My Brain, My Future
Chapter 1, excerpt
The Good Thinker
Thinking is the fundamental skill that empowers every other skill and talent that you possess or hope to possess. Like other skills, thinking can be learned.
“I’ve always admired my partner for his thinking ability. He’s kind of a visionary as far as our furniture products are concerned, everything from styling to colors. Within the last year, he guided the development of a large product group that hit the market a couple of months ago. Sure enough, the consumers have responded enthusiastically to it.” (From an interview with Doug, a marketing representative.)
Most of us have experienced what I’ll call the “good thinker” phenomenon. In school or business there always seem to be a few overachievers who succeed primarily because they use their brains better than everyone else.
They focus, clearing away the confusing non-essentials. They make logical (clear and supportable) arguments. They
have a knack for seeing hidden, but important issues.
And they think fast and with confidence.
But isn’t calling these people good thinkers just another way of saying they’re intelligent and that their abilities are a gift of birth? Not really. Good thinking is not a byproduct of IQ, and certainly not a gift of birth. You can’t depend on a good IQ to produce good thinking. The ability to think well is a learned skill – learned over time through experience or learned through study. IQ is often raised by good thinking.
The power of the brain
In
this book, we’re going to focus on improving your thinking. What we’re
looking for are ways that you’ll get the most out of your brain – ways you
can begin to harness the awesome power of your brain and apply it.
You may find that the task is easier than you thought. Learning to think well is not that different from learning any other powerful skill. Improving your thinking takes effort, but it doesn’t require genius. In fact, persistence is probably the single most important determinant of success.
To improve your thinking you need to learn some key aspects of how the brain works so that you can put it to work most effectively. Next, you need to learn a set of thinking skills. Finally, you need to become familiar with the major challenges to good thinking, so that you can stop them from taking control (which they will do if given the opportunity).
The question you really need to answer is whether improved thinking is worth the effort. After all, you’re going to have to read a book, think about the new ideas until you own them, and then use the ideas in your daily life. You won’t become a better thinker without applying yourself. That means you have to believe the value is greater than the effort. So, what is the value?
Here’s the value proposition in a nutshell: everything you hope to achieve in life depends on your ability to think. Thinking is the fundamental skill that empowers every other skill and talent that you possess or hope to possess.
End of Excerpt
Where to find the book
My Brain, My Future by Michael Durr is available through your local bookstore.
Or you can order through Amazon.com by clicking on the title, My Brain, My Future.