Tag: life skills

Why We Need Critical Thinking

Thinking
We need critical thinking more than ever. I, like you, have had my moments of not using critical thinking.  Tough to admit and some of my most valuable lessons are found in that truth. Critical thinking is not only a skill that is vitally important, it is often ignored in our daily lives.

I sometimes think we avoid critical thinking because we don't want to be distrurbed. We don't want to be the odd one out or we had our heart set on something and the thought of not possessing makes us shrink. Ever been there?

Here's a few things to consider as you think about applying critical thinking:

  • Please decide what you believe. Don't mean to be too strong here and this is important. It's easy to abdicate this to the crowd. In other words, I'll let him or her define my beliefs for me. It never works.
  • Once you've established what you believe, then be willing to ask the tough questions. For example, is the person I'm placing my faith in live a life consistent with what I believe?
  • Don't fall for the trap of "being liked." If you're craving this you really need to get this straight. Trust me, being liked is highly overrated.
  • Find something bigger than yourself to serve. This forms deep roots and will keep you grounded.
  • Recognize critical thinking as a tool you'll need when the players come around. If you don't have the skill to discern, they'll get you every time.
  • Wait. That's right. When you feel rushed just wait. Rarely, are we in situations where a quick decision needs to be made.
  • Make critical thinking a part of your entire life.

Learning How to Live

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We live in a world of skills. Skills are endorsed, encouraged and praised. What's not to like?

One thing.

Ever notice how learning how to live is a forgotten skill? Learning how to live can be equated to terms like:

From my expereince, I didn't have many people in my life who Deliberately sought to advise me on how to live life effectively. Besides my mom, a teacher here and there, or a book selected by random, it seemed like the real emphasis was on the other types of skills. Like:

  • Managment Training
  • Reading, Writing and Arithmatic
  • Consultative Selling
  • Business
  • Communication

This post is not an indictment of skills development inside of the organization. It is the indictment of leaving life skills in the dust for the sake of an imaginary outcome (retirement, promotion, economic status) that will never satisfy. Running into the same walls again and again, won't make things as good as they should be. And don't be surprised when you see someone making major dollars with the social skills of a baboon. As I'm sure you know, many of our organizational (work, family, school, etc.) problems can be traced to a lack of life skills development. It truly is the 800 pound gorilla in the corner. If you or your organization flipped the priority and began to make "life" number 1, I think we'd see the needle move.

Let's face a fact that we all know deep down inside; if leaning how to live is essential to our well-being, then we best place it at that level. Anything short of this will lead to a major helping of regret-lifetime. 

Getting Your Life Back

When I was twelve I knew I wanted to be this:

 

As time has moved on, I still am, and do desire to continue to be, an artist.  The level and notice that comes my way always changes.  Absolutely fine with me.  I am an artist creating daily with words, with ideas with love, and with my life. 

Many years ago I allowed the Matrix (corporations, people, religion, and more) to convince me that I was not an artist or someone wired with a lot of imagination and creativity.  It whispered ever so softly that I needed put the "art" away and remember the importance of security. It almost worked, but I wanted and got my life back.  I write the following with great emphasis:

    Get your life back!  Whatever you must do, get your life back.

Now, here are the lessons I've learned in this motion picture:

  1. Go slow and start small.  One more time, go slow and start small.
  2. Most people are not going to like you beyond the surface.  Your life is not about the surface, so get on with it.
  3. Ask for help.
  4. Know what's most important to you, not to anyone else, as be commited to those things.
  5. You can't make people happy or ok, even those you love deeply.

Yesterday Follows, As I Learn

Leadership means everything…ask Churchill, King, Jr., Jobs, Graham, Teresa. 

I usually write with strong opinion and certainty.  Not wavering here, but I hope those leaders mentioned would agree that yesterday's lessons only took root when they "learned."  And isn't learning a vital part of influence?

It's a mysterious thing walking into a future.  We need yesterday to be a follower.  We need yesterday to be the threads of a tapestry called life. 

If it doesn't matter, then why the smile and the pursuit.  Certainly, we were made for more.  Now I know that everything does matter…every dance, every embrace, every sip, every beautiful melody.

Bear with me as I try to understand what I have become.

"I'm crossing that bridge with lessons I've learned."

– Seal

It’s Called Falling In Love, Tiger

First, no judgement from me on Tiger Woods.  I'm made of the same stuff.  Temptation and mistakes are a one-out-of-one statistic.

I couldn't help but scratch my head when I heard a sports personality comment on Tiger Woods' situation.  He basically stated that Tiger should have kept himself single because the temptations would be too great for him to handle…considering his fame and fortune.

It's called falling in love.  And everybody wants that whether they know it, want it, hate it, deny it, or find themselves with a broken heart over it.

Unfortunately, most of media is focusing on endorsements, who the women were, website statements, and pure gossip.  A broken heart didn't make the headlines.  This says much about where we're at.

I'm confident only the broken hearted can understand what if means to be…