Think Big, Get Big Results

I’m excited because we are nearing our launch date for my upcoming book GetReal, GetGOING: The Definitive Roadmap to Starting the Private Practice of Your Dreams. Many of the anecdotes in the book pull from my experiences and those of other therapists as we worked toward launching and growing our private practices. Building your own business is a big project, and to do it, I had to “think big.” Writing this book -- as well as conceiving of some other materials and course work I’ve been working on —  is another project that has required some very big thinking!

When I say “big thinking,” I want to be clear I don’t mean saying, “I want to win the lottery,” and then waiting to win the lottery.  I’m talking about having a vision for something that is beyond what you have done before and that likely entails more than a few moving parts. Big-thought-projects tend not to happen in a day, or even in many days. They take longer, which means they demand not just inspiration and motivation, but the stamina to hang on.

One of my strategies for staying motivated and determined is surrounding myself with people and things that encourage me and give me confidence. And one of these things is Brian Johnson’s Philosophers Notes tutorials on his YouTube channel. Last week, I mentioned that when I’m feeling brain dead at the end of the day I like to watch movies to unwind. Brian’s Johnson’s 10-20 minute talks are the opposite of that — I like to listen to them during the first part of the day when I’m still fresh and can absorb some ideas and set the tone for my day.

Brian Johnson is passionate about learning how people can optimize their lives and become great -- and who doesn’t want to know more about that?  He reads voraciously and summarizes what he reads in an easy-to-digest manner.  

Here are three examples of Brian’s summaries that I listen to and recommended often: 

1. PNTV: The Magic of Thinking Big - This book, by Dr. David J. Schwartz, was first written in 1959, but much of his advice is still very relevant today. In this video,  Johnson highlights Schwartz’s concepts of believing in yourself,  “stickability,” and the idea that action cures fear while procrastination feeds it. 


2. PNTV: Be Unstoppable - The author of this book, Alden Mills, overcame childhood asthma to become first a nationally ranked rower, then a Navy Seal, and then the CEO of a multi-million dollar fitness product company. He wrote Be Unstoppable to share the lessons he learned with his sons. Mills breaks his method down into eight actions, which can be remembered by the acronym U-PERSIST, but I find myself thinking more about his approach to reaching goals with “3-D planning,” (Define. Divide. Do it daily.), and also his observation that “progress maintains motivation.”


3. PNTV: Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable This book’s author, Tim Grover, trained Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and many other athletes. Grover emphasizes mental toughness, and the importance of constantly working toward one’s potential. The interesting thing about this episode is that, after reading  book reviews, I don’t know if I would subscribe whole-heartedly to every single piece of Grover’s advice in the book, -- but Brian Johnson’s talk highlights content that I do find useful. I also love the way Johnson can place certain ideas in a bigger context -- he mentioned the works of psychologists like Kelly McGonigal, Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth all in this video!


So, if you’re looking to improve your mindset, build confidence and stay motivated, check out these talks. You might find yourself thinking bigger!