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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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What Was I Thinking!

by Rick Baker
On Jan 3, 2013

Say you are 40 years old. That means you are about 350,000 hours old. If you are like the average person then you spent 1/3 of that 350,000 hours sleeping. So, you have been awake for about 230,000 hours.

During, at least, those awakened 230,000 hours your brain has been thinking about stuff.

That's a huge amount of time and you have done a huge volume of thought. 

What did you think about?

...i.e., did you ask yourself, What was I Thinking?

As you think about what you thought about for all those hours, do you find the analysis of your thinking tends to sort things under dimensions or categories?

A few examples...

The Time Dimension,  did you sort your thoughts into 3 time buckets:

  • thinking about the past,
  • thinking about the future, &
  • thinking about the present?
The Feelings Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into 2 feelings buckets:
  • thoughts linked to positive emotions and feelings like happiness and joy &
  • thoughts linked to negative emotions and feelings like worry and unhappiness?
The Locus Of Control Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into 2 control buckets:
  • thoughts about things I can control &
  • thoughts about things beyond my control?
The Identity Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into identity 3 identity buckets:
  • thoughts about self [Internal],
  • thoughts about others [External], &
  • thoughts about bigger things like your place in the Universe [Spiritual]?
The Creativity Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into 3 or more creativity buckets:
  • thoughts where you, alone, were thinking creatively [Individual],
  • thoughts where you worked with others to achieve a creative result [Team], &
  • thoughts where you determined creativity was not required?

Did you also happen to zero in on your thoughts about your thinking?

Asking yourself questions like:
  • How often do I step aside to think about what I'm thinking about?
  • How often do I work to develop my ability to focus my thoughts?
  • How do I go about improving my ability to focus my thoughts?
  • Can I stop the 'chatter' in my mind at will?
  • What's the best way to stop the 'chatter' in my mind?
 
When you know the answers to these sorts of questions, you know what you are thinking and why you are thinking it.
 
 
 

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Thinking as in Think and Grow Rich

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No more racking our brains

by Rick Baker
On Dec 7, 2012

From time to time, we all do it. We rack our brains. We mull over the facts, the people, the situation, and the opportunity at hand...or the problem at hand. Time passes and, still, we see no real clarity and we find no solution. It's not that we are indecisive. We just don't have the experience or perhaps it's knowledge of the facts. Or we cannot get comfortable about the possible outcomes or actions and changes. Regardless, we are not comfortable making the decision. So, we are racking our brains.

When that happens, wouldn't it be nice if we had a proven way to stop racking our brains.

Here's a suggestion: ask a string of questions, focusing on each question and writing a simple & clear answer to each question before moving to the next question.

Questions:

  1. About People: who is involved in the situation?
  2. About People: why are these people involved in the situation?
  3. About Process: what key tasks are involved?
  4. About Process: when, where, and how are the tasks being done?
  5. About People & Process: who is doing each task and why? And how?
  6. About Process: what could change for the better?
  7. About People: how will the people react to these Process changes for the better?

After writing the answers, set the facts and the decision aside...let it simmer...then a good decision will pop into your mind.

 

 

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Solutions & Opportunities

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Thought Tweet #618

by Rick Baker
On Nov 28, 2012

Thought Tweet #618 What we do not know has never increased so quickly....choose focusing over fretting.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Alvin Toffler predicted it. Now, we're up to our ears in it. 

People are strong when they have talent, opportunity, knowledge, and skills. While the knowledge requirement is growing exponentially, so are the opportunities. 

People have not changed.

People need to focus more....and that takes more work because of the escalation of interruptions. [There's a lot going on out there.]

***

"If you're not moving forward as a learner then you're moving backward as a leader."

John C. Maxwell

'The 360 Leader', (2007)

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Change: Creating Positive Change | Thought Tweets

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Thought Tweet #614

by Rick Baker
On Nov 22, 2012

Thought Tweet #614 "The power of the incomplete works because the human mind hates loose ends." "Confused shapes arouse the mind." 

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

The first quote is by Steve Jones, 'Brand Like A Rock Star', (2012).

The second quote is attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci, (1452-1519).

"Unfinished business gnaws away at brain energy." ...in other words, "If it's in sight, it's in mind."

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Thought Tweets

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If it's the last thing I do I'm gonna change that person!

by Rick Baker
On Oct 30, 2012

If it's the last thing I do I'm gonna change that person!

How much brainpower has been consumed with schemes and dreams around changing other people?

I mean:

  • we observe what other people do and say, 
  • we assume we know what they are thinking or we choose to believe that's not an important factor,
  • we think about how those other people are all wrong, mistaken, and making errors,
  • we concoct a vision of their better future, 
  • we compare notes with accomplices to make sure we get our arguments airtight, and
  • we set about persuading the wrong, mistaken, error-making people how to go about getting their better future.

How much brainpower has been consumed doing that?

I suspect many of us have spent considerable time in that I'm-going-to-change-other-people zone. 

It isn't time well spent, is it?

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Change: Creating Positive Change

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Thought Tweet #592

by Rick Baker
On Oct 23, 2012

Thought Tweet #592 An ounce of predilection is worth a pound of objection.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Human beings are biased creatures. Our minds are geared to recognize patterns and, sometimes, our minds jump to conclusions. As one example, this happens when we accurately identify a piece of information but conclude, inaccurately, it is part of a certain pattern. In common words, we call that "jumping to conclusions."

When we jump to conclusions we use one piece of information to reach an inaccurate conclusion. 

This was a real benefit in prehistoric times...jumping to conclusions saved lives.

In business, often, jumping to conclusions is more problem than benefit.

Sometimes, when we jump to conclusions, we also try to foist our inaccurate conclusions on others. If we happen to be a leader who does this then an ounce of our jumping to conclusions can offset a pound of followers' objections...and this, over time, kills followers' spirit.

[That's the reality of position power.]

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Humour | Thought Tweets

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Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.