Learning to Think
“A man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd.” — Albert Einstein
Anyone on the journey to greatness has never done so with a blueprint. Great people craft their own way and learn their own strengths and weaknesses. This is no different when learning. There is no blueprint for how to learn, but you can learn how to learn.
“Give a man a fish and he’ll be full for a day… teach a man to fish and he’ll never go hungry.”
We must learn to evaluate and execute rather than replicate. Replication is an early stage of learning because, as we try to do something well, we first look at those who have already done it (and are usually world-class). This is great for learning, but when you try to replicate someone’s life, circumstances, and psychology, it leaves you unfulfilled and fraudulent. Everyone has a unique journey to take in their life and their craftsmanship. We must stay true to ourselves and those desires. However, we can learn how to think, solve, evaluate, and execute plans effectively.
“You must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.” — Richard Feynman
Look at what’s in front of you. Not in five years. Not what you wish were in front of you. Look at the reality you are facing. Living while rooted and truth is something not many people truly do. It is much easier to live in distraction or to lie to yourself (even subtly) in ways that you feel better. Looking at reality is to give up your delusions. Your assumptions are meaningless unless they are true. Ask yourself:
What am I looking at?
What do I want this to look like?
What is the first step to get to what I want it to look like?
(Once you’ve executed) Was that a step in the right direction or the wrong direction?
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” — Mike Tyson
Creating a plan is important, but not for the reasons you might think. Creating a plan is important so you have an idea of what the journey might look like. It is not important to come up with a plan that is fretted over to the finest details. The reality is that the plan will never happen exactly as intended. Life will happen, sickness will come, injury can occur, and the plan will need to change. Although it is a good idea to have a plan, it should be loose and able to change.
Being adaptable to circumstances and new information is also of the utmost importance. You may plan to do X, Y, and Z today, but you get sick and now have to change your plan to accomplish the lowest-hanging fruit that is still obtainable. You cannot control illness just like you cannot control outside circumstances, so you must constantly ask yourself what you can control and where you can make a difference in each moment of the day.
Questions for you:
1. Forget the long term plan of where you want to go…what is the next step for you in life, sport, or other endeavors?
2. Do you have the ability to be adaptable when things go good or bad that were unplanned?
3. All other factors forgotten about, what’s important to you right now? In other words what would you like to do next? What feels right?
