Thinking Skills Video
In this video on thinking skills, Mark Tyrrell of Uncommon Knowledge discusses the fact that although we are often told to ‘think for ourselves’, we are rarely taught how. Mark goes on to talk about the most common thinking mistakes people tend to make. That we are often too pessimistic about life - we assume that things aren’t going to work out for the best; we underestimate our own abilities and decide we can’t do things that we actually could, given the chance.
Being optimistic makes us more likely to be successful as we’re less likely to give up prematurely, and persistence is key in success. Another key skills Mark discusses is the ability to relax with uncertainty - for example, not having to know what other people think of us, and so not imagining what they might be thinking. Mark also talks about how emotion clouds clear thinking and how emotion can also fool us into thinking that our first response to something is the correct one. He clarifies the difference between being able to question your own emotional responses and self doubt, and says why the first is useful while the second is not. Mark concludes by talking about why good thinking skills are essential in today’s world, and how everyone can benefit from them.
Transcript of Thinking Skills video
We’re often told to think for ourselves, but we’re not often told how to do that. There are specific thinking skills which enable us to be clearer about what we’re doing, communicate better, and also be more positive and robust in our health and emotional wellbeing.
Now, to really learn how to think effectively, it’s a good idea to look at some of the more common pitfalls to thinking. Where do people go wrong in their thinking? One common area is to be overly pessimistic about life; to assume that things aren’t going to work out, or that you can’t do things that you really can do. It’s not to say that being optimistic is always realistic, but by being more optimistic, we increase our chances of success because we’re less likely to give up prematurely on a project.
Another pitfall of thinking is to assume that you know what other people might be thinking about you. Of course, often we don’t know; so a key skill in thinking is to be able to relax with uncertainty. "I don’t know what these people are thinking about me, but I’ll relax with not knowing, rather than imagining that I know exactly what they’re thinking about me." A part of thinking well is managing our emotions more effectively, because emotional arousal clouds thinking and sometimes we just need to be very clear about something.
Other pitfalls to thinking are assuming that our first emotional response to something is the only valid response to it and the correct opinion is formed straightaway. Good thinkers are able to challenge their own assumptions and to not assume that their initial response to something is always the correct response. So being able to question yourself - it’s not the same as self-doubt; self-doubt is only a problem if we trip ourselves up with it, if we don’t realize that actually we can do something and we assume that we can’t. Self-questioning is more productive than self-doubt, because we can look at ourselves more objectively from a more detached perspective and question whether actually a negative assumption about something is indeed a useful, or the correct, assumption of it.
So the world really needs - now perhaps more than ever - clear, realistic, and optimistic thinkers so that we can all live better, more effective, and healthier lives.
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