How do we think? That’s the question Liz and others tossed around today over at Successful Blog. What would you say in response?
Ten things come to me off the cuff … We spark thinking when we
1. Wonder what an audience would say to an idea we have …
2. Collaborate on projects with others and build knowledge together …
3. Step beyond a problem to come up with a possibility…
4. Make decisions based on our past experiences and future hopes…
5. Judge a new situation based on what we already know about the idea…
6. Predict what may happen in the future based on observations and facts…
7. Question stogy traditions and inquire about renewal…
8. Target a new skill or outcome and then plan a path to get there …
9. Form an opinion … or when we venture out to believe or imagine...
10. Move music, words, movement, or nature into an action plan…
Not surprisingly, thinkers tend to be people who change. When you think your brain releases chemicals and an electrical transmission moves across your brain so that you grow aware of what you think. Here’s the cool part of thinking that comes from more recent research on the brain …. To change what we think … we’ll likely have to change what we do first. Why so?
It's because the brain’s uniquely wired and shaped by the world around us and by how we react to that world. Negative thoughts release chemicals like cortisol and that drags you down. In contrast, positive thoughts release serotonin ... so you find yourself seeing more possibilities than problems ... more hope than doom ... and more friends than isolation.
Anything on your mind at the moment? If you’re not sure … why not think about it a bit more and get back?
One thing that amazes me about you Ellen is how fast you think! Brilliant response to Liz.
Posted by: Robyn McMaster | June 7, 2007 8:14 PM | Permalink to Comment