Critical thinking doesn’t equal higher intelligence. In layman’s terms, it’s just a more logical way to think about solutions from all angles.

Some of us may have stronger critical thinking skills than others, but we can all learn how to improve and develop our mind.

Here are some suggestions that can help you strengthen your critical thinking skills:

1. Clarify. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve. You won’t be able to reasonably analyze a situation and locate a solution if you’re not completely clear on what you’re trying to accomplish!

• It’s also important that you place your own feelings about the situation aside. You cannot get a clear understanding of the issue if you have prejudiced opinions and biases about it.

2. Attempt to find a solution. Take some time with a pen and paper to define all possibilities. At this time you’ll also want to map out how you’ll be able to reach each of these solutions.

• Include the benefits and challenges of each solution. To learn how to improve and develop your critical thinking skills, you must be open to new ideas, so try and incorporate as much as you can into your list.

3. Information. Next, gather as much information as possible to support all the solutions you’re considering, as well as information you need to refute them.

• Considering your solutions from all angles will keep you from making a haphazard decision, which would not be classified in the realm of critical thinking.

4. Learn how to analyze. Now you have a problem, a list of solutions, and all the information you need to support or refute each of those decisions. So what do you do with it all?

• You’ll need time to analyze everything. Take everything into consideration and don’t assume anything. Make sure you have irrefutable evidence to back everything up. The more you practice this, the better you’ll ultimately get at it, so keep plugging away.

5. Conclude. Make an intelligent conclusion to your original problem. Make sure you have the documentation to back up and prove your decision. Always make sure this is a reasonable conclusion that is relatively simple to put into action.

• If you’ve put the time and effort into analyzing the problem and gathering the information, your conclusion should be able to support itself.

Final Thoughts on Critical Thinking

By following the steps explained here, you have just used your critical thinking skills! Though it may seem unnatural at first, as with everything, as you continue to practice these strategies, your critical thinking skills will continue to improve and develop.

Thinking critically can help you with many aspects in your life. Keep practicing these skills on a regular basis and soon you’ll enjoy the benefits of better decisions and superior choices!

You might also like these similar posts:

• No Related Post

Don’t you sometimes wonder why you feel bored? It may be a feeling of laziness, exhaustion, or even a lack of mental stimulation.

Whatever the case may be, we all want to keep our mind and body at its peak. We also want to be an active player in our own lives. When we’re feeling bored, neither of these needs is being met.

However, with a bit of creativity, there’s no reason why you ever need to experience boredom!

Here are some simple suggestions to help you conquer boredom and liven things up:

1. Read. This sounds rather obvious, doesn’t it? Well, it is! But it’s often the simplest ideas that are the most powerful.

• Reading is a wonderful activity for the mind that can transport you into another time, place or situation. With so many genres to choose from, reading can be most interesting and even intoxicating.

• If you’ve never been an avid reader, it’s possible that you simply haven’t found the right book. Experiment until you find the one that gets you hooked. You can also explore audio books and podcasts to keep your mind busy.

2. Sing. You may not sound like Whitney Houston, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying music. Play some of your favorite tunes and sing at the top of your lungs!

• Music provides fun, relieves stress, and can help you forget that the word “bored” was ever in your vocabulary!

3. Cook. Get in the kitchen and try some new recipes. Remember, this isn’t about perfection. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re a four star chef or can’t cook worth a dime. This is about keeping the boredom at bay, while being an active player in your life.

• Try a new recipe each week to add some interest to your dinner menus.

4. Adopt a pet. Animals are wonderful companions. They’re loving, non-judgmental, and provide us with unconditional love. Animals also keep us feeling active and young. Most importantly, though, they keep us busy.

• If you have a pet as a constant companion, you’ll never feel alone and you’ll make many wonderful memories together.

5. Cultivate your mind. Boredom is something we allow and hold control over. By actively using our mind, boredom won’t be a concern again. Try expanding and cultivating your mind by taking a day trip to a museum, going to an art exhibit, or seeing a play.

• Do something you’ve never done before. Find an activity that brings you new knowledge and skills. You may even discover some new talents you didn’t know you had when you take the initiative to try new things.

6. Take advantage of the Internet. The Internet is a pantheon of information, and can be a great “boredom terminator,” but there’s also a lot of mindless drivel. If you decide to spend time online to combat your boredom, use that time wisely.

• Each time you use the computer, attempt to walk away knowing something new. It’ll not only keep you busy, but you’ll expand your mind as well.

No one enjoys being bored, but thankfully there are countless ways to overcome boredom and get our mind and body active again. Use these tips to get you started, and enjoy a myriad of wonderful benefits in the process.

You might also like these similar posts:

• No Related Post

“Arriving at one point is the starting point to another.”
John Dewey

“Coming together is a Beginning. Keeping together is Progress. Working together is Success.”
Henry Ford

“Always bear in mind, that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”
Abraham Lincoln

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Andre Gilde

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
Aesop

“It’s so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.”
Anne Gottlier

“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.”
Aldous Huxley

“Life is like a staircase, you have to go up each stair to reach the top.”
Unknown

“If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
Abraham Harold Maslow

You might also like these similar posts:

• No Related Post

Listed below, are 5 self esteem affirmations you can use to boost your confidence.

“I forgive myself for my mistakes”

“I am healthy and deserve all the benefits of a healthy lifestyle”

“I allow myself outside of my comfort zone”

“I am raising the bar on self education self talk and self development”

“I am a beautiful work in progress.”

You’ll see the best results if you pick one or two of these affirmations and recite them to yourself at least twice a day. Once when you first wake up, and once right before you go to bed.

TIP: Take a look at these daily affirmations, and see if they don’t inspire you to be who you TRULY are.

As a side note, it’s best if you don’t just read the affirmations. Instead feel and believe the words as you recite them. And as a result, low self esteem will be a thing of the past for you, in no time at all.

You might also like these similar posts:

• Using Positive Affirmations for Self Esteem

Focusing on phrases such as: “That was dumb,” “I’m fat,” “No one loves me,” and other negative statements can easily zap the happiness right out of your life.

Fortunately, you can use daily affirmations for self esteem to turn your negativity around.

Affirmations can actually reprogram your subconscious thinking and bring you a host of good benefits that you’ll enjoy for years to come!

Here are some easy ways to incorporate positive affirmations into your life:

#1 – Affirmations should always be in the present tense.

Begin your statements with “I can” “I have” or “I am,” instead of a phrase like “I will” or “I may.”

Examples of this would be “I have a beautiful body” and “I am so intelligent,” instead of “I will never be so stupid again.” Choose statements that focus on the positive attributes you want to encourage, saying them as if you already exhibit that behavior.

#2 – Address yourself by name when expressing your affirmations.

Believe it or not, this does make a big difference. When you say: “I, Jane Doe, am a beautiful person both inside and out,” it makes your affirmation more powerful because you hear the lovely sound of your own name! Using your name in the affirmations allows your subconscious to process the words even quicker.

#3 – Focus on one or two affirmations to start with.

Although you possess many positive attributes, it’s best to focus only on one or two when you’re first starting out. If you start with twenty positive affirmations, your subconscious may be overwhelmed or dismiss the deeper meaning.

For example, if you meet someone who goes on and on about how great and beautiful you are, what’s your reaction? Usually after the second or third compliment, you tend to wonder if this person is actually being sincere! The same principal applies to practicing many affirmations at once.

Focus on one or two, and when they’re firmly planted into your subconscious, you can move on to more.

#4 – Practice your affirmations as often as possible.

Our subconscious mind is more open to suggestions when we first open our eyes in the morning and then again when we’re ready to fall asleep at night. The more often you recite your affirmations, the faster you’ll experience lasting changes.

#5 – Don’t fret if you’re having trouble writing your affirmations.

There are many books and self-improvement websites that include hundreds of good, daily affirmations. You can then pick out one or two that you’d like to focus on and get started.

Don’t let something as insignificant as not being able to compose a positive mantra hold you back from making changes and incorporating happiness into your life!

Low self-esteem is something that holds us back from living the life we deserve. By using positive affirmations for self esteem, you can rebuild your confidence and experience the joy of life you’ve been missing. Try it and you’ll love it!

You might also like these similar posts:

• 5 Daily Affirmations For Self Esteem

Stressful issues like job loss, broken relationships, or sickness can lower our self-esteem. We tend to take the blame and feel that, if we were “better,” these things wouldn’t have happened in the first place. When thinking rationally, we may realize that this is untrue, but it’s harder during times of struggle to feel good about ourselves!

Here are some simple strategies you can use to give your self-esteem a boost during trying times:

1. Focus on the positive. Yes, negative things can happen in your life, but this must not be your only focus. As I’m sure you’ve heard before: “Things could be worse.” Try to turn your attention onto what you have that is good.

• Whether it’s wonderful children, a terrific spouse, or a roof over your head, focus on what is positive and special in your life.

• Not only will this make you feel better about your current situation, but you’ll also realize that these good things would not have been possible without you.

• It’s time to understand that you are a positive influence in the lives of many. Realistically, everyone has to deal with difficult times as a part of growing and maturing. Try to remember that “this too shall pass” and keep your chin up.

2. Take time for you. With all that’s happening in your life right now, you’re under a lot of stress. This obviously isn’t helping your feelings of low self-esteem. More than likely, you’re not taking any time out for the most important person in your life: you.

• Allow some time to relax and regroup. It will do wonders for your mindset! Make the time to do something that you thoroughly enjoy doing. It can be alone or with family or a trusted friend – whatever relaxes you the most.

• Read a book, take a bubble bath, make some cookies, or dance around the house to your favorite music. Anything that can relieve some of that stress you’re feeling will make a big difference.

3. Believe that things will get better. The power of the mind is amazing. If you’re in a situation that you truly believe is hopeless, your chances of changing that situation worsen greatly. If you believe things can and will get better, your chances of improving the situation are greatest.

• Knowing that things will improve will also help you feel more confident about yourself. You’ll feel more positive heading into the right direction, and your self-esteem will increase.

Life sometimes presents us with difficult situations that we’re not prepared to deal with. During these times, consciously redirect your feelings away from the negative and towards the positive. Your self-esteem will be strengthened, along with your belief of a better outcome.

When you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, things don’t seem as dark. Use these tips to start overcoming low self esteem and anxiety, to find your light and feel better.

You might also like these similar posts:

• No Related Post