to understand that I live here in Little Saigon, and Vietnamese people can’t drive worth a crap. Before you rush to conclusions and judge me for being something I’m not, try taking a drive down Bolsa Avenue….you’ll agree with me.
You’re right though, we have choice no matter what, and how we decide to move or act on those choices deeply effect our lives.
I love your last point – great article! Thanks for pointing out the little blessings in unwanted situations.
That’s a really good point on self imposed limits. It points out very clearly that most of what we perceive as impossible it has been first “made” impossible by our beliefs, which acted like filters on reality. Those filters are keeping us away from our dreams and they are responsible by the vast majority of what we call “problems”.
The good thing is that those filters are, like you said, removable. All it needs is a choice.
‘Give yourself permission.’ I’ve always liked that term. I gave myself permission to examine all the evidence about the religion in which I was raised–and, upon doing so, discovered it wasn’t what I thought it was. The resulting freedom is beyond quantification.
Nice piece.
Very inspiring article. I would have lost my temper right then and there.
very thoughtful article, am inspired by having the person to think big. which can achive a lot. thanks
A little self-reliance goes a long way in so many ways from EQ to courageous actions.
I think if most of the world took a breath before making a decision to be frustrated v. calm, well…ok frustrated (especially in a traffic accident) would probably win out- but it’s taking a breath that counts. You control how you feel and deal with situations and it does more harm than good to get upset. It honestly does drive your success as your mood and ability to handle difficult situations tell a lot about how you’ll react under stress and work-related pressure.
As always, your insight inspires me. Thanks for your efforts in sharing these thoughts. I believe it is true that we become like those we hang around with. I’m glad to hang around with you.
Hi Alex, I want to thank you for this article – just yesterday I made a decision to take a risk and this article has just confirmed for me that’s what I am supposed to do – I am listening to the universe
thank you again – p.s I love that you took the high road with that lady and I am sure the results were better and less energy was exerted.
Take care.
Crystal
Hey Alex.
what happened in your life that made you decide to THINK BIG?
@jonathan, I don’t have a story about a near death experience or anything like that. I’d have to give a lot of credit to a select groups of friends who were with me in college when I discovered personal development. We just sat around for hours, late into the night, and talked about our dreams. Each one challenged the other to think 10 times as big, and always asked “Why not?”