Thinking Big

I just returned from a 2 week vacation of Paris & Italy (Venice, Florence and Rome) and I am Inspired. That’s the last thing I expected from a vacation. But, after seeing some of the wonders of the world and works of great people, there was no way I could not be inspired. Eiffel Tower, Leaning tower of Pisa, Pantheon, Coliseum, Mona Lisa, Pieta, Last Judgment, and St Peter’s Basilica, and many other Frescos, Paintings, Sculptures, architecture left me wondering about the thought process of the people behind these achievements. One common theme that kept coming back to me as I went from one place to another was about thinking big. None of these could have been achieved without Thinking Big.

Imagine conceptualizing and executing Coliseum that can accommodate fifty thousand people, about two thousand years ago when concepts like gravitational force, fulcrum, motion and other science concepts were not even in place. Building a structure that is 1,050 feet tall as an entrance archway to the world fair in 1889 knowing that it would be temporary (Eiffel tower); Working for four years on a single piece of fresco (which is not your primary skill and are not known for it) that has become a master piece (Last Judgment in Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo) are all examples of thinking big.

 Inspired by this visit, I’d like to write series of blogs on thinking big. While today’s blog is focused on some of the key traits of thinking big, over next few weeks, I’d like to introduce people like Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, and many others on how they thought big. This is more about my own learning as I believe the best way to learn is through sharing the knowledge.

Thinking Big is about setting goals that are way beyond the current realm of possibilities and striving towards achieving them. We start with an intent that is big – not driven by current capabilities or possibilities but from what we would like to achieve (a clear definition of end state that we aspire for). Having the intent in place, all our actions should be oriented towards achieving the intent (in a future article, I’ll discuss power of intention).

What makes thinking big so difficult? Why do some people are good at thinking big while many others struggle to push the limits? In order to think big, it is important to have the following traits;

Contrarian – we should be able to go beyond conventional wisdom. Follow uncharted paths and operate outside of our comfort zone. This is not easy but is required. Conventional wisdom limits our thinking ability. It does not encourage us to push our limits. We should continuously challenge the status quo and push the limits. Following uncharted paths will lead us to newer avenues/opportunities. Even if there are challenges, the learning that we derive from those experiences will help us to be more successful in the future. Hence, we should always explore uncharted paths than following conventional wisdom.

Risk taking – we cannot think/achieve big by playing safe. We should take risks. Most people do not take risks due to fear – Fear of Failure and Fear of criticism. Failure – we covered in an earlier blog that failure is good. History of any successful person in the world shows that they have dealt with failure. As for criticism, people who think big are always in minority. Hence, there will always be criticism (or skepticism). People will laugh at us from behind. But that’s ok. History has also proven that people who criticize are the same people who marvel when they see the achievements. When Eiffel tower design was announced, there was a huge uproar against it stating that a wrought iron monument would spoil the landscape of Paris that has many historical monuments like arc de triumph, Louvre museum etc. However, Gustave Eiffel stuck with the task of building Eiffel tower that has now become a major landmark of Paris.

Optimistic – Thinking big can only be achieved by looking at opportunities, not constraints. Constraints are everywhere. If there are no constraints, then this would become a perfect world. Hence, it is important to focus more on opportunities than getting bogged down by the constraints. When leaning tower of Pisa was built up to the third floor; it sunk into the ground due to weak foundation. Most people have asked the tower to be shelved and a new tower to be built. However Giovanne di Simone saw an opportunity and re-designed the architecture of the tower to build floors four to seven with one side taller than the other to compensate for the tilt. Thanks to its sinking & leaning, it has become world famous and the re-designed architecture enabled it to last more than 800 years. If the tower was not leaning, there would not have been any tourists visiting the tower.

Perfection – People who think big are not easily satisfied. They are difficult to impress. They always strive for perfection. They look to make things that are world class (best in class) and are always looking to make a difference. They would like to make a statement through their work and are willing to be focused, patient and put in lot of hard work to achieve it. When Michelangelo was given the task of painting altar wall of Sistine chapel, he spent four years to paint Last Judgment.  It was a fresco (mural painting executed on a wet plaster of the wall so that when it dries, it shows as a painting on the wall). He spent four years of his life on this one single fresco and was focused on turning it into a master piece. Today, many tourists visit Sistine chapel (and even Vatican museum) just to see Michelangelo paintings. That’s perfection.

Self-belief – Most important attribute of thinking big is having self-belief. As I keep saying to many people with whom I interact - if you do not have confidence in yourself, then how someone else can have confidence in you? It is ironical that we always underestimate ourselves. We should have self-confidence and belief that we are indeed best in the world (well… some might say that is over confidence but I’d any day be on the side of over confidence than no confidence). We should always be willing to learn, have passion for excellence and be enthusiastic.

Thinking Big is important as it drives our lives and actions and catapults us into a different league. Most people are not able to achieve success, not because of the limitation of their capabilities but due to their inability to think big. Thinking Big sets people apart and is an enabler for success. How BIG can you THINK?