Category: Mental Clarity

Walk Outside and Clear Your Mind

If I stay alone in my office or alone in my home, I begin to believe my own thinking without question.

The mind is a dangerous place to go alone. I heard a person say one time that people should never go into their mind alone. “They do drive-by shootings in there.”

Of course, I can turn on the television or the radio and check something on the Internet. For me, all of these activities are diversions, but they are still forms of isolation.  I pick television shows and radio shows or Internet locations that confirm what I already believe.

If I leave my home or my office, I move into places where I see and hear people who are picking their own way of doing things and saying things that originate in their mind. I learn things that I may not have selected to learn. I get a chance to quit listening to myself, and getting a break from my own thinking can be refreshing. I will find myself thinking, “hmm, I didn’t know that” or “wow, when did those things change?”

If I stay out long enough, I become aware that I have legs and feet. I begin to notice how my shoes fit and, if I am wearing jeans, how they rub my legs and make noise when I walk.

I am going to go out. I am not getting in a car. I am going to walk. I am planning on an hour, but I will allow my body to go where my mind decides it should go as I move along. Two hours is a long time for me to be away, but the experience of moving out into the world can be so powerful and refreshing that two hours out of my office and out of my own thinking might be what I need

Intelligence, Common Sense, and Locked-In Beliefs: Understanding the Difference

In our daily lives, we often hear the terms “intelligence” and “common sense” used interchangeably. However, these two concepts, while related, are distinct in several important ways. Understanding the difference between them can help us appreciate the unique contributions each makes to our decision-making and problem-solving abilities.

What is Intelligence?

Intelligence is a multifaceted concept that encompasses a person’s ability to learn, understand, and apply knowledge. It involves various cognitive processes such as reasoning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking. Intelligence is often measured through standardized tests that assess different aspects of cognitive ability, such as IQ tests.

What is Common Sense?

Common sense, on the other hand, refers to the ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on practical knowledge and everyday experience. It is often described as “good sense” or “sound judgment” in practical matters. Unlike intelligence, common sense does not require specialized knowledge or formal education. Instead, it is acquired through life experiences and observations.

Dictionary.com defines common sense as sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.

What are “locked-in beliefs?”

Beliefs are personal convictions about what is true.

Beliefs become locked-in when people only expose themselves to input that makes them feel good.

Locked-in beliefs often have a powerful negatively emotional punch. When people read, see, or hear things that are different or contrary to their beliefs, they often get angry. Under that anger in a subtle more threatening way is fear.

People perceive these differences as threatening.  Common examples that make people threatened are politics, race or ethnicity, religion, even sports rivalries.

The most common sources of information that strengthen the lock of our beliefs include politically-based cable news networks, political talk show radio, politically slanted newspaper articles, social media, or any other source of information that is consistent with our beliefs.

People can challenge their limiting beliefs by acknowledging them and questioning them as facts.

How Locked-In Beliefs Close Your Mind to Opportunities to a Better life

While intelligence refers to the broader ability to learn, reason, and solve problems, common sense is a more practical form of judgment used in everyday situations, and beliefs are personal convictions about the world, often shaped by experiences and culture, which may or may not align with factual knowledge or logic; essentially, intelligence is about cognitive capacity, common sense is about practical application of knowledge, and beliefs are personal convictions about what is true.

Beliefs,on the other hand, create a platform that defies intelligence and common sense. They can divide people, destroy friendships, and lead people to make decisions and act when these decisions and acts are not in a person’s best interests.

People do many ways to think clearly.

Here are five of them.

Make lists.  For me, having a list of things to do helps me clear my mind.  Working with my list, I can think of one thing at a time.  I can focus on what I am doing.

Write things out.  When I am worrying about something or angry about something, I can write down what is bothering me.  I can write something as simple as, “I am angry at John, because he took criticized me in front of the other people in the meeting.”

Take responsibility for my actions.  When I make mistakes, I can admit my mistakes.  When I have offended someone, I can clear my mind by saying to that person that I regret what I said or did and that if I had it to do over, I would hopefully handle things differently.  Strangely, when I admit that I am wrong, I stop being angry or resentful.

Take breaks.  For me, a break can take many different forms.  I can step away from my desk and take a short walk.  I can spend time organizing things around my office.  Once a day, I stop for twenty-five minutes to lie down and focus on letting my muscles relax.  I just become aware of which part of my is not relaxed and release the tension.

Reduce distractions. I cannot watch a television program and listen to a person at the same time.  I cannot type on my computer and learn anything from a podcast at the same time.  Whenever I am expecting myself to handle two mental tasks simultaneously, I am not able to think clearly.

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