If you are an average person, you can probably run down the street quite capably without undue effort or stress. But this doesn’t mean that you automatically possess the capability to complete an Ironman event.
Pretty straightforward, right? But oddly enough, when it comes to thinking, people tend to ignore this simple rationale. They often expect to automatically be able to think powerfully & critically about a huge variety of extraordinarily complex issues, circumstances & ideas. And when they fail to do so, they are either shocked or disappointed or both.
Consider this: Having a body does not make you an athlete. And having many thoughts in your mind does not constitute thinking. Just because you can think your way through a typical day doesn’t mean that you’ve automatically cultivated the capability to think critically. So update your expectations, and don’t be surprised when you – or others – can’t seem to think critically.
My advice is to appreciate that powerful thinking requires both measurable time & energy. Thinking gets physical results because it is a physical act. And like any other physical act, it requires physical training in order to achieve excellence in it.
You can think critically – just accept that it requires consistent & deliberate effort on your part. Once you’ve trained yourself and cultivated your capability, capacity, skills & techniques, you’ll find yourself plowing through complex issues & ideas effortlessly.
And that’s when life gets a lot more interesting.