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Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life AndWork

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Overview

FromNew York Times bestselling author of
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Running with the Giantscomes...

THINKING FOR A CHANGE
11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work

"Good thinkers are never at a loss to solve problems, they never lack ideas that can build an organization, and they always have hope for a better future....A person who knows how may always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be his boss."
-From THINKING FOR A CHANGE

At the heart of John C. Maxwell's brilliant and inspiring book is a simple premise: To do well in life, we must first think well. But can we actually learn new mental habits? THINKING FOR A CHANGE answers that with a resounding "yes"--and shows how changing your thinking can indeed change your life.

Drawing on the words and deeds of many of the world's greatest leaders and using interactive quizzes, this empowering book helps you assess your thinking style, guides you to new ones, and step by step teaches you the secrets of:

- Big-Picture Thinking-seeing the world beyond your own needs and how that leads to great ideas

- Focused Thinking-removing mental clutter and distractions to realize your full potential

- Creative Thinking-stepping out of the "box" and making breakthroughs

- Shared Thinking-working with others to compound results

- Reflective Thinking-looking at the past to gain a better understanding of the future
...and much more.

Here America's most trusted and admired motivational teacher examines the very foundation of success and self-transformation. Illuminating and life-changing, THINKING FOR A CHANGE is a unique primer not on what to think, but how to best use one of your most precious possessions: your mind.

Editorial Reviews

Basing his latest book on the theory that "successful people think differently than unsuccessful people," Maxwell (author of bestselling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Running with the Giants) guides readers on the journey of mastering "good thinking" to achieve their personal and professional potential. Maintaining an encouraging tone and a down-to-earth writing style honed from his more than 30 previous titles, Maxwell details the impact and practical value of 11 kinds of thinking, including reflective, shared, creative, unselfish and big-picture. Useful tips, like how to discover your gifts through focused thinking, ways to break down complex issues with strategic thinking, and how to understand the value of examining the worst-case scenario through realistic thinking, characterize the author's surprisingly concrete lessons. The step-by-step format is bolstered by inspirational quotes, personal insights and high-profile anecdotal evidence about the likes of Priscilla Presley, George Lucas and George Washington Carver. Ending each chapter, emphasizing the discipline needed to think your way to the top, are exercises designed to evaluate and increase your personal progress in each area.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

-- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. EQUIP, the organization he founded in 1996 has trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Hachette Book Group USA

Filesize

1.23 MB

Number of Pages

288

eBook ISBN

9781599950617

Excerpt from: Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell

1


Understand the Value of Good Thinking
"Nurture great thoughts, for you will never
go higher than your thoughts."
--Benjamin Disraeli
What Were They Thinking?
"Things are more like they are now than they ever were before."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower,
thirty-fourth president of the United States
What one thing do all successful people have in common? What one thing separates those who go to the top from those who never seem to get there? The answer: Good Thinking! Those who embrace good thinking as a lifestyle understand the relationship between their level of thinking and their level of progress. They also realize that to change their lives, they must change their thinking.
A Different Way to Think
I've been a student of good thinking all my life, so I know how important it is for making progress. In the first book I wrote back in 1979, titled Think on These Things, I said, "Your life today is a result of your thinking yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be determined by what you think today." The title of that book was inspired by the words of the Apostle Paul, who admonished us,
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
My father, Melvin Maxwell, often quoted those words to me. He felt they were important. Why? Because he is an example of someone who changed his life as a result of changing his thinking.
If you met my dad, he would tell you that he was born with a naturally negative bent to his thinking. In addition, he grew up during the Depression, and when he was six years old, his mother died. He was not a happy or hopeful child. But as a teenager, he began to see that all the successful people he knew had one thing in common: they filled their lives with positive thoughts about themselves and others. He desired to be successful like them, so he embarked on the daily task of changing his thinking. To his delight, after much time and effort, his thinking changed him.
People who know him today see Dad as a totally positive person. They would be surprised to find out that he started his life with a negative mind-set. This change in his thinking allowed him to rise to a level of living that seemed above his potential. He went on to be the most successful person in his professional circle. He became a college president and touched the lives of innumerable people. To this day he is my hero.
Changing from negative to positive thinking isn't always easy, especially if you have a difficult time with change. For some, it's a life-long struggle. Do you know what most people's number one challenge is when it comes to making positive personal changes? It's their feelings. They want to change, but they don't know how to get past their emotions. But there is a way to do it. Take a look at the truth contained in the following syllogism:
Major Premise: I can control my thoughts.
Minor Premise: My feelings come from my thoughts.
Conclusion: I can control my feelings by controlling my thoughts.
If you are willing to change your thinking, you can change your feelings. If you change your feelings, you can change your actions. And changing your actions--based on good thinking--can change your life.
Who Will Change Your Mind?
Most people in our culture look to educational systems to teach them and their children to think. In fact, many individuals believe that formal education holds the key to improving lives and reforming society. James Bryant Conant, chemistry professor and former president of Harvard University, asserted, "Public education is a great instrument of social change. . . . Education is a social process, perhaps the most important process in determining the future of our country, it should command a far larger portion of our national income than it does today."