“You were born with the greatest weapon in all of nature—the rational, conscious mind. It has the power to expand your vision far and wide, giving you the unique capacity to distinguish patterns in events, learn from the past, glimpse into the future, see through appearances.”
Robert Greene
We all have a powerful tool in our heads – the conscious mind. It’s always at our disposal for rational thought, but often we don’t use it that way.
Why is it so hard to think?
Firstly, it is hard because it takes effort. It’s hard work to sit and think through a complex problem and devise solutions. It drains our mental resources, so often, we just avoid going down that path of difficulty.
Secondly, in today’s world, we face a barrage of distractions. It could be people interrupting us and demanding our time, or, the most insidious of all – digital distraction. We are constantly glued to our smartphones with constant notifications from email and social media. It’s rare to get some downtime to think because we fill the space with those digital distractions. We aren’t comfortable with our own thoughts. Anxiety rises. And we feel like we just don’t have time.
Recognise that this is a problem everyone is currently facing. Almost nobody dedicates time just to think. The thinking could be on goals, ideas, or problems to solve. We just rush from one thing to the next without much conscious thought.
This conundrum presents an opportunity to stand out and set yourself apart from the competition – if you can conquer those digital distractions and utilise the untapped power of your thinking brain. Good things come from taking the time and effort to think. We make previously unknown connections and gain clarity on the challenges we face.
Make time to think. Book it in the calendar and turn those digital devices off. Use the time to reflect on goals and ideas, plan for the future or think strategically about an issue.
See what happens when you fully utilise the power of your mind.
Reflection
- I am going to book an hour in my calendar today to just ‘think’.
- No devices allowed during this time.