E286:What Does "Thinking Big" Really Mean?

To Paul.

Everyone talks about it. But it is too important to be a cliché. "Think big!" they say. “Dream big!” It’s the mantra of motivational posters, TED Talks, and startup culture. But what does "thinking big" actually mean? Is it about having wild, unachievable dreams? Or is it about something deeper?

Here’s a thought: Thinking big has less to do with the size of your dreams and more to do with the scale of your courage.

When we hear “think big,” we often equate it with massive goals—world domination, becoming the next Steve Jobs, or revolutionizing an industry. But that’s not really it, is it? Thinking big isn’t about the size of the dream; it’s about the size of the impact, the shift, the disruption you’re willing to create. And, most importantly, it’s about the mindset behind the dream.

Thinking Big Is Not About You

Thinking big isn’t about inflating your personal ambition. It’s not about wanting more power, more money, more fame. It’s about asking, What can I do that’s going to leave a dent in the universe? What value can you create for others? Thinking big means considering how your actions will ripple out, affecting people you may never even meet.

If your vision is limited to what's in it for you, then you're playing a small game. Thinking big requires stepping beyond yourself and recognizing that the true measure of "big" is how far your influence stretches.

Thinking Big Means Embracing the Unknown

Most people think small because small is comfortable. You can see the whole picture. You know the steps, the risks are manageable, and you can easily predict the outcome. Thinking big, on the other hand, is embracing the unknown—knowing that the path is unclear and still moving forward. It's deciding to pursue something even when you have no guarantee of success.

You won’t have all the answers, but that’s the point. Big thinkers don’t wait for all the lights to turn green before they start the journey. They trust that they’ll figure it out as they go.

Thinking Big is a Daily Practice

It’s easy to get stuck in the “someday” mindset—thinking big is something you’ll do when you’re more ready, more experienced, more resourced. But here’s the catch: Thinking big isn’t an endgame; it’s a daily habit. It’s about making decisions today that set the stage for larger opportunities tomorrow.

You don’t wait for the big idea to hit. You create small moments of boldness each day, challenging your assumptions, questioning the status quo, and asking, “What if we did it differently?” Thinking big happens in the small, daily choices that lead you somewhere extraordinary over time.

The Risk of Thinking Small

Let’s flip the question for a moment: what does thinking small mean? It means sticking to the familiar, being confined by what you think is possible based on past experience. It means shrinking your ideas to fit within the limits of your current reality, instead of expanding your reality to fit the size of your ideas.

The real risk is not in thinking too big, but in thinking too small. Playing it safe is the surest way to guarantee that you’ll never create anything meaningful. It’s like trying to win by playing not to lose—sure, you might avoid failure, but you’ll also avoid greatness.

So, What Does It Really Mean to Think Big?

Thinking big is about letting go of what’s probable and focusing on what’s possible. It’s about daring to ask, What if? What if we reimagined this? What if we ignored the conventional wisdom and did it our way? What if we stopped following the playbook and wrote a new one?

Thinking big is about realizing that you have the ability to create something far beyond yourself, and having the audacity to pursue it. It’s recognizing that the obstacles in your path aren’t barriers—they’re signals that you’re on to something worthwhile.

So the next time you’re faced with a choice, ask yourself: Am I thinking big enough?

Because big thinking doesn’t just change your business or your career. It changes the world, at least, the world around you.

What can be your version of thinking big?

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