“Good thinkers are always in demand. A person who knows how may always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be his boss.”
How much time to you set aside to just think? How about to think about thinking? In today’s hurried world, not many of us carve out time to focus but find ourselves going from one activity to the next. However, successful people often do carve out time each week, month and year to just think – about life, about work and about relationships. But, how do these people go about thinking about such things?
In How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell, the author gives specific suggestions in how people can think better about a myriad of topics, but mostly about their own lives. This book has been mentioned in several self-help/inspirational books I’ve read, so I added it to my to-read list. It is a very quick read and it was available from my library after just a week or two of it being on hold.
Maxwell identifies several key ways to approach thinking. To be successful, people need to think about the big picture and the bottom line. They also need to be focused, creative, realistic, strategic, open to possibilities, reflective and unselfish in their thinking. He also touts doing shared thinking with trustworthy people and making sure people question the popular way of thinking. The example that stands out the most to me is when a teacher was having students look through a telescope and the first student has trouble seeing until the telescope is adjusted correctly. Then, many students say they see the stars until one student near the end says he only sees black. The teacher finally realizes the cap is still on and no students had seen stars – they were just going along with the popular thinking. It is something to be wary of, especially in the world where social media can set stories off like wildfire.
For people looking to readjust their life, How Successful People Think gives great tips on how to take some time and wisely use it to think about life. I got several great tips and realized I should take more times to examine how my life is going and if I’m doing the things I deem to be important. This book is great for middle-school readers and older and would make a great gift for a high school graduate or college student.
Do you carve out time to think? If so, share your tips on the blog!