Style of Thinking
Optimal Thinking is the language of our best self. It empowers us to be our best
and stops us from
settling for second best. With Optimal Thinking, our highest self takes charge. We choose our
best option in any given moment and experience the results of our own best thoughts.
When thinking Optimally, you are not concerned with others' concepts of "the best." You are not in
competition with anyone. You are concerned with what "the best" means to you and you attach
your own value to it. Of course, "the best" has a different meaning for each of us.
When considering the purchase of a gift for a loved one or coworker, one Optimal Thinker may
think that the best choice is the highest quality available, and isn't concerned with price.
Another may choose the gift that offers the most value relative to price.
When you use this superlative form of thinking, you choose the best actions to accomplish
what's most important to you. You automatically use words like "best," "wisest," "greatest,"
"most productive," "supreme," and "maximize."
You take the most constructive actions to fulfill your ultimate purpose, and can
inspire others to be all they can be. Your thinking is your best friend and is truly in your best interest.
Optimal Thinking is not optimism (hoping for the best). Optimal Thinking is optimal realism. Optimal Thinkers eliminate unnecessary
disappointment, because they entertain realistic expectations and focus on optimizing situations
within their control. Optimal Thinkers embrace reality and ask: What's the best thing I
can do under the circumstances? When the stakes are high, they employ an Optimal
contingency plan against the worst-event scenario to minimize danger and negative consequences.
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Extraordinarily Positive Thinking |
Extraordinarily positive thinkers think in terms of being more than ordinary, unusually great, and exceptional.
They prefer to think beyond the realms of mediocrity. They like to challenge the limited thinking of most people. They use words like "remarkable," "brilliant," "outstanding," "great," and "high achiever".
Many extraordinary thinkers refuse to give in to seemingly insurmountable limitations and obstacles.
Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb when everyone believed it wasn't possible.
He succeeded after ten thousand attempts.
When the world believed it couldn't be done, Roger Bannister ran the mile in four minutes.
We don't know exactly how these people achieved their successes, but we do know that they courageously challenged and surpassed the conventional thinking of their time.
Their extraordinary thinking may or may not have produced the best possible outcome, but it certainly provided the mental foundation for exceptional results.
Although extraordinarily positive thinking is beyond the realm of mediocrity, it is suboptimal, and is not entirely in our best interest.
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Mediocre Thinking (Positive, Neutral or Negative) |
Mediocre thinkers think in moderate, middle of the road terms.
They feel comfortable being considered average in their thinking and actions. When people ask
them how they are, they automatically respond with "not bad," "okay," or "pretty good."
However, their lives lack luster because they are not realizing their potential. They are
settling for second best.
American business writer Lou Vickery believes: "Nothing average ever stood as a monument to
progress. When progress is looking for a partner it doesn't turn to those who believe that they
are only average. It turns instead to those who are forever searching and striving to become
the best they possibly can. If we seek the average level, we cannot hope to achieve a higher
level of success. Our only hope is to avoid being a failure."
Best-selling author Stephen Covey suggests: "You have to decide what your highest priorities are
and have the courage -- pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically -- to say 'no' to other things.
And the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside. The enemy of the 'best'
is often the 'good.'"
American actor and critic Uta Hagen believes: "We must overcome the notion that we must be
regular. It robs us of the chance to be extraordinary and leads us to the mediocre."
Because mediocre thinking is suboptimal thinking, it does not support your best interests.
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Because optimistic thinkers (wishful thinkers) hope for the best, they frequently persist toward
goals when others give up. As a result of their persistence, they can achieve extraordinary success.
Optimists tend to believe that a defeat is
simply a temporary setback, and that it is confined to a specific scenario. Confronted by
difficult situations, optimists try harder. The optimist's motto is "Don't worry, be happy!"
Human beings thrive on hope. We need to believe that our efforts lead us
to our goals to find meaning in our activities. However, hope often betrays us.
It blinds us to clear and obvious danger and leads us to
courses of action and inaction that can eventually result in the loss of our property,
our livelihood, our freedom, and even our lives.
Throughout history, millions have
perished due to stubborn, misguided optimism.
For example, Hitler made his intentions brutally clear in Mein Kampf,
yet neither the British nor American governments took heed until the Wehrmacht
crossed the Polish border.
An optimist might believe that countries who have lucrative economic contracts with others would divide their loyalties for noble reasons.
When the cost of failure and/or the probability of failure are high, optimism is the
wrong strategy.
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Extraordinarily Negative Thinking |
Extraordinarily negative thinkers often think negatively about themselves,
about others, and about their circumstances. They frequently focus on what's wrong, limitations,
or on destructive viewpoints and they may have serious doubts about the workability of
situations. Their thinking is often their worst enemy.
Although negative thinking is often detrimental and scorned by many in society today, it is
valuable. Negative thinking enables us to define and express our vulnerability,
integrate trauma, and grieve the meaningful losses in our lives. It also warns us of
imminent danger. Negative thinking cautions us against investing our hard-earned money in
fraudulent get-rich-quick schemes, or against diving into deep water when we don't know how
to swim. It is necessary in any design process to anticipate flaws in products, services, and
projects so that they can be rectified.
Negative thinking serves as an optimization signal. It's not how low we fall, it's how quickly we optimize that counts!
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