So What is Preventing You From Doing It?

Aretha Franklin telling us to think, what could be more iconic? Who has not wanted to shout these lyrics in a meeting, at a family gathering, or even on some slow moving committee session? Everyone thinks they do it, yet in reality most people do as little thinking as possible. They would rather read, hear or watch what other people are doing instead of thinking and doing for themselves.

Thinking is hard work. If it is done right it means everything else has been put aside and the brain cells are focused on thinking. Thinking big thoughts, pondering small ideas, analyzing a narrative or story, even thinking about what to be when grown up requires focus and time. Thinking means being willing to invest in thought in order to move forward better prepared in action.

Some people think best in silence, others need people to bounce ideas with, and still others do best by writing down their thoughts and reviewing them later. I know people who journal, draw, write music or even run to give their minds the time to think. I have a friend who cooks to think, another bakes, and still another cleans their house. Somehow mundane tasks give us time to be both productive and ponder those things that always seem to be brushed to the side for the issues of daily life. However it’s done, thinking puts the pieces together. It is our mental way of assembling the elements into an ordered format so we can proceed with confidence.

How do you think best? When do your brain storm ideas come along? How do you document them and transform them into actionable items? And how do you plan to think? You probably already know it, so what is preventing you from doing it? These are all good questions to think about, so get busy and think…think…think!