“Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”
~Thomas A. Edison
Henry Ford once said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it”.
His statement is so true but something always comes to my mind when it comes to thinking. It is one thing to think, but it is another thing to think “Clearly” and that’s exactly what I stumbled upon today, which I would love to share with you.
I genuinely believe that the quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our lives. Everything we do flows from how we think; hence, thinking clearly is a necessity.
Before we get into “how to think clearly,” I would like us to know what it means to think clearly.
Clarity is power. Anything clear is simplified. Thinking aims to get results. To know the way, the route, and how to arrive at a set point. In a nutshell, thinking clearly means thinking simply.
That is streamlining a complex process to a simple one. One with a straightforward dialogue that you can execute on.
But streamlining your thought to make it simple for execution requires effort.
As Steve Jobs rightly said, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
Now, how can you think clearly?
Your thoughts can become clear and concise by using logical statements to structure them. And by logical statements, I mean ‘If then’ statements.
For example, if you turn on the tap, then you can get water. This is a clear thought containing an ‘If then’ statement that leads to clear and intentional action, which eventually leads to clear feedback.
It pushes you to take action when you’re thirsty, and that action leads you to know whether your original thoughts were true or not.
So, to prove that what you’ve implied is true, whenever you’re thirsty, you then turn on the tap to see if water will come out or not.
If water comes out, then that’s a solution, but if it doesn’t, you have at least learned that you were incorrect. This eventually helps you move towards the correct path.
And it also helps improve your understanding of the world.
When your understanding of your worldview is correct, then your conclusion is correct, which invariably makes you better at solving problems.
In conclusion, the better you get at thinking, the better you get at solving problems, and good thinking begins with clarity. Thinking logically helps brings clarity.
Your thoughts should be communicated using the if-then statement. This if-then statement gives you clarity and pushes you to test if it is true or not.
When it is true, then you’re correct, and you have solved a problem. When it is not, you have a better understanding which leads you to search for the solution.
A clear and concise thought leads you into taking action, which leads you to the truth. But a complex and ambiguous thought leads to confusion and stops you from taking action that will bring you to the truth.
Another example might be, "If I post a video of myself singing everyday on youtube, then in a six months time I will have at least 50,000 subscribers".
This eventually pushes me to action to try it out. It is either i'm right or wrong but each trial eventually leads me to the truth.
Thanks for reading and I hope this article helps you with your thinking processes. Always remember that you have greatness within you.