Category Archives: Thinking

From the Errors of Others

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“From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.”

—Publilius Syrus, ancient Syrian writer

QC #906

A highly notable technique to support personal growth and development is to encourage people to embrace failure. When we fail, we have the opportunity to pick up experiential lessons from the event.

Today’s quote, however, suggests that not all lessons need to occur from our own failures, setbacks, and stumbles. All we need do is pay particular attention to the misadventures of those around us. From them, we can glean additional nuggets of knowledge and wisdom.

Given the fact that there is only one of you, and so many people in your personal and professional worlds, the odds favor the open and receptive mind in picking up a higher proportion of lessons this way.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you use the errors of others to pursue greater success and mastery throughout your day?

Everything you Think

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“Don’t believe everything you think.”

—Allan Lokos, founder of the Community Meditation Center in New York City

Photo from Flickr by Karen Neoh

Photo from Flickr by Karen Neoh

I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” Over the years, most of us have learned to take much of what we hear or read with the proverbial grain of salt.

At some point however, we decide what we are going to internalize and cement within us as truth. This choosing, whether intentional or perhaps mostly unconscious, can be useful and at the same time, limiting. Usually, these thoughts help us navigate our world efficiently and effectively, supporting a form of life momentum.

Alternatively, sometimes our thinking simply doesn’t work or serve us in certain situations.

EXERCISE:

Take out a piece of paper or Post-it Note, and write the following questions:

  • How does my current thinking help or hurt this situation?
  • What alternative thoughts would generate even more work-ability?

If you have been reading The Quotable Coach series for some time, you may know that Edward DeBono’s The Six Thinking Hats is a resource I refer to frequently.

“No man can think clearly when…”

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“No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched.”

—George Jean Nathan, 20th century American drama critic and editor

Photo from Flickr by Colin Davis

Photo from Flickr by Colin Davis

If you have been reading The Quotable Coach blog for any length of time, you may know that one book I find highly useful is Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono, in which a color is assigned to each of the six ways to think about any issue:

White Hat Objective Thinking
Red Hat Emotional Thinking
Black Hat Negative Thinking
Yellow Hat Optimistic Thinking
Green Hat Creative Thinking
Blue Hat Orchestrative Thinking

The person referred to in this quote is probably using the black and red hats together, and is missing the clear and more effective approach of using all six hats at once.

EXERCISE:

Consider reading The Six Thinking Hats so that you and those in your professional and personal lives can reap the benefit of clear and collaborative thinking.

Reply to this message and I will be happy to send you a one-page summary of DeBono’s book. Simply put “Six Thinking Hats” in the subject line of your reply.

“If you see the world in black and white, you’re missing important grey matter.”

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“If you see the world in black and white, you’re missing important grey matter.”

—Jack Fyock, PhD, Market Strategies International

When was the last time you had a conversation with a friend, colleague, or family member in which they responded to a statement with “I know”? Not the “I know” that is agreeing with the statement. This is the “I Know!” that indicates they have fundamentally stopped listening and have stuffed what you are saying into a pre-existing black/white category in their mind.

Ask those in your life how often you step into this “I Know” world — we all do this to help simplify our lives and navigate our world with greater ease. Alternatively, as Fyock suggests, we may be missing much of life by not using all of our grey matter to experience the many shades of grey an expansive and diverse life can offer.

EXERCISE

Imagine you were an artist who only had black and white paint to work with, and there was a rule forbidding you from mixing them together.

Now remove this limitation and paint away.

How can reducing your black and white “I Know” thinking expand your cerebral canvas to lead a more diverse and expansive life?

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

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“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

– Aristotle, Greek Philosopher & Student of Plato

Photo from Flickr by RasMarley

Photo from Flickr by RasMarley

For centuries, people believed the world was flat. Aristotle himself considered that “fact” long and hard before he accepted the spherical shape of the Earth on empirical grounds around 330 BC. Today “flat earth” thinking won’t get the job done.

Aristotle suggests that the ability to think through an issue without the issue having a good/bad, true/false, yes/no perspective is an indicator of educated intellect. In some regards, an open mind is an access point to creativity and invention.

EXERCISE:

Consider, as you go through your day, how quickly you accept or reject a thought, a statement, a request, without “entertaining” the possibility of its validity. What can you learn about yourself and your life by being willing to let go of immediate judgments or decisions?

“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem and a concerned person solves a problem.”

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“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem and a concerned person solves a problem.”

—Harold Stephens, American Author

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Image from Flickr by Debs

Have you ever watched a mouse racing around one of those circular wheels, never getting anywhere? They run and run and always end up in the same place. Alternatively, think about running on a treadmill. We get all worked up and sweaty, but find ourselves in the same place.

Worry is like that. In this case, the treadmills are in our minds. Concern, on the other hand, seems to have more of a mobilizing quality that takes us out of our heads and off those treadmills so we can set out on a journey to an eventual solution.

Exercise:

Where would a shift from worry to concern mobilize your thoughts and actions toward a successful solution in some important professional or personal issue today?

 

“Great minds like a think.”

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 “Great minds like a think.”

– The Economist

Image from The Economist

Image from The Economist

Based on research from the Jenkins Group, one-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. 42% of college graduates never read another book after college, and 80% of families did not buy or read a book last year.

Great minds, like great bodies, need exercise. Reading and thinking about new ideas is like doing cerebral sit-ups, toning our cores to have those six-pack abs we desire.

Exercise:

How will you exercise your mental muscles in the coming days, weeks, and years ahead to avoid the atrophy of the mind?

Consider taking the “use it or lose it” mental fitness challenge in Episode 10 of Brain Games, from National Geographic.

“The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.”

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“The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.”

– David Bohm, theoretical physicist


On / off, right / wrong, black / white are examples of polar opposites or, some might say, the duality of a situation. Knowledge, although highly prized and valuable in our world, often points us in the direction of the “right answer” and can often lead us to a somewhat limited view on a particular subject.

Bohm suggests that being open to various perspectives and having the ability to think differently is more important than knowledge in our world today. We need the wisdom to evaluate things with a full spectrum of colors and multiple shades of grey.

Exercise:

Where in your personal and professional life are you limited by knowledge gained and your need to be right? How can you exercise your “try it on” muscle to explore opportunities and possibilities beyond your knowledge of things?