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Thinking Capacity – Your Ability To Think Effectively

Successful people think differently than unsuccessful people!

In the book Thinking For A Change, the author offers these four key thoughts about thinking:

Everything begins with a thought – Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What we think determines who we are. Who we are determines what we do – I have always thought the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts – John Locke

Our thoughts determine our destiny. Our destiny determines our legacy – You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.

People who go to the top think differently than others – Nothing limits achievement like small thinking; nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination – William Ward

How do you increase your thinking capacity? Let me offer 12 thoughts….

Think the thought – Most people do not recognize the value of good thinking. They have thoughts, but they let them go and do not do anything with them. Look for good ideas, Think about how to use these ideas, and Think about how to maximize these ideas. No idea starts as good as it can be.

Write out your thoughts – clarify your thinking – University President and US Senator S. I. Hayakawa believed that learning to write is learning to think. You do not know anything clearly unless you can state it in writing.

Find a place to keep your thoughts – Capture your thinking – Learn to use a “thinking notebook” to capture your thoughts. There is something to be said about “pen-to-paper” to clarify your thought process. Modern technology gives us choices for digital journaling. Find a way to capture your thoughts!

Rethink Your Thought – Evaluate Your Thinking – This step is vital to culling our good ideas from great ideas. Here is where you might ask questions such as; Does this thought still speak to me? Will this thought speak to others? How, where, and when can I use this idea?

Verbalize the thought – Express your thinking – Talking out your thoughts expresses your heart and it expands the idea.

Put the thoughts on the table – Share your thinking – Get a group of “Thinking Partners” around you and throw the ideas on the table – may the best idea win.

Practice your thought – Take your thinking for a walk – It is always easier to think an idea than to practice it. An idea always sounds better when it is unchallenged. Unchallenged ideas rarely succeed in the real world.

Question the thought – Expand your thinking – The more questions you ask on the front end, the fewer questions you have to ask on the back end.

Embrace your thought – Own your thinking – Paraguay is being transformed by the Intentional Living idea of the John Maxwell Company. One idea on how to change a nation from the inside out has now produced of 70,000 transformational leaders.

Launch the thought – Implement your thinking – Launching your idea is the greatest test of any idea. The launch of the idea demonstrates the idea’s great value or lack o it.

Land the thought – Make your thinking work – The lading of an idea is always important. This is the pay-off of hard work.

Upgrade the thought – Mature your thinking – If you want to maximize your capacity, and be successful, develop your thinking everyday. High thinking capacity and the ability to sustain your thinking will give you a higher return than being smart or working hard.

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!