A thought by John Townsend from his
book, Leading From Your Gut (p. 54). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click
on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
So, I want to understand, don’t you?
John says, “The simplest definition of
thought is an idea in the mind. In other words, a thought
is some solution, brainstorm, strategy, insight, or observation. It can be
about anything, but in the context of leadership, we’re generally referring to
thoughts about people, opportunities, and problems, which are the things you
need to concentrate on.
“A helpful way to look at thoughts is
to contrast them with reactions. When you react to a situation, you
don’t act freely and independently. It’s more of a knee-jerk response. You make
decisions based on internal factors ranging from fear, emotional impulse, and
passion to old habits or people’s opinions. While positive reactions can be fun
(a quick joke in a meeting that eases tension), negative reactions can be
detrimental to your leadership and can shortchange your impact. In contrast to
reactions, thoughts look at alternatives, weigh consequences, consider
costs and benefits, and exercise judgment. Certainly thinking can be taken to
the extreme—the ‘paralysis of analysis’—but in the main, those who think
thoroughly tend to make better decisions and tend to treat people in a way that
makes people want to follow them.”
“Later he shares, “You need to be
intentional about keeping your mind in shape. There is a growing body of
research that indicates we ‘use it or lose it’ as we age. This is especially
true with things like memory, vocabulary, and mathematics. Even if you don’t
retain all your mental abilities, you may be able to keep sharper during the
time you exercise your brain. For example, several times a week, I try to work
out with an electronic game gadget designed to improve mental functioning. My
sons give me a hard time about not playing more fun games with the gadget, but
it’s no game to me. I want as much mind as I can have for as long as I can have
it.”
One of the reasons I have this blog is
for me to five days a week exercise my brain even after I have retired. No matter our age let’s not waste the brain
God has given us, okay?
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