Never Miss New Tips
  • Start Here
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact

Life Optimizer

Insights to reach your full potential

10 Timeless Lessons on Better Thinking

Innovation/Thinking

The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.
Winston Churchill

Our thoughts can make or break our life. Use it well, and we will prosper. Use it badly, and we will suffer. Investing on your mind is perhaps the best investment you can make.

I believe we can learn a lot about it from the great minds of human civilization, so I read inspiring quotes from them and extracted some lessons on better thinking. Here are 10 timeless lessons I found:

1. Beware of your thoughts

Our best friends and our worst enemies are our thoughts. A thought can do us more good than a doctor or a banker or a faithful friend. It can also do us more harm than a brick.
Frank Crane

Our mind is a double-edged sword. If we fill it with positive thoughts, it will lead us to a productive and fruitful life. But, if we fill it with negative thoughts, it will lead us to a defeated, inferior life. So watch your thoughts and be careful not to let negative thoughts occupy your mind.

2. Go beyond mere reading

Readers are plentiful; thinkers are rare.
Harriet Martineau

It’s easy to read, but it’s not easy to think about what we read and act upon it. That’s why very few people experience what the books’ authors write. If we want to be productive, we should go beyond just being readers to being thinkers and doers.

3. Think more

Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.
George Bernard Shaw

Most people do not make conscious effort to think more, but those who do will reap the fruit. While many people spend a lot of time for other aspects of their lives such as their occupation and hobbies, only a few people consciously spend time for thinking.

4. Think at higher level

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein

We should improve our thinking ability so that we can think at a higher level. Only by thinking at higher level can we solve the problems we face. Again, doing so takes effort and one way to do so is mind exercise.

5. Be curious

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious
Albert Einstein

Curiosity is an essential ingredient of great thinking. It gives you a strong desire to know more than most people and makes the journey fun.

6. Be persistent

I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.
Albert Einstein

Thinking requires perseverance. More often than not, we can’t get the desired results as soon as we want it. The road to discovery is long, and only with persistence can we hope to reach the destination.

7. State problems the right way

The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.
Bertrand Russell

Many people recognize great thinkers through their ability to solve problems, but great thinkers are first of all good at formulating problems. It is their ability to formulate problems that allows them to find elegant solutions.

Here is an example from the book Patterns of Problem Solving:

Hammurabi in Babylon changed the course of history by asking the right question when dealing with the problem of water. Instead of asking how to get the people to the water, he asked how to get the water to the people. This led to canals. The rest is history.

8. Emphasize imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Albert Einstein

Many people pursue knowledge, but great thinkers emphasize imagination. While knowledge allows us to make incremental improvements, imagination opens the way for fresh breakthroughs.

9. Use intuition

The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why.
Albert Einstein

It might be surprising, but rational thinking is not always the best way to think; intuition often gives us better solution. I often experience this myself. After thinking rationally for some time and not finding a solution, I just leave the problem or sleep on it, and all of a sudden a solution leaps into my mind. Not only is this process less laborious, it often gives me ideas with higher quality.

10. Dare to be different

It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
G.H. Hardy

Great thinkers dare to be different and therefore they think differently. Rather than just following what other people do, they move beyond it and go up to a whole new level. Look at your situation and ask yourself: what is the conventional wisdom for your situation? Then don’t do it, move beyond it instead. This is easier said than done, but that’s what the great thinkers do.

***

These lessons resonate with me. I need to work on emphasizing imagination and daring to be different, among others. Being a great thinker is a long journey, but the journey is an exciting one.

Published on February 11, 2008

Never Miss New Tips

Get practical tips on personal effectiveness. Join over 10,000 subscribers.

Previous Post
Interview for Great Successful People
Next Post
The Common Trait of Highly Productive People, Companies, and Countries

Donald Latumahina

You May Also Like

A Key to Being Creative Like Leonardo da Vinci
April 10, 2021

A Key to Being Creative Like Leonardo da Vinci

Bold and Persistent Experimentation: A Key Tool for Progress
March 20, 2021

Bold and Persistent Experimentation: A Key Tool for Progress

Being Playful but Resourceful: Two Qualities for an Adventurous Life
February 22, 2021

Being Playful but Resourceful: Two Qualities for an Adventurous Life

The Steward Mindset: A Key Mindset to Maximize Your Personal Growth
November 24, 2020

The Steward Mindset: A Key Mindset to Maximize Your Personal Growth

A Key to Adventure: Reimagining Your Life
September 29, 2020

A Key to Adventure: Reimagining Your Life

How to Make Good Decisions With Probabilistic Thinking
August 21, 2020

How to Make Good Decisions With Probabilistic Thinking

Comments (14)

  1. Great article. We all need to think better more often.

    FFB - February 11, 2008
  2. Nice article, Donald. In particular, your point 7–state problems the right way–caught my attention. Sometimes, I find that I can figure out something more easily by turning a problem around. Instead of asking, for example, what I like about something, I could ask what I don’t like. It can give just enough of a different perspective to simplify my thinking.

    Mike - February 11, 2008
  3. thanks so much! this was a truly profound posting…. brad

    etavitom - February 12, 2008
  4. I am guilty of rushing through books and not getting all I can out of them. I have a few books though like “As a Man Thinketh” and “Think and Grow Rich” that I read again and again. I get something new everytime. Great article!

    Jeff@My Super-Charged Life - February 12, 2008
  5. FFB,
    I agree, that’s one thing we should pay more attention to.

    Mike,
    To be honest, multidimensional thinking is something I still need to practice more. Yours is a good example of it.

    Brad,
    You’re welcome!

    Jeff,
    I also need to improve the way I read books. I’m still more like a reader than thinker. By the way, the two books you mentioned look interesting.

    Donald Latumahina - February 14, 2008
  6. […] site we recommend for often tips on how to be more productive. The full post includes many tips for “thinking better” and more creatively, two topics founders need always be vigilant of — and which we cover […]

    Einstein Says: Check Your Intellect at the Door « FoundRead - February 20, 2008
  7. I think #6 is “Be persistent.” At least that makes more sense to me.

    Despite that really great list. I enjoyed it.

    david - March 11, 2008
  8. David,
    Thanks for pointing out the error. I’ve fixed it.

    Donald Latumahina - March 12, 2008
  9. […] 10 Timeless Lessons on Better Thinking @ Life Optimizer […]

    Study Matrix Blog - Awaken Your Problem Solver from Within - Mind Map - June 25, 2008
  10. […] Na podstawie: 10 Timeless Lessons on Better Thinking (@LifeOptimizer) […]

    My?l! | zajaczkowski.org - August 25, 2008
  11. Thanks for the article you have posted. Its an eye (mind) opener !!! Please keep up the good work.

    Jake - April 30, 2009
  12. Nice article,

    as we dare to be different & creative , how do we guard from being self absorbed

    Ian - May 28, 2010
  13. Jerz Roulette Gawd – Number 8 Is
    The Realm I’m At, At Age 25 ,Sometimes
    My Imagination Becomes Sync With Reality ,
    As Far As My Ability To Control Levels Of My
    Actions As If I Am A Robot and My Voice Which
    Is My Brain Commands What I Want Too Do.

    Jerz - November 13, 2013
  14. That’s a great article. I’m just a beginner reader and Asian guy. Would you guys mind recommend me a few great books? :D I would love to read

    SK Sherlock - January 15, 2014

Recent Posts

A Key to Being Creative Like Leonardo da Vinci
A Key to Being Creative Like Leonardo da Vinci
April 10, 2021
Bold and Persistent Experimentation: A Key Tool for Progress
Bold and Persistent Experimentation: A Key Tool for Progress
March 20, 2021
How To Be Excited About Your Day
How To Be Excited About Your Day
March 9, 2021
Being Playful but Resourceful: Two Qualities for an Adventurous Life
Being Playful but Resourceful: Two Qualities for an Adventurous Life
February 22, 2021
How To Be Prepared for Opportunities
How To Be Prepared for Opportunities
January 27, 2021

Categories

Home | About | Privacy Policy | Contact