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There is a conversation that is constantly going on in our heads, yet we seldom take the time to consider how great an impact it has on our lives.
“You are what you think about all day long.”
“You are the sum of your thoughts.”
“Your tomorrow is based on today’s thoughts.”
These are quotes that most of us who study inspiration and motivation recognize and have heard or read many times. I can’t remember who said each one of them, but I believe that they are factual statements. I believe that our thoughts produce our lives. Something that is not tangible (our thoughts – you cannot touch one) creates something that is tangible (our lives). Something being created from nothing. That’s a post for another time.
Can we overstate the importance of developing our thinking ability? I don’t believe that we can. But many people blindly rush through life without any idea that they can and do control their own destiny. We’ve all heard, “your future is in your own hands.” However, I think it would be more accurately stated, “your future is in your mind” or in how you use it. Here are four ways that you can use your mind to increase your thinking skills.
1. Expose your mind to good input.
I don’t advocate television, but I realize that it is a fact of life and we have two in our home. I do believe that they can be used to increase your thinking skills. If you must watch TV, then watch the channels and programs that will promote your thinking. National Geographic, Animal Planet, TLC, Science, Discovery, HGTV, PBS, business and financial programs.
Just as lying around on the couch is detrimental to your physical condition, so to does watching crap lead to mental ineptitude. Read more books, blogs, magazines, and technical manuals. Find a topic that interests you and become an authority on it.
At the very least, ask yourself, if you were at a dinner party, “Could you hold up your end of an interesting and stimulating conversation” or would you be relegated to nodding and smiling, all the while hoping that no one asks you your opinion? Television seldom provides subject matter for stimulating conversation.
2. Get out of your comfort zone.
Visit a museum, then visit another. Take your kids to the zoo or a planetarium. Discus science, technology, politics or religion with your family. Set aside a specific time each week for all family members to present something new they learned during the past week. Then talk about it in detail.
Show your children that you are a multi-faceted individual who has thoughts, ideas and great thinking skills. Children emulate what they see and who knows, you may inspire a future Nobel prize winner.
3. Spend some time with good thinkers.
This is almost a no-brainer. You become like those you hang around. How many times did you hear your mother say that? Guess what? She was right.
I am fortunate in that I am part of a group of thinkers who constantly force me to keep up or get left behind. These are my inner circle and they poke, prod and test my thinking. Each one is very intelligent and each has their own special interests. But we all make it a point to expect great thinking from each other and typically, you get exactly what you expect.
Good thinkers provoke good thinking. They don’t just ask for your opinion, they expect you to justify and defend it. Because of my group, I am a better thinker.
Look at the people who occupy space in your life. Do they encourage progressive thinking? If not, you don’t need to get rid of them, but you do need to seek out people who will stimulate your mind and add them to the people you associate with.
4. To stimulate creative thinking, get out of your rut.
By rut, I mean your unconscious, habitual ways of drifting through your daily life. If you stop to think about it, I’ll bet:
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you get dressed in the same way everyday
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you brush your teeth and comb your hair with one or the other hand, but always the same one
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you take the same path to work
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you arrive at about the same time everyday
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…you get the picture.
Being habitual is not conducive to creative thinking. Being different is. Make it a point to do any and everything differently. This forces your brain to get off of autopilot. Do you remember the act of brushing your teeth this morning? What were you thinking? Chances are, you don’t remember because you were on autopilot.
Anytime that you do things differently, you force your brain into action. It has to adapt. Create new neural pathways. Validate actions.
Brush your hair with your less dominant hand ( you can go back over it with the other one later ), change priorities, change pathways, change your life.
It has been estimated that we have about 60,000 thoughts a day. How many do you remember? How many were remarkable? Isn’t it amazing how our mind transitions smoothly from one thought to the next? Each new thought is seamlessly and effortlessly tied to the previous thought and provides the springboard for our next thought.
Take a moment to think about your thinking skills and realize that it is your greatest asset. Your thoughts today will produce your life tomorrow therefore, mediocrity is not acceptable!
Tags: thinking, mental+excellence, thinking+skills