Mostafa Nasehi's Key Ideas from The Magic of Thinking Big
by David J. Schwartz

Most self-evaluation consists of making long mental lists of one’s faults, shortcomings, inadequacies.

It’s well to know our inabilities, for this shows us areas in which we can improve. But if we know only our negative characteristics, we’re in a mess. Our value is small.

Here is an exercise to help you measure your true size. I’ve used it in training programs for executives and sales personnel. It works

1. Determine your five chief assets.

Invite some objective friend to help—possibly your wife, yoursuperior, a professor—some intelligent person who will give you an honest opinion. (Examples of assets frequently listed are education, experience, technical skills, appearance, well-adjusted home life, attitudes, personality, initiative.)

2. Next, under each asset, write the names of three persons you know who have achieved large success but who do not have this asset to as great a degree as you.