How Successful People Think - Deepstash
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The Power of Storytelling

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JOHN C. MAXWELL

"Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches, or pounds, or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking."

JOHN C. MAXWELL

405

4.47K reads

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER THINKER

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER THINKER

You have to follow these simple 6 steps - 

  1. Expose Yourself to Good Input: read books, listen to podcasts, etc.
  2. Expose Yourself to Good Thinkers: Spend time with the right people. 
  3. Choose to Think Good Thoughts: You have to become intentional about the thinking process.
  4. Act on Your Good Thoughts
  5. Allow Your Emotions to Create Another Good Thought
  6. Repeat the Process

457

3.83K reads

HOW TO DISCOVER and DEVELOP GOOD THOUGHTS

  1. Find a Place to Think Your Thoughts: If you go to your designated place to think expecting to generate good thoughts, then eventually you will come up with some.  
  2. Find a Place to Shape Your Thoughts: As you shape your thoughts, you find out whether an idea has potential. 
  3. Find a Place to Stretch Your Thoughts: "The Right Thought plus the Right People in the Right Environment at the Right Time; for the Right Reason = the Right Result"
  4. Find a Place to Land Your Thoughts: You have to share your ideas.
  5. Find a Place to Fly Your Thoughts: You have to find how to act on the thought.

385

2.62K reads

WHY YOU SHOULD RECEIVE THE WISDOM OF BIG-PICTURE THINKING

  1. Allows You to Lead: People who are constantly looking at the whole picture have the best chance of succeeding in any endeavor.
  2. Keeps You on Target
  3. Allows You to See What Others See: One of the most important skills you can develop in human relations is the ability to see things from the other person’s point of view.
  4. Promotes Teamwork
  5. Keeps You from BeingCaught Up in the Mundane
  6. Helps You to Chart Uncharted Territory: The only way to break new ground or move into uncharted territory is to look beyond the immediate and see the big picture.

358

2.04K reads

JOHN C. MAXWELL

"A person who knows how may always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be his boss."

JOHN C. MAXWELL

376

2.36K reads

HOW TO ACQUIRE THE WISDOM OF BIG-PICTURE THINKING

  1. Don’t Strive for Certainty
  2. Learn from Every Experience
  3. Gain Insight from a Variety of People
  4. Give Yourself Permission to Expand Your World

363

2.21K reads

Thinking Question #1

Thinking Question #1

"Am I thinking beyond myself and my world so that I process ideas with a holistic perspective?"

348

2.03K reads

ROBERT LYND

“knowledge is power only if a man knows what facts are not to bother about.”

ROBERT LYND

362

1.94K reads

HOW CAN YOU STAY FOCUSED?

  1. Remove Distractions
  2. Make Time for Focused Thinking
  3. Keep Items of Focus Before You
  4. Set Goals
  5. Question Your Progress: “Am I seeing a return for my investment of focused thinking time? Is what I am doing getting me closer to my goals? Am I headed in a direction that helps me to fulfill my commitments, maintain my priorities, and realize my dreams?"

367

1.63K reads

DAVID BELASCO

“If you can’t write your idea on the back of my business card, you don’t have a clear idea.”

DAVID BELASCO

358

1.74K reads

Thinking Question #2

Thinking Question #2

"Am I dedicated to removing distractions and mental clutter so that I can concentrate with clarity on the real issue?"

351

1.63K reads

HOW TO DISCOVER THE JOY OF CREATIVE THINKING

HOW TO DISCOVER THE JOY OF CREATIVE THINKING

  1. Remove Creativity Killers
  2. Think Creatively by Asking the Right Questions
  3. Develop a Creative Environment
  4. Spend Time with Other Creative People
  5. Get Out of Your Box

347

1.6K reads

Thinking Question #3

Thinking Question #3

"Am I working to break out of my “box” of limitations so that I explore ideas and options to experience creative breakthroughs?"

335

1.39K reads

JOHN C. MAXWELL

"Thinking is hard work; that’s why so few do it."

JOHN C. MAXWELL

358

1.42K reads

THE POWER OF STRATEGIC THINKING

Strategic thinking can - 

  1. Simplifies the Difficult
  2. Prompts You to Ask the Right Questions
  3. Prompts Customization
  4. Prepares You Today for an Uncertain Tomorrow
  5. Reduces the Margin of Error
  6. Gives You Influence with Others

350

1.37K reads

HOW TO RELEASE THE POWER OF STRATEGIC THINKING

  1. Break Down the Issue
  2.  Ask Why Before How
  3. Identify the Real Issues and Objectives
  4. Review Your Resources
  5. Develop Your Plan
  6. Put the Right People in the Right Place
  7. Keep Repeating the Process

"Strategic thinking is like showering, you have to keep doing it."

367

1.27K reads

Thinking Question #4

Thinking Question #4

"Am I implementing strategic plans that give me direction for today and increase my potential for tomorrow?"

339

1.17K reads

SAM EWING

“Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said could not be done.”

SAM EWING

352

1.27K reads

HOW TO FEEL THE ENERGY OF POSSIBILITY THINKING

  1. Stop Focusing on the Impossibilities
  2. Stay Away from the “Experts”
  3. Look for Possibilities in Every Situation
  4. Dream One Size Bigger: Henry Curtis advises, “Make your plans as fantastic as you like, because twenty-five years from now, they will seem mediocre. Make your plans ten times as great as you first planned, and twenty-five years from now you will wonder why you did not make them fifty times as great.”
  5. Question the Status Quo
  6. Find Inspiration from Great Achievers

352

1.04K reads

HOW TO EMBRACE THE LESSONS OF REFLECTIVE THINKING

HOW TO EMBRACE THE LESSONS OF REFLECTIVE THINKING

  1. Set Aside Time for Reflection
  2. Remove Yourself from Distractions
  3. Regularly Review Your Calendar or Journal
  4. Ask the Right Questions
  5. Cement Your Learning Through Action

Reflective thinking has three main values: it gives me perspective within context; it allows me to continually connect with my journey, and it provides counsel and direction concerning my future.

342

988 reads

Thinking Question #5

Thinking Question #5

"Am I regularly revisiting the past to gain a true perspective and think with understanding?"

338

1K reads

JOHN C. MAXWELL

"Pain prompts us to face who we are and where we are. What we do with that experience defines who we become."

JOHN C. MAXWELL

342

1.06K reads

HOW TO QUESTION THE ACCEPTANCE OF POPULAR THINKING

  1. Think Before You Follow
  2. Appreciate Thinking Different from Your Own
  3. Continually Question Your Own Thinking
  4. Try New Things in New Ways
  5. Get Used to Being Uncomfortable

"If you embrace unpopular thinking and make decisions based upon what works best and what is right rather than what is commonly accepted, know this: in your early years, you won’t be as wrong as people think you are. In your later years, you won’t be as right as people think you are. And all through the years, you will be better than you thought you could be."

343

847 reads

Thinking Question #6

Thinking Question #6

"Am I consciously rejecting the limitations of common thinking in order to accomplish uncommon results?"

336

901 reads

HOW TO ENJOY THE RETURN OF BOTTOM-LINE THINKING

  1. Identify the Real Bottom Line
  2. Make the Bottom Line the Point
  3. Create a Strategic Plan to Achieve the Bottom Line: The important thing is that when the bottom line of each activity is achieved, then THE bottom line is achieved. If the sum of the smaller goals doesn’t add up to the real bottom line, then either your strategy is flawed or you’ve not identified your real bottom line.
  4. Align Team Members with the Bottom Line
  5. Stick with One System and Monitor Results Continually.

341

749 reads

HENRI-LOUIS BERGSON

“Think like a man of action—act like a man of thought.”

HENRI-LOUIS BERGSON

347

941 reads

Thinking Question #7

Thinking Question #7

"Am I continually considering others and their journey in order to think with maximum collaboration?"

333

876 reads

HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE SATISFACTION OF UNSELFISH THINKING

  1. Put Others First: Make a mental and emotional commitment to look out for the interests of others.
  2. Expose Yourself to Situations Where People Have Needs
  3. Give Quietly or Anonymously
  4.  Invest in People Intentionally
  5. Continually Check Your Motives: François de la Rochefoucauld said, “What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition, which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a great one.”

341

830 reads

Thinking Question #8

Thinking Question #8

"Am I staying focused on the bottom line so that I can gain the maximum return and reap the full potential of my thinking?"

335

1K reads

CURATED BY

ssuman24

A learner who loves to share wisdom on personal growth, happiness, and success on Deepstash. Topics include motivation, habits, goals, and mindset. Believes that everyone can achieve their dreams with the right attitude and action.

Curious about different takes? Check out our How Successful People Think Summary book page to explore multiple unique summaries written by Deepstash users.

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