Everything we know, have, do or use is a direct result of someone’s thinking process. We have come this far as a human race because a few of us made time to think about a better, smarter or faster way to live, work, travel or thrive.
Albert Einstein once said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Rational, critical, logical or deeper thinking is a valuable skill you can develop over time. But that will mean questioning your existing thought patterns, assumptions and worldviews.
When you proactively learn new ways to make judgements, you expand your mental models (thought processes for making decisions) and improve the set of principles and beliefs your brain relies on to make both fast and slow decisions.
High-level thinking is a superpower
In a letter to Letters to a Young Contrarian, Christopher Hitchens said, “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
The more you know, the deep your level of thinking and you are more likely to make fewer errors in judgement. People with better thinking skills are more likely to think clearly about life-changing decisions.
They connect ideas better, question their judgements and more importantly are able to find the many irregularities in their reasoning.
“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole said that. The mind cannot think beyond what it already knows.
When you analyse a problem, brainstorm for better ideas, evaluate your options in everyday life or interpret an opinion, you are only thinking at the level of your existing knowledge. But you can change that.
You can improve your critical thinking skills by answering simple questions you don’t normally ask yourself when you come to a conclusion about any decision: how do I know this to be true? Would I make a different decision if I had more information?
What are the first, second, and third consequences of this decision? What is the short and long-term impact of this choice on my life? How would anyone else solve this problem differently? Do I need more information before I make a decision?
You could ask yourself dozens of questions. Ask yourself better open-ended questions. Be curious about the many prospective outcomes of your decisions. Voltaire once said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”
Engage in deeper conversations with yourself to make better decisions. And if you have to find more information, go ahead and find it. The mind stimulates better and makes better connection with questions and even more and better questions, especially questions that make you reason beyond the obvious.
The rigorous process of intellectual stimulation takes your mind to a whole new level of thinking that can reconnect new mental models better.
Marcus Aurelius was right when he said, “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” Your thoughts determine your next action. And those actions are either leading you to a better life or making you miserable.
Take your life-changing decisions seriously. Your future depends on it. Analyse and dig deeper to make informed decisions. Make your next move, step, decision and action your best yet.
A lot of thought patterns and mental models are also found in books, long-form posts and newsletters outside your choice of genre.
You don’t have to be a super thinker to leverage deep thinking. Better perspectives, thought patterns, tools and ideas are all around.
If you can make time to look for them and keep practising, you will upgrade your thinking skills and make better judgements with fewer blind spots.
To improve your high-level thinking, activate your curiosity. And that will require intellectual humility and perseverance. When you are curious about your own assumptions and personal truth, you open yourself to better knowledge and understanding.
When you are open to question your own views and perspectives, you make room for better insight that can deepen and broaden your mind. High-level thinkers are always looking for opportunities to become better versions of themselves. They embrace life long learning.
In the words of Confucius, “Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.”To think deeper, the mind must be activated beyond what it already knows and ready to be surprised.
You must be willing to entertain as many ideas as possible. You don’t have to necessarily agree with everything you come across.
Knowledge acquisition is easier when you maintain a flexible or growth mindset. Thinking on a level higher than what you are used to can uncomfortable in the beginning.
Henry Ford was right when he said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it.”
But with practice, it gets better. And most importantly you become a better version. Better thinking can mean better actions. People who act in the most intellect ways have different tools, principles and models they rely on consistently.
In the Wealth of Words, Amit Kalantri said, “To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don’t listen to their words, but watch their actions.” Improve your mental models to take better actions in the direction of your dream. With enough intellectual perseverance, you can think better.
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This post was previously published on Medium.
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