|
October 23, 2008 The Long Lost Skill of Thinking...In This Issue:Feature Article: "The Long Lost Skill of Thinking..." Quick Tips: "3 Tips For Expanding Your Mind" Myth Buster: "Do Children Really Learn Languages Faster Than Adults?" “The Long Lost Skill of Thinking...”Here's a quick exercise I learned from Rich Schefren. Spend a minute writing down every thought that comes into your head. Go on, do it. Trust me – you're about to get a big a-ha moment.Okay, now that you've done this, look through the list and make a quick estimate of how many of those thoughts are new (i.e. you've never had them before) and how many are old (i.e. you've had them many times before). Chances are, the vast majority of what you've jotted down are old thoughts. And here's the thing: the vast majority of our day-to-day thoughts are old, recycled thoughts. The problem with that is that when we're confronted with either old or new problems, we're susceptible to come up with only those possible solutions that we've thought of before. Not only does thinking only of old solutions limit the range of potential solutions available to us... but it's highly likely that:
If you agree with me so far, then you'll agree that the only way to come up with new solutions is to think new thoughts. And the way to do that is to be open to,andpractice thinking of, new thoughts. Not just in the context of solving a problem, but in terms of priming our minds to think new thoughts. In other words, by getting into the habit of thinking new thoughts, it becomes habitual for us to think of new solutions when approaching problems. So... how do you practice thinking new thoughts? Well, the good news is that thinking new thoughts can be virtually effortless. Rather than ‘strain' your brain to think of new ideas (which is unlikely to work since you're stuck within your existing paradigm), the trick is to expose yourself to new ideas which automatically cause you to think new thoughts. This can be as simple as talking to new people, reading new books, travelling to new places, and so on. In fact, see the Quick Tips below for some ideas of how to start effortlessly thinking new thoughts, which in turn, gets you practicing the long lost skill of thinking. Not only will this help you learn and grow as a person, but will also likely make new solutions available to you when it comes to solving problems.
* HIGHLY RECOMMENDED * “How an Ordinary Manager Transformed a Struggling Business On The Verge Of Collapse Into a $40 Million Company”Here’s a shocking, yet true, story... At the start of last year, a good friend of mine took the job of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at a small technology company. The company was five years old, but hopelessly unprofitable. It’s backers – a venture capital company – were growing impatient with the company’s abysmal performance and ordered the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to appoint someone who could commercialize the company’s technology – so they would finally have a product to sell. Otherwise, the venture capital company would no longer fund the business. My friend was excited about the job. He was a bit of a risk taker, and despite the pressure, looked forward to helping the company bring its product to market and build it into a profitable business. But there was one problem. A big problem. The staff, the CEO warned him, were “incompetent and lazy.” In fact, one of the reasons the CTO was being hired was to get rid of the “dead wood.” “Frankly,” the CEO told my friend, “you’ll probably have to fire the lot of them.” ==> Discover what happened next... “3 Tips For Expanding Your Mind”As discussed above, a great way to train yourself to think new thoughts is to expose yourself to unfamiliar ideas and situations.Just by doing so, you’ll automatically start thinking new thoughts as you attempt to process and understand the new information coming into your head. That being the case, here are three tips for expanding your thinking:
These are just three ideas; there are tons more. The main thing is that (1) you put yourself into unfamiliar territory, and (2) you reserve judgment. Sure, you might have ideas about what you like or don't like; but the aim of the exercise is not to pass judgment. It's to open your mind to new ideas, which, by definition, require you to reserve judgment about the environment to which you're exposing yourself. * HIGHLY RECOMMENDED * “How Insiders Get The Jobs They Want... And You Can Too!”Studies show that 50% of all new jobs go to "Insiders"... Not just existing employees, but people who BECOME insiders by taking a somewhat different - yet much more effective - approach to getting the job they want. Despite this, most books, career counselors and recruiters keep telling us to apply for a job using the conventional, "Outsider" approach! Fine... if you want to join the long queue of people waiting to get in the "front door." But if you want to slip in the "side door"... not settle for any old job... and land the job you REALLY want, click here to find out how: ==> Discover how to get your dream job “Do Children Really Learn Languages Faster Than Adults?”You may be familiar with the idea that kids learn languages faster than adults. Nothing could be further than the truth.Just ask language teachers at schools, colleges and universities. After all, there's a reason why first year Japanese at the University of Melbourne (my alma mater) condenses 6 years of secondary school level Japanese into one year. Likewise with other languages. * HIGHLY RECOMMENDED * “Get Set For Success!”If you want to start a home based business, this 7-day multi-media program is for you. It's valued at $97... but right now you can join ABSOLUTELY FREE! Each day, for seven days, you'll receive an email, audio message and/or interview designed to help you develop the powerful "I can do anything!" mindset necessary to get your work at home business up and running. Click here to get started today: ==> How to start your own business from home
|
|
