Thinking For a Change

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx What are you thinking? Right now, yes, but what do you think about most? How do you think? Or do you think at all? Of course you think all the time, but what is the quality and nature of your thinking?
John C. Maxwell addresses these issues and more in his book, 'Thinking For a Change'. I was challenged and inspired to improve my thinking.
Thinking is like diet and exercise. I can sit in front of the television eating a sack of chips, swilling beer and complain about my health. Or I can eat properly and exercise. Maxwell demonstrates how thinking is the same. He says this: "If you are willing to change your thinking, you can change your feelings. If you change your feelings, you can change your actions. And changing your actions -based on good thinking-can change your life."
It sounds easy. Just change your thinking. But it's like diet and exercise. Jump up from in front of the TV, let the chips and beer fall to the floor, and run out the door and pound out three miles. Doesn't work, does it? It takes baby steps, resolution, day after day training, a lot of the word 'no', and plenty of the word, 'yes'.
Do you ever set aside time to just think? What if you spent an hour a week just... thinking? Not just mindless rambling, but take a pen and paper, get away from distractions, and think. Plan. Dream. Rethink.
Maxwell illustrates 11 types of thinking to exercise our mind. One type is strategic thinking. It helps us plan and set goals. Where do you want to be in six months, a year, five years?
Another thinking method Maxwell describes is Possibility Thinking. This is fun stuff! Spend time 'thinking outside the box'. I built my construction company and during the years, came up with innovative ways to deliver materials, install them, and market our product. It is so exciting to come up with something that doesn't exist.
I highly recommend this book. I'm reading it a second time, which I rarely do, but it is such quality and quantity that I need to 'get it'. Each chapter has thinking questions that I answered and I'm going to go over those again.
Is this a Motivational Minute or book review? Doesn't matter. Get the book and read it.