Becoming a Good Thinker (part 2)

As a continuation of my last post I want to give some practical ways you can become a good thinker. I believe there is a process that needs to be developed if you want to be a better creator of thought.

1. Expose yourself to good imput: Good thinkers always look for things to get the process started. My rhythm seems to be reading books, listening to podcasts, magazines, spending time with good thinkers, and when something intrigues me (whether it is some else's idea or the seed of an idea that I've come up with - keep it in front of you).

2. Expose yourself to good thinkers: Spend time with the right people. I try to be kind to everyone I meet, but there is a difference when you choose to seek out those to spend time with. Those people challenge my thinking, creativity, they are constantly trying to grow and learn. The writer of Proverbs observed this to be true when he wrote, "As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another" Pro 27:17

3. Choose to think good thoughts: It is easy to be discouraged and be cynical to the things around you. But its harder to think good thoughts. You must be a believer of something better.

4. Act on your good thoughts: Ideas have a short shelf life, you must act on them before the expiration date.

5. Allow your emotions to create another good thought: I've counseled many people over the 20 plus years of ministry and in the consulting work I do now. In that process I discovered that for some people the greatest challenge to becoming a good thinker is their emotional baggage . Past hurts or current worries prevent them from spending productive time thinking. To start the thinking process you can't wait till you feel like it. I have found that when you engage the thinking process you can use your emotions to feed the process and gain momentum.

6 Repeat the process: One good thought doesn't make your life. You have to be continual in the process in order to be known as a good thinker.

No matter your circumstance you can become a good thinker