Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence, is an inspirational book written by Ben Carson. Carson starts the book by telling the readers about the history of his life. He continues to narrate, how he made it through hard work and perseverance and introduces the audience to his mentors, and how they influenced his life. The second half of the book is now the core of his writing as he uses the acronym Think Big in explaining his success. In addition, he explains to the readers on how to focus a journey to success.
Ben Carson wrote this book as a motivation and an encouragement to his readers. The book encourages people to keep on going despite the circumstances. Ben Carson talks about his life obstacles, and how he was able to overcome them. He was optimistic after realizing his potential and worked hard to become successful. He had no prejudice in his book, he encourages people from all races and color that, they have potential and can achieve their goals if they learn to work hard. Inside Carson’s book, lies the keys to every person recognizing his/her potential and working hard to achieve their goals in life. Carson influences people’s lives positively, by explaining each letter of the title of his book, Think Big. According to Carson, Think Big means, T-Talent, H-Honest, I-Insight, N-Nice, K-Knowledge, B-Books, I-In-depth knowledge, G-God (Carson 102). Carson though this acronym to empower the readers on talking individual responsibility on the road to excellence.
In addition, the main purpose of Carson writing this book was to inspire people through his life story. Ben Carson moved from the “dumbest kid in class” to a renowned neurosurgeon around the globe. It was through reading that he changed his life forever. Ben’s mother was illiterate, but she put him on a reading program, whereby Carson had to read two books weekly from the library, and provide a summary of what he had read. Be prescribes his personal formula of success to the readers by spelling his philosophy of living through the acronym, Think Big.
The most important and helpful part of this book to me was knowing that, I had potential to be whoever I want to be in life. Be Carson had an illiterate mother and his classmates saw him as stupid, since he was always the last position in class. However, despite all this hardship, he struggled and rose up from all these as an outstanding student with amazing accomplishments, after he realized that he had potential to make it in life. Dr. Carson gives the young people a road map to success by achieving their career goals. Ben Carson helps young learners to know that they have potential, and they can move to success by dedicating their time in reading, and not just reading, but reading good books, being honest and hoping for good things in the future. He adds that, one has to identify his/her talent, recognize those talents as gifts, get insight from the people around him/her, and be nice to all people and this will lead to success. Carson puts a lot of emphasis on reading, and reading good books. Carson writes, “Education is the only way you’re ever going to escape poverty” (Carson 67). This part is important to every reader because, Ben himself proved this through his life. This was what his mother use to tell him on daily basis and that he should work in order to be successful like the rich people. His family was poor, and he was able to make it as a famous neurosurgeon because of his success in education.
Dr. Carson’s book is credibly moving and useful in our everyday’s life. Carson perfectly portrays how our childhood can be influenced by what we hear, especially positive messages, which uplifts. Ben Carson advocates for humility, reading, being honest, being courteous, working hard and having respect. I was able to learn that, I have to be humble in order to succeed in my education, something I never knew can add to my success in education. Additionally, through Ben Carson, I was able to learn how to respect the people around me and learn to observe as I learn. Be Carson is a great inspiration to my mile.
Ben Carson writes, “Students who excel academically, read extensively” (Carson 178). According to Carson, for one to excel, he/she has to dedicate more time in reading. He adds that, reading books, exercise the mind, keeps it alert, and advocates that all students should read extensively. According to Carson, knowledge can never be wasted, and people should be dedicated to studying hard, because that knowledge will be helpful someday. Moreover, Carson makes it very clear that, with knowledge, one can be able to overcome anything, including chauvinism, since neither race nor gender matters, as long as one has potential talents and knowledge. Carson narrates that, reading, “forever changed his life.” When he started following his mothers reading program, it was a turning point in his life; his grades improved and he realized that he had potential to be successful. Therefore, this statement is very important to all students given that, Carson himself shows that it is real that, for a student to excel, he/she really has to study extensively. According to Bergman (10), Be Carson is the Best America’s super surgeon ever known. Today, Ben Carson has more than 50 honorary doctorates and possesses a long string of honors and awards, because of studying extensively (Bergman 10). Carson writes, “If we commit ourselves to reading thus increasing our knowledge, only God limits how far we can go in this world ” (Carson 201). This is very true because, when one reads more, the more he/she gets more knowledge, and knowledge is power and always believe in God according to his last letter in the Think Big acronym.
Works Cited
Carson, Ben. Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence. New York: Zondervan publishing, 2009. Print.
Bergman, Jerry. Benjamin Carson: The Pediatric Neurosurgeon with Gifted Hands. Acts & Facts. 38.1(2009): 10.Print.
