My “thinking time” usually comes at the end of each day and it is not only a time of reflection – looking back over the day and confirming to myself that I achieved all of my key objectives – but also a passage of time that prompts me to look ahead; to plan; to strategize. People who know me well, will tell you that I produce an endless stream of new ideas. Some make it off the drawing board; some get parked up in the “pending” part of my brain, and others are simply discarded as not being viable at that time.
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
For “foolish consistency” read “dull routine”
Routine, doing things by habit, subconsciously, without thinking is, I believe, the enemy of success.
The fruit of thinking is knowledge, and knowledge is the medium from which skills are built.
For example, in skills learning, there are four steps ….
First, we have the “Unconscious Incompetent” They don’t know what they don’t know. This salesperson that is making mistakes but is not aware of them.
Then, comes the “Conscious Incompetent” They know that they don’t know. This is the beginning of wisdom. This salesperson is aware they are not cashing in on their full potential and wants to learn how to improve.
Next, the “Conscious Competent” has learned and they are aware of what they have learned. For example, the salesperson who knows how to make a successful approach call and can program and execute their presentation to achieve their objectives.
Finally, the “Unconscious Competent” They have learned so well that they use their knowledge with a semi-automatic skill. They are free to devote their efforts to the needs of others. The professional salesperson who does the right things to get results, but functions without conscious attention to what they are doing or why.
Note that I say semi-automatic. Even the “Unconscious Competent” should have the ability and the sharpness to call forth self-awareness.
Purposeful self-awareness, plus a knowing application of skill, generates maximum personal horsepower.
The handmaiden of creativity is imagination. Imagination is the well that brings forth the new ideas that are essential to our growing success.
Je pense, donc je suis (I think therefore I am) Descartes
Je suis parce que je pense (I am because I think) JF