Are you paying a big price in your life because you aren’t able to harness your thoughts? Is planning difficult for you because your mind jumps from one thought to another. . .or is planning difficult because you can see the whole picture but can’t get the details to stand out clearly so that you can actual do it?
Unruly thoughts may be responsible for you not being able to stick to a self improvement program, to achieve lasting weight loss, to have the relationship of your dreams. . .or even to create the abundance that you desire. If you can understand that you have more control over your thoughts than you thought, you can change it.
Which of These Ways Describes How You Think Most of the Time?
Flitting Thinking: bouncing from thought to thought, like a hummingbird going from flower to flower. This is best illustrated by being in a conversation with someone and you make a quick leap to a totally unrelated subject, leaving your companion totally confused.
Linear Thinking: clear, logical, moving forward in a linear fashion from thought to thought, planning steps in a project is easy for you and so is memorizing patterns or reading instructions
BIG picture thinking: seeing the whole picture at once, like a clear vision it is laid out in front of you
All of these ways have a different place in time where they are more resourceful and efficient.
How to Utilize the 3 Ways to Increase Your Odds for Success
Flitting Thinking is brilliant for times when you need to be creative and brainstorm. If you allow your mind to free flow and go from thought to thought, allowing it free rein, creativity will manifest.
One way to help this way of thinking flow is to use a process called clustering. Choose a word, circle it and then let the others come, when they do, draw a line and put down the next word, circling it. Do it quickly, that is the key, don’t judge.
After you have brainstormed, use Big Picture Thinking, to catch a vision of what you want. If you want to,you can use a vision board, where you cut out pictures that represent what you want.
Linear Thinking is great for planning. Here is where mind mapping comes in (it has a more logical flow to it than clustering). Also, using a calendar for planning and establishing dates are all a part of linear thinking.
Everybody can do all three types of thought patterns, even if they have a preferred system to operate in. It takes practise to be able to think along different lines and it can feel awkward at first.
You didn't learn to run first, you learned to walk first, didn't you?
Do You Need Both Plan A and Plan B?
If security is one of your main core values, you probably need both. If it isn't, and one of your main core values is freedom, you can be more flexible and create Plan B on the fly, if you need to.
If you do create Plan B, realize that you can’t plan for every eventuality, even though I am the type of person who would really love it if that was the case. : D
If Plan A doesn’t work out, your flexibility of behavior gives you more options than having a detailed Plan B. If you hit a wall in your first plan, go back to the Flitting Thinking, brainstorm new ideas and see where they can lead you.
Repeat the process and catch a vision and plan from there. Life is full of surprises and can throw you a curveball, no matter how carefully you plan. How you react to it and change the game plan is up to you.
If you control the way the mind thinks, and not just what it thinks, you can steer the mind in the direction of what you really, really want.
It might be that you need to get a handle on the mountains of work that you need to do, or you want to create a dream relationship, or have more abundance than you currently do.
It's all up to you. Look at the HOW. . .and see where it takes you.
"Drive your own life. . .you deserve to, don't you?" Sherie Venner
** Photo credit by Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis
Sherie
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Comments on this entry are closed.
I like how you linked the types of thinking that we do not need to stay in one type. Depending on our goal we can switch and maybe see things in a different light.
Absolutely, Mary!! Thank you so much for commenting! : D
“understand that you have more control over your thoughts than you thought, you can change it.”
This is the key point. Sherie, it’s great how you start from this and provide a road map for change. It really is all up to the person if they choose to follow the road map. I hope they do.
It just works.
Thank you, Rob, it is a key point and it does work!
Excellent post, Sherie. The strength of this article is that it helps people identify what they do, and then where to take it from there.
Thank you, Eva!