Critical Thinking is More than Figuring Out How to Get What You Want

Hello, Good morning, Good afternoon, and Good night

It’s time to wake up your brain and jumpstart your efforts. Get focused on critical thinking. If you are like me, now and then you need kick in the ass to get it together. I was talking to a friend the other day, and we both agreed that we great advice. We also agreed that we are both really bad at taking advice. Most times we all know the right things to do, we simply struggle to break the emotional connection that prevents logical decision-making. You are in luck today buddy, I don’t know you! I have no emotional connection to your issues, but I do care enough to share some quality info with you.

You know why this is important, focus

Critical thinking is the difference between having a plan and winging it. It is also the difference between success and failure. Too often, we are reactionary, rather than strategic. Strategy, is the rationale at the heart of every successful critical thinker.

If you allow the way you perceive questions and problems to evolve, you will begin to see new possibilities. These avenues will not always be the ones that you choose, however, you will have options. There is nothing better than options right! We have all heard or read something regarding critical thinking. So why bother to share this info today. My goal is to share ways to implement the practice in a real way. It is very easy to say what you want to do happen, but very different to do it. Let’s begin!

Stop stalling

Planning is not a waste of time. Take time to account for potential obstacles, Things will go wrong, meanwhile, you will be more prepared for the unknown. Imagining what could go wrong, or being paralyzed by uncertainty is the opposite of planning. The key is, recognizing the difference between planning and stalling. Think about contingencies and move forward. One word, moderation.

Get focused about your objectives

I am so random. Sometimes, it takes a great deal of energy to reign in my thoughts so that I can plan and execute a strategy. The best thing you can do for yourself is create a list. Think about what is most important, and cross off one thing at a time. The more time you spend yakking about what you want to do rather than working on it, the more likely you are to fail

What if your goals are complicated

Break it down. Think about what needs to happen first, second, third… In other words, start to dissect your goal into its smaller components and do them a little at time. I know you are a rock star, and you are great at everything. Everyone can benefit from chunking objectives into manageable goals.

Ditch the days of I can’t

Let go of those old thought patterns. Easier said than done, I know, but you must start somewhere. If you can correct one thing that consistently derails you, the second thing will be much more doable. Check yourself, stop being your own worst enemy. Ask yourself, am I being rational? Is my reaction commensurate to the situation? If the answer is ever no, you know what to do.

WARNING: THE NEXT COUPLE OF SENTENCES WILL BE LAME, BUT THEY ARE TOTALLY NECESSARY.

Your next task is to pick one person who exhibits three of the intellectual traits that you would like to have for yourself and attempt to understand how the own and embody them. After you understand how they work in their life, try to see how you can employ them in your own life with maximum effectiveness. You may mess up the first couple of times you test these skills, but the fact that you are measuring your success is an accomplishment in itself.

Originally published at .