To triumph, try first and then ‘umph’

A leader’s most potent weapon to gain success in a hugely difficult time is good thinking. In professional or personal transactions its power is always an edge. If you know the “how of things” you may not run out of a job, but if you know the “why of things” you can turn out a victorious leader. A good thinker is a problem solver. He is never short of ideas and always maintains a “hope springs eternal” mindset.

Edward de Bono, lateral thinking guru and creative maestro, parallels a thinking mind with a beautiful mind. He says, “Beauty is something that can be appreciated by others; thus a beautiful mind is a mind that can be appreciated by others. It is not a mind of a person that sits in a corner and solves very complex puzzles. It is a mind that’s valued — usually through conversation.”

A beautiful mind is achievable. You can have it if you master the process of good thinking. It is not a matter of innate intelligence or great knowledge. It is how you use your mind that will spell the difference.

How do you imbibe the habit of good thinking? How can you be a better thinker today and in the future?  Bestselling author John C. Maxwell, in his book How Successful People Think, advocates connecting to progressive methods that can guarantee a sharp mind.

• An unquenchable thirst for knowledge and information is key. You can attain this via regular exposure to good input. Look for things that get you thinking, because what you put in always impacts what comes out. Remember the adage “garbage in, garbage out.” Thus, “great ideas in, great ideas out.” Realize that knowledge has long been recognized as a key component to success. It brings power and essentially raises one man above another. Read books and trade magazines, listen to educational audio books, watch videos, follow essential blogs and have frequent conversations with other good thinkers.

• Being constantly curious about people, things, situations and ideas are good thinking boosters. Curiosity can kill the cat, but the lack of it can breed mediocrity. Never stop experimenting and be unrelenting in thinking of ways to build and diversify. If you discover a formula that works and stick to it, you’ll never know whether there’s something else that works better. As you do all these, put your observations in writing and keep it in a favorite place to stimulate your thinking. Never cease to learn, because if you do, you will cease to grow.

• Sharp people sharpen one another, just as iron sharpens iron. If you want to be a sharp thinker, be around sharp people. Network with good thinkers that can perk up your knowledge and hone skills. Reach out to other people and coalesce with individuals whose direction is to achieve success. Networking doesn’t mean sucking up to your boss, or choosing to hang out with important people only. Real networking is about building relationships at all levels inside and outside of your professional environment: colleagues, subordinates, superiors, suppliers, clients, teammates, virtual friends, and industry club co-members, among others. From these assortments, seek out and choose to spend time with people who will challenge you with their thinking and actions.

• A good thinker has an on-purpose thinking process. Be deliberate about your thinking method and choose to think good thoughts. It is best to be regularly situated in a favorable environment to think, shape, stretch, and land your ideas. Make thinking a discipline and a priority by having a “thinking schedule.” It will help fight the frenzied velocity of life that discourages premeditated views. And, as you follow your agenda, be passionate about what you have decided to think about. Love what you do and without a doubt, apt rewards will follow.

• People who zealously care will take the initiative away from those who are half-hearted. Whether you are the president of the Philippines, the busiest show-business personality or a working parent, it is dangerous not to do what you love. If you don’t have a level of passion that drives your thinking about what you’re doing day in and day out, there will be others out there more passionate who will overtake and outrun you. So loving what you do is a competitive imperative, not simply a nice thing to have.

• Ideas have a limited shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date. Think and then act. Know what you want, paint a dream, define a vision and have a clear idea about what you want to do, be, or accomplish. Put your good thoughts and deeds into goals. World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker captured it well when he remarked, “I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through — then follow through.” You may find it hard to take that first step, especially when it’s completely out of your comfort zone, but be pushed by the belief that thinkers think and doers do. Maxwell emphasizes, though, that until the thinkers do and the doers think, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary of the talkers who talk. The key is to have the daring to dream and the courage to act.

• Emotions can feed the process of good ideation and create mental momentum. Your feeling can help create another good thought. Don’t wait to feel like doing something, for you will likely never to do it. The same is true for thinking. You cannot wait until you feel like thinking to carry it out.  And after you go through the disciplined process of thinking and enjoy some success, try savoring the moment and riding the mental energy of that success. Doing this can stimulate additional thoughts and creative ideas.

• It’s a pitiful state if you are working with only one idea. Do the thinking process over and over again. One good idea does not make a successful existence. Seek alternatives. If you have one good thought and bank on it for your entire career, sooner or later you will find yourself miserable or impoverished. Thus, avoid being a one-hit wonder, a flash in the pan, a predictable speaker or a one-time inventor who spends life struggling to protect or promote a solitary idea. “Success comes to those who have an entire mountain of gold that they continually mine, not those who find one nugget and try to live on it for 50 years,” Maxwell declares. To become someone who can mine a lot of gold, you need to keep repeating the practice of good thinking.

To make your mind enriched and beautiful, Maxwell suggests doing these:

• See the big picture by looking at the world beyond your own needs and see how that leads to great ideas.

• Get focused by removing mental clutter and distractions to realize your full potential.

• Be creative by thinking in unique ways and making breakthroughs.

• Work with others on shared thoughts to compound results.

• Reflect on the past to gain a better understanding of the future. Question popular thinking, explore possibilities, practice unselfishness, and rely on the bottom line.

“Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said could not be done,” Sam Ewing pronounces. Indeed, good thinking equals a good possibility for triumph. And to triumph, you must “try” first, then “umph.” Success doesn’t come overnight. You have to incessantly expand your mind, catch your dreams, and be genuinely triumphant.

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Email bongosorio@gmail.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating. How Successful People Think is available in National Book Store.