In today’s article, we will be discussing how critical thinking and creativity go hand in hand. Critical thinking lets you look objectively at a problem, issue, object, or person and take into consideration the entire picture. Creativity enables you to take that entire picture and look at it in a new way. While some may think of critical thinking as more scientific, while creative thinking is more abstract, they’re more alike than they are different.
Critical Thinker or Creative Person?
The creative person is likely to be seen as an imaginative and emotional type such as artists, writers, and philosophers. A critical thinker is more likely to be thought of as a scientific genius who may be skeptical and lacking in imagination and creativity. Both types are masters of the thought process.
Critical Thinking
Noun… disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence: The questions are intended to develop your critical thinking.
The reasoning process of critical thinking shows imagination to be able to proceed to the next level. Critical thinking is present in creativity by carrying the thought process further than critical thinking logic. And then presenting it in a creative light. Great critical-thinking minds such as Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin could never have brought their inventions to light without the streaks of creative thinking that took them beyond the realm of logic.
Similar Attributes in Both
Here are some attributes that are similar in both critical and creative thinkers:
Interested in exploring new possibilities.
Challenge assumptions and standard ways of thinking.
Imagining alternatives to a situation or problem.
Have multiple perspectives on everything.
Use trial and error experimentation methods.
Thinks about new ways of doing things.
The phases involved in critical and creative thinking are also similar. For example, both types of thinking are triggered by a thought or even that takes the thinking process outside the realm of common thinking. Then, the thoughts are appraised and clarified. This opens the door for ways to explore the thought and how to present it to others. This leads to developing alternative ways to think and then implementing the thinking process through inventions, writing, art, or ideas. Sounds so simple.
Self-confidence and Thinking Ability
Both types of thinking also require a large measure of self-confidence and the ability to think of and present multiple ways to view a situation or problem. To promote both critical and creative thinking, a person should have an inquiring mind that drives them to read. To engage in out-of-the-box thinking, and to try things that are outside what they would usually do to try.
Critical and creative thinking can complement each other by bringing new ideas and ways of thinking into your life. Have you ever thought of things this way before? If not, you might be missing out on new ways to step up your game in your business.
We would love to help you up your game in your business. All you need to do is schedule aFREE session with us to see where we can help you.
In today’s article, we’re going to be discussing the 5 key steps to critical thinking. So, if you’re on a quest to become a more critical thinker – that is, analyzing a situation before acting on it or forming an opinion based on things, there are five key steps that you should use to use critical thinking to your best advantage.
So what is critical thinking anyway? According to Dictionary.com, it’s considered a noun with the explanation below.
Critical Thinking
noun, disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence: The questions are intended to develop your critical thinking.
Here are the 5 key steps:
Practice problem-solving techniques
Begin by thinking about one particular problem you have. Do this when you have some spare time (such as driving in the car or walking on the treadmill). First, make sure the problem is clear in your mind. Then, figure out what information you need to solve the problem. With all of the information clear in your mind, interpret it and begin to visualize ways to solve the problem. You may need to revise your strategy several times before acting on the situation.
Stop wasting time
Although we all waste time, some of that time can be used to think through situations or problems and solve them rather than regret later on that we didn’t do enough. Become more aware of your wasted time and begin to take advantage of the time by practicing critical thinking. For example, rather than playing a game on your iPhone for an hour, think back on the day you just had. How could it have been better?
Redefine situations
Rather than making up your mind immediately about a situation, use the opportunity to rethink your decision. This is especially helpful if you have a negative situation in your life. For example, if you lose a job you didn’t particularly like, think about the opportunities you now have to make a better life for yourself. Turning a negative into a positive with critical thinking can help you think of strategies to solve a bad situation.
Develop a sense of awareness
Heightened awareness can make you more intellectually sound. Your thinking will become clearer and you’ll realize the significance of what’s happening around you. For example, you may want to keep a journal of what you see, hear, and read about during your waking moments. Attempt to explain it in the most clear, concise way you can. You can use analogies or pictures to illustrate what you observed.
Analyze the influences in your life
Whom and what are you most influenced by? Are you in some clubs or groups (or perhaps a church) that have requirements for your beliefs and attitudes? Think about the pressures these influences are making in your life and if it could be better if you were away from those influences.
The more you practice, the more critical thinking will become natural to you. You’ll begin to be able to quickly think about and analyze a situation to see if it has real value in your life.
We can help you create a flexible plan to work on your goals when it comes to your critical thinking skills. Book a free call with us today: Book Here
10 Tips & 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Business Negotiations
How are your negotiating skills? You may not realize it, but negotiating is something you do every day. So developing good negotiation skills is important both in business and life. To become a great negotiator, you need to master a specific set of skills. Luckily, anyone can do it – all it takes is awareness and practice. This article will show you the 10 Tips and 10 Mistakes to avoid when entering business negotiations. It’s a very hot topic right now as we’ve seen in some groups on Facebook.
Here are 10 tips to help you improve the outcomes and value of all your negotiations, along with 10 common mistakes to avoid.
10 Tips When Entering Negotiations
Tip #1 – Set the Scene
Create an environment that’s conducive to a successful negotiation. It should be relaxing, with few distractions. Don’t use a meeting room or other venue that might feel cold and intimidating. It should be casual so that you can foster a personal connection.
Tip #2 – Aim for a Win-Win
The goal of negotiation isn’t just to get what you want. Good negotiation results in both parties walking away happy with the results. When preparing and discussing with the other party, focus on what ideas would benefit both parties, not just one.
Tip #3 – Start with Areas of Agreement
Open the discussion by stating your areas of agreement. Give the other party a chance to correct or clarify. Once you’ve established this, you have a positive foundation on which to tackle disagreements.
Tip #4 – Prioritize Your Objectives
Before the meeting, list your objectives. Choose one or several things you want to get out of the negotiation. Prioritize these so you can focus on the most important first. You may not get everything you want, but you’ll get the ‘must-haves’ that will render the negotiation a success.
Tip #5 – Do Your Homework
How well do you know the other party? Research and get to know them. Know their objectives and try to anticipate what they will say when you discuss yours. Understanding the other party is essential for choosing concessions and alternative ideas.
Tip #6 – Prepare Concessions
Choose a few concessions – things you could give up or add to the deal that would benefit the other party. Planning these ahead of time will give you a better position from which to negotiate.
Tip #7 – Be Assertive
Be assertive. Don’t be shy about stating what you want. You’ve identified your most important objectives already, so stick to these. Discuss ideas and options, always keeping your ‘must-have’ objectives in mind.
Tip #8 – Keep an Open Mind
Although you should be assertive and stick to your most important objectives, be open-minded and ready to consider alternatives. When you discuss the points you disagree on, the other party will offer ideas. The two of you will consider various options to find something that will work.
Tip #9 – Practice Active Listening
Among other things, active listening involves repeating back to the other person what they’ve said, to check for understanding and to demonstrate your attentiveness. By paraphrasing and summarizing, you can also make sure you understand their position fully.
Tip #10 – Focus on Relationship Building
Aim for a good outcome in this negotiation, but also make it a priority to build a strong relationship with the other party. This ensures that future negotiations will be successful too.
10 Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Negotiations
Mistake #1 – Poor Planning
Never go into a negotiation without preparing adequately. You’ll need to prioritize your objectives, research the other party, plan concessions, and anticipate their objections and questions so you can respond to them.
Mistake #2 – Lack of Confidence
Don’t be intimidated! Negotiation is a discussion where you each state clearly what you want and then try to reach a mutually beneficial outcome. It’s not a battle, but a conversation. If you feel nervous, practice some mindfulness exercises and deep breathing just prior to the meeting.
Mistake #3 – Getting Straight to Business
Don’t launch straight into negotiations. Start by building rapport so you feel a personal connection with the other person. After some small talk about common interests, lead the conversation naturally into the discussion.
Mistake #4 – Thinking It’s ‘Winner Takes All’
You’ll both walk away from the meeting with some of your objectives met and some compromises made. Going into the meeting unwilling to concede anything is not negotiating, it’s steamrolling.
Mistake #5 – Forgetting about Relationships
Make sure you keep in mind the relationship you have with the other party. Try to create an outcome that not only satisfies both parties now but also paves the way to a stronger relationship going forward.
Mistake #6 – Being Aggressive
Don’t let things get emotionally heated. If you feel aggressive or hostile, this won’t lead to a good result. The discussion should be calm and measured.
Mistake #7 – Focusing on YOU
Your interests will be top of mind, but the negotiations shouldn’t be all about you. Don’t forget to acknowledge the needs of the other party and consider their perspective and objectives.
Mistake #8 – Shying away from Disagreement
Don’t be afraid to disagree. Disagreement is where you find issues to work on together, eventually reaching a solution. State disagreements in a soft and friendly way.
Mistake #9 – Failing to Nail Down the Details
Once you’ve reached an agreement, nail down the details. Decide what actions each party must take and what deliverables are needed, and then come up with clear deadlines.
Mistake #10 – Not Getting It in Writing
Get these agreement details in writing, even if it’s just in a follow-up email. This will help ensure both parties are on the same page.
10 Tips and 10 Mistakes
Which ones were your favorites? Are you making any of these mistakes? Just make sure that the contracts you’re using, spell everything out explicitly. No need for refunds, tears, or disappointments. If you need help, please reach out to us. Book a call, might be the best thing you’ve ever done for your business success. We’re here for you. Book your Free Call TODAY! Totally worth your time.
Follow these tips and avoid these mistakes and you will be well on your way to mastering the essentials of negotiation.
Want to learn more about how you can master the essentials of negotiation?
As children, many people were taught that focusing on yourself was seen as being selfish, and they believed it. Understandably, they thought it was because ‘self’ is part of the word selfish. The latter term means “…lacking consideration for others.” The good news is that self-improvement is not selfish. On the contrary, self-improvement is good for you and society.
Self-discovery, development, and improvement need to be a rite of passage for all adults simply because it’s so helpful and, simply put, develops valuable people. Plus, the benefits of continuous lifelong self-improvement are all why you need to prioritize self-improvement.
Self-Improvement
Whether it’s the fear of uncertainty, public speaking, or risk, all your fears keep you in the same position and prevent you from improving your life. Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow as they act as a compass pointing at areas that need attention.
Self-Improvement Goals
Clarify Your Vision
As you plan your personal development, it helps to envision what you want your future to look like. Some people find it helpful to write their obituary and mention each area of their life as they want it to be. They need to think of it as if they got everything they ever wanted and all their dreams came true.
Documenting your plan requires explaining the missing elements to reach the goal. For example, if your vision includes being happy and in good health; however, you eat burgers every day and never exercise. It would be best if you were realistic to be effective.
Change your Focus
Enhance Your Strengths
An effective self-development planfocuses on strengths over weaknesses. It’s not that you will ignore your weaknesses. You won’t. You can outsource, delegate, automate, and learn anything you want to know. However, focusing on what you’re naturally good at and like to do is far more efficient.
Your personal development plan requires you to perform a SWOT analysis for each area of your life to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that may exist. Therefore, focusing on your strengths will make you far more successful because it feels so good.
As you set goals and determine why you desire those goals, the process will lead you to discover your purpose. It may not be your life purpose because that may change as you learn and grow. However, it can give you a reason to keep looking for your life purpose. The continued search gives you the energy to keep going. Of course, your reasons may differ at each stage and area of your life. The principal factor is that the planning will explain why as you take each step toward the goal.
Growth is Essential
Improve Your Mental Health
It feels good to understand yourself. For example, knowing why you are afraid of loud sounds can help you deal with your feelings when you hear loud sounds. Being self-aware enough to note problems with your mental health will also make it more likely that you stay healthy because you will be more likely to seek professional help if you need it. One thing personal development does well is to keep you self-aware.
Create Strong Relationships
Learning what your thoughts and feelings mean to you and how your actions affect others goes a long way toward building super-strong relationships. Whether friends or family managing your emotions and moderating your behavior turns you into someone viewed as safe and stable. In addition, being someone trustworthy helps others bond with you more.
Finally, knowing what you want and how you’ll get it makes all the difference when you get it. It’s so much easier to schedule your life balanced when you’re honest about what it takes to do what you’ve prepared yourself to do.
Claiming these benefits is as easy as starting your self-improvement journeytoday by setting your intention and creating your self-development plan. The sooner you begin your journey of self-discovery, the sooner you can start taking massive action to realize all your dreams.
Every day of your life is a new opportunity. Whether you’re going through an upheaval, merely surviving, or bored, moving forward with your life is much more satisfying than simply “moving on.”
So, if you’re ready to move forward with your life like I am, follow these simple steps below:
Stop Expecting Easy
You may have heard the saying, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Unfortunately, many things in life are daunting. Self-development is one of those things. This is because there is a learning curve, and there may be challenges concerning maintaining steady progress, especially if you’re just getting started. I bet you thought life would be easy when you were a child. Then you grow up and discover that it’s much more complicated than you thought.
It’s not always easy to get to know who you are. Examine past traumas and experiences. Weed through your inner conflicts, and fight to become who you want to be. While this is not easy, it is a straightforward process that can lead you to succeed. And when you grow, you will feel like you can climb any mountain that gets in your way. Ask me, I know.
Expand your Knowledge
Stop Living in The Past
While you want to understand why you think and do certain things, avoid living in the past. Address the past by accepting that it happened. Work through your past by getting treatment for something negatively affecting your current situation. However, don’t allow yourself to live in the past because the contentment you seek is in the here and now.
When you focus on the present and learn from the past, you ensure that you’re well cared for. And when you do that, your future is almost certainly taken care of too. After all, the actions you take today to inform your future. All you can get from the past is a list of steps you took that worked versus actions you took that did not. Let the rest go.
How to Improve your Life
Stop Waiting for Perfection
If you’ve heard yourself described as a perfectionist, don’t take it as a compliment. It’s not. The best time to begin your next goal is now. There is no perfect outcome even if you follow your plans to a T. There is no time like now for getting started on anything you want to do. Find the worksheet I created for this to help you with your plans. Download it and fill it out. If you need help, I’m always available. Just set up a quick call with me here.
Instead of thinking thoughts like, “I’ll be happy when I reach my weight loss goal.” Or “I’ll start my business when my child is older.” Anytime you start a thought with “I’ll do this when…” stop yourself because most of the time, there is no real reason to put off your goals.
Stop Doubting
One way to squash doubt is to do your due diligence regarding research for all your goals. Here’s the thing, if it’s possible for someone, it’s probably also possible for you. There are very few cases where only one person can do something. You can learn anything and do whatever you want or at least something close to it. You need a plan of action and follow up on it step by step.
Plan Ahead
Start Planning and Doing
Once you let go of the fact that life can be challenging, and the past harmed you, and perfection and release yourself from doubt, you can start planning. You will feel better by learning to set goals in a way that leaves you with an innovative action plan that gets results. Then, use that plan to start the most critical thing in your life, the doing. Doing will move you forward more than anything else will.
After you let go of expectations and stop focusing on the impossible, you’ll see success. Once you create specific goals and follow your plan, you’ll finally start experiencing success. But don’t skip the very last step. You really must “do” to move forward in your life.
