Get Smart!

Get Smart! Plot Summary

Introduction

We all possess extraordinary mental abilities that remain largely untapped. Your brain contains roughly 100 billion cells, each connected to thousands of others, giving you the capacity to generate more ideas than there are molecules in the known universe. Yet most people use only a fraction of this potential—perhaps as little as 2 percent. Think of it as having access to just $20,000 of a $1 million inheritance because you lack the code to unlock the rest. The good news is that you can learn to access more of your mental superpowers through specific thinking strategies. This book contains powerful mental combinations—thinking tools that enable quantum leaps in your personal and professional life. By changing your inner attitudes of mind, you can transform the outer aspects of your existence. Success is not accidental but rather the result of applying proven thinking methodologies that the most accomplished people use every day. By adopting these mental frameworks, you'll unlock your imprisoned splendor and achieve extraordinary results in every area of your life.

Chapter 1: Adopt a Long-Term Perspective for Lasting Results

The quality of your thinking directly determines the quality of your results. The most accurate measure of your thinking quality is your ability to predict the consequences of your ideas and actions. In fact, intelligence isn't about IQ scores or academic credentials—it's about acting in ways that move you closer to your goals. Smart people consider both immediate and long-term consequences before making decisions. Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard studied upward social mobility for decades, searching for the common denominator among those who moved from humble beginnings to significant wealth and success. His conclusion was revolutionary yet simple: time perspective was the overwhelming factor. People at higher socioeconomic levels consistently practiced longer time perspective in their decision-making. They projected years, even decades into the future when making daily choices. Consider Maria, who graduated from college with substantial student debt. While her friends immediately purchased new cars and rented expensive apartments, Maria made a different choice. She lived with roommates, drove her old car for three more years, and invested 15% of her income. Her friends laughed at her frugality, but Maria was playing the long game. Ten years later, while her peers were still struggling with debt, Maria had built substantial investments and purchased her first rental property. The very act of thinking long-term dramatically improves your short-term decisions. When you project forward five years and ask, "What skills and resources must I have then to be successful?" your present choices become clearer. This future intent guides your actions today. The critical word in long-term perspective is "sacrifice"—delaying immediate gratification for greater future rewards. To develop this perspective, practice "back from the future" thinking. Imagine your perfect life five years ahead, then work backward to identify what must happen starting today to create that future. Apply this to key areas: career, relationships, health, and financial independence. For financial freedom, determine exactly how much you need monthly to support your lifestyle, multiply by twelve for annual requirements, then by twenty for retirement planning. Remember, the dividing line between success and failure isn't good intentions—it's making decisions with long-term consequences in mind, then taking the first step. And you can always see the first step, even if the entire staircase isn't visible yet.

Chapter 2: Master Slow and Informed Thinking for Better Decisions

Your mind races continually at about fifteen hundred words per minute, jumping from thought to thought. While you can think hundreds of thoughts in sequence, you can only think one thought at a time. This gives you the ability to take control of your mental stream and focus like a sniper on one target at a time—but it requires discipline and willpower. Most people operate in reactive-responsive mode, immediately responding to stimuli without deliberate thought. Superior thinkers, however, create space between stimulus and response—they pause to think before acting. This simple practice almost always improves the quality of your decisions. As Thomas Edison noted, "Thinking is the hardest work of all, which is why most people avoid it at all costs." Daniel Kahneman's groundbreaking work on thinking styles reveals two primary modes: fast and slow. Fast thinking is intuitive, automatic, and instinctive—perfect for routine daily activities like conversations or driving. Slow thinking is deliberate, methodical, and analytical—essential for important decisions with significant consequences. The biggest mistake most people make is using fast thinking for decisions that require slow thinking. Consider James, a successful entrepreneur who was presented with an opportunity to acquire a competitor's business. The deal looked attractive on the surface, and his instinct was to move quickly before someone else did. But instead of rushing, James applied slow thinking. He stepped back, gathered comprehensive financial data, interviewed key staff, and consulted industry experts. This process revealed serious operational problems that weren't apparent initially. By slowing down his decision process, James avoided a potentially disastrous acquisition. To practice slow thinking effectively, buy time whenever possible. Use the "Seventy-Two-Hour Rule" for major decisions—give yourself three days to consider important choices before committing. Think on paper, writing down every detail of the problem or decision. The act of writing forces slow, methodical thinking and often reveals solutions that weren't initially obvious. For people decisions—hiring, partnerships, relationships—slow thinking is particularly crucial. As Peter Drucker observed, "Fast people decisions are invariably wrong people decisions." One successful sales manager revealed his secret: the "Thirty-Day Rule"—waiting a full month before making final hiring decisions, allowing time for weaknesses to emerge that weren't visible in initial interviews. Practice solitude regularly—30 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time without electronic devices or distractions. Initially difficult, after about 25 minutes you'll experience a remarkable mental shift as tension drains away and your mind begins to flow with insights, solutions, and creative ideas. Many report that their biggest problems were resolved during their first experience with deliberate solitude.

Chapter 3: Set Compelling Goals and Take Consistent Action

Success is goals, and all else is commentary. Throughout your life, you'll experience turning points—moments or insights that forever change your trajectory. For many successful people, including myself, discovering the power of goals was such a pivotal moment. At 24, I was broke and working as a door-to-door salesman when I found a used book that suggested writing down goals. I wrote ten goals I wanted to accomplish, and within thirty days, my life transformed completely. Only about 3 percent of people have clear, specific, written goals with plans they work on daily. The other 97 percent have hopes, dreams, and wishes—but not goals. And they don't know the difference. Research consistently shows that the top 3 percent earn and acquire, on average, ten times more than the bottom 97 percent combined. Why? Because goals program your mental GPS like a guided missile, moving you directly toward your target while making course corrections along the way. Consider Michael, who worked in sales for a technology company. Unlike his colleagues who simply hoped for better results, Michael set a specific goal to increase his sales by 50% within one year. He broke this down into monthly and weekly targets, identified key activities that would drive results, and tracked his progress meticulously. When obstacles arose, he adjusted his approach rather than abandoning his goal. Within ten months, he had exceeded his 50% increase and was promoted to sales manager. The "big three" of superior thinking—clarity, focus, and concentration—are best developed through goal-setting. With the constant distractions of emails, texts, and social media creating a form of attention deficit disorder in many professionals, goals provide an antidote to fuzzy thinking. They give you purpose and direction amid rapid change driven by information explosion, technological advancement, and aggressive competition. To set powerful goals, follow this proven process: First, decide exactly what you want—be specific enough that a six-year-old could understand it. Second, write it down, transforming it from a wish into something tangible. Third, set a deadline to create a "forcing system" for your subconscious mind. Fourth, make a list of everything required to achieve your goal. Fifth, organize your list into a plan with sequence and priorities. Sixth, take immediate action. Finally, do something every day that moves you toward your goal. Remember, you become what you think about most of the time. When you think about your goals consistently, you stimulate your subconscious and superconscious minds toward achievement. The more you think, plan, and work on your goals, the faster you move toward them—and the faster they move toward you.

Chapter 4: Focus on Results, Not Just Activity

A major turning point in my life came when I noticed that people my age were achieving much more than I was. They had better jobs, nicer cars, and some even owned homes while I struggled financially. This observation led me to ask a life-changing question: "Why are some people more successful than others?" The answer transformed my future. In monetary terms, the answer was simple: highly paid people are highly productive. They use their time better and get more valuable results. Your most valuable financial asset isn't your home, car, or investments—it's your earning ability. Your capacity to produce results that others will pay for is what determines your financial future. Even if you lost everything material, with your earning ability intact, you could rebuild your wealth. John was a mid-level manager who realized he spent most of his day responding to emails, attending meetings, and handling minor issues. Though busy, he produced few meaningful results. After analyzing his activities, he discovered that only 20% of his efforts generated 80% of his valuable outcomes. He reorganized his approach, focusing on high-impact projects, delegating low-value tasks, and blocking uninterrupted time for his most important work. Within six months, his department's productivity increased by 40%, and he received a substantial promotion. To become result-oriented rather than activity-oriented, start by asking yourself, "What am I trying to do? How am I trying to do it? Is this working for me?" Then apply the 80/20 rule to identify which 20% of your activities produce 80% of your results. Use the ABCDE method to prioritize tasks: A tasks have serious consequences, B tasks have mild consequences, C tasks have no consequences, D tasks should be delegated, and E tasks should be eliminated entirely. The Law of Three states that only three tasks account for 90% of your value contribution. Ask yourself: "If I could do only one thing all day long, which activity would contribute the greatest value?" Then identify your second and third most valuable activities. Once you know your "big three," do fewer things, do more important things, do those important things more of the time, and get continuously better at them. To overcome procrastination on important tasks, make a list of everything you need to do, break large tasks into smaller steps, and try techniques like the salami slice method (completing one small piece) or ten-minute blocks (committing to just ten minutes of focused work). The habit of starting and completing your most important task first thing each morning will transform your life. Task completion releases endorphins that enhance creativity, improve your personality, and give you energy. Remember, the true measure of productivity isn't activity but results. Keep asking, "What results are expected of me?" and focus your efforts on the tasks that make the greatest difference. This approach will quickly move you into the ranks of the most productive people in your field.

Chapter 5: Cultivate Positive, Flexible, and Creative Thinking

Aristotle concluded that the ultimate goal of human life is happiness. Every action you take aims at achieving a greater state of happiness, however you define it. The true measure of your success is how happy you are—most of the time. If you're wealthy, famous, or powerful but unhappy, you've failed in your primary responsibility to yourself. What stands between you and happiness? Negative emotions. They lie at the root of virtually all human problems. If you could eliminate negative emotions, your mind would automatically fill with positive ones, enabling you to fulfill your potential. The key insight is that no child is born with fears or negative emotions—they are learned and can therefore be unlearned. Sarah grew up in a critical household where mistakes were punished harshly. She developed intense fear of failure and criticism that followed her into adulthood. Her career stalled because she avoided risks and never volunteered for challenging assignments. During a personal development workshop, Sarah discovered that her negative emotions stemmed from blaming others for her circumstances. When she began taking responsibility by saying "I am responsible" whenever negative thoughts arose, her perspective transformed. She stopped seeing herself as a victim and started recognizing opportunities for growth. The trunk of the "negative emotion tree" is blame. It's impossible to experience negative emotions without blaming others for something they did or didn't do. The minute you stop blaming, your negative emotions cease completely. How? By accepting responsibility. It's impossible to blame someone else and accept responsibility simultaneously. Simply saying "I am responsible" cancels negative emotions instantly. Forgiveness is equally essential. Everyone has been wronged in life—lied to, cheated, hurt, or taken advantage of. To be free, you must free everyone else through forgiveness. Issue a blanket pardon to everyone who has hurt you: your parents for every mistake they made raising you, every person who has wronged you, and importantly, yourself for every mistake you've made. This isn't for their benefit—it's for yours. By letting them go, you free yourself. The danger lies in the "trip clause"—forgiving everyone except that one person or situation you can't let go. This is like having a beautiful new Mercedes with one brake locked—you'll just go in circles, burning out emotionally and physically. When you fully forgive and accept responsibility, you take control of your emotions rather than allowing others to control them from a distance. By practicing positive thinking through responsibility and forgiveness, you become a totally positive person. You focus on what you want rather than what you don't want, where you're going rather than where you've been. As Helen Keller wisely noted, "When you turn toward the sunshine, the shadows fall behind you."

Chapter 6: Embrace Entrepreneurial Mindsets for Wealth and Opportunity

In today's rapidly changing world, your ability to think flexibly and respond effectively to change significantly impacts your success. As Albert Einstein noted when asked why he gave the same exam to his physics students two years in a row: "Because the answers have changed." Your situation is similar—what was true and valid a year ago may be partially or completely obsolete today. The Menninger Institute identified flexibility as the most important quality for business success in the twenty-first century. The ability to rapidly react and respond to change gives individuals and organizations tremendous advantages over rigid competitors. Yet many resist change due to three powerful enemies: the comfort zone (becoming comfortable with current methods), fear (especially of failure), and learned helplessness (feeling unable to change despite knowing it's necessary). David owned a successful print shop for twenty years, but digital technology was disrupting his industry. Many competitors went bankrupt, but David embraced flexibility. Rather than clinging to traditional printing, he applied zero-based thinking—asking, "Knowing what I now know, would I get into this business again today?" The answer was no, so he transformed his company into a digital marketing agency, leveraging his existing client relationships while developing new services they needed. Within three years, his business was thriving again with higher profits than before. To develop mental flexibility, practice zero-based thinking regularly. Ask yourself: "Is there anything I'm doing today that, knowing what I now know, I wouldn't start again?" When the answer is no, the next question becomes, "How do I get out of this situation, and how fast?" Apply this to relationships, business activities, investments, and emotional commitments. The relief you'll feel after ending a zero-based thinking situation is tremendous, often prompting the question, "Why didn't I do this sooner?" Use the seven Rs of superior thinking to increase your flexibility: Rethinking (stepping back to reconsider your approach), Reevaluating (applying zero-based thinking), Reorganizing (deploying resources differently), Restructuring (focusing on the vital 20% that produces 80% of results), Reengineering (simplifying processes), Reinventing (imagining starting over), and Regaining control (taking specific action based on your insights). When you finally have the courage to make necessary changes, you'll experience liberation and often wonder why you didn't act sooner. Remember, in times of change, having the courage to admit "I was wrong," "I made a mistake," or "I've changed my mind" demonstrates strength, not weakness. The most successful people and organizations are those willing to adapt quickly, abandoning outdated approaches in favor of what works now.

Chapter 7: Build Rich Habits and Upgrade Your Self-Concept

There have never been more opportunities to become wealthy than exist today. In 2015, there were over 10 million millionaires and 1,826 billionaires globally, most of whom started with nothing and built their fortunes in one lifetime. The Law of Correspondence explains why some achieve wealth while others don't: your outer world reflects your inner world. To be wealthy externally, you must think like a wealthy person internally. Many people fail to become wealthy for seven key reasons: it never occurs to them; they never decide to do it; they procrastinate; they fear failure; they fear criticism; they stop learning; or they lack persistence. Fortunately, each of these limitations can be overcome through learning and practice. Michael grew up in a working-class family where money was always tight. He observed that successful people had different habits than those around him. He began studying wealthy individuals, noticing they arose early, read extensively, exercised regularly, and focused on creating value for others. Though initially uncomfortable, Michael adopted these habits one by one. He started waking at 5:30 AM to read for an hour before work. He began exercising three times weekly and carefully managing his finances. Within three years, his income had doubled, and he launched a side business that eventually allowed him to quit his job and build substantial wealth. The development of a wealthy self-concept requires immersion in the habits and behaviors of wealthy people. Rich people have rich habits; poor people have poor habits. Wealthy individuals practice "something-for-something" thinking—always looking to create value before expecting rewards. They work longer hours (typically 60 hours weekly), arise early, and focus on revenue generation. They're frugal with money, calculate their desired hourly rate, and refuse to do anything that doesn't pay accordingly. To develop rich thinking, use the seven-step strategy for habit formation: First, develop only one habit at a time. Second, decide upon a specific wealth-building habit. Third, affirm that you already have this habit ("I see money-making opportunities everywhere"). Fourth, visualize yourself practicing this habit. Fifth, act as if you already had this habit. Sixth, refuse to allow exceptions. Seventh, if you lapse, immediately get back on track. Additional wealth-building habits include: setting clear financial goals with deadlines; maintaining excellent physical health through proper diet, exercise, and rest; taking calculated risks while gathering extensive information; networking with successful people; joining key business associations; and continuously improving your professional skills. Remember Warren Buffett's advice when asked the secret to his success: "I just say no to everything." Wealthy people focus only on high-value activities and delegate or eliminate everything else. They read and learn continuously, watch minimal television, maintain their health, and concentrate on excellent performance in their key skill areas. As Earl Nightingale wisely noted, "Before you can have something more and different, you must become someone more and different." By adopting the thinking styles and behaviors of wealthy people, you'll transform your self-concept and, through the Law of Correspondence, your external circumstances will inevitably follow.

Summary

Success is not an accident, and neither is failure. You are where you are because of your thinking and behavior. If you want a better future in any area, you must first improve your thinking along the lines described in this book. The good news is that everything you are today, you've learned through input and practice—which means you can learn new ways of thinking that produce better results. As William James of Harvard wrote, "The greatest revolution of my generation is the discovery that people, by changing their inner attitudes of mind, can change the outer aspects of their lives." This powerful truth is your key to unlocking extraordinary success. Start today by selecting just one thinking strategy from this book—whether long-term perspective, goal-setting, or positive thinking—and practice it consistently until it becomes part of who you are. Small changes in thinking lead to massive changes in results over time.

About Author

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Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.He has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 55 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.Brian has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of over 45 books that have been translated into dozens of languages.He has written and produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs, including the worldwide, best-selling Psychology of Achievement, which has been translated into more than 20 languages.He speaks to corporate and public audiences on the subjects of Personal and Professional Development, including the executives and staff of many of America's largest corporations. His exciting talks and seminars on Leadership, Selling, Self-Esteem, Goals, Strategy, Creativity and Success Psychology bring about immediate changes and long-term results.Prior to founding his company, Brian Tracy International, Brian was the Chief Operating Officer of a $265 million dollar development company. He has had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development and syndication, importation, distribution and management consulting. He has conducted high level consulting assignments with several billion-dollar plus corporations in strategic planning and organizational development.He has traveled and worked in over 80 countries on six continents, and speaks four languages. Brian is happily married and has four children. He is active in community and national affairs, and is the President of three companies headquartered in San Diego, California.His most popular training programs are centered around teaching authors how to write a book and helping public speakers create successful careers.

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