“Few people think more than once or twice a year. I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.” - George Bernard Shaw
How often would you say you think?
This question was posed to the class by a wizened old Scottish professor of mine. Leaning against the podium of the lecture hall, he asked us to write down our answers.
Some people said they’re thinking whenever they’re awake, so about 16 hours a day. Others said 4-5 hours a day.
With a glint in his eyes, the white haired engineering professor, with at least a dozen patents to his name, proclaimed “I haven’t thought yet today. I’m not sure if I have at all this week.” It was a Wednesday afternoon.
There is a myth that great ideas are born of “Eureka” moments. The flash of insight that changes the world is a popular image. But the real work is what happens behind that image. The lesson for us that day was that you have to actively spend time thinking. That means you take a seat somewhere and try to think of a good idea.
But good ideas are hard to come by. How can you just sit and come up with an idea?
The answer is that you have to ask a question. That’s where the thinking process starts. There are many questions you can ask yourself, but the ones I often like to use are “Is this the best way? Am I taking the best action?”
I especially encourage young people to ask the second question. It gets you to critically think about your life, your habits, your career, your interests, and will often lead to creative solutions. In fact, these very questions are what led me to create the ILMTECH Podcast.
I came to college and started taking classes to learn. That’s a no-brainer, it’s what millions of people do. And they do it without thinking. But I paused and asked myself if there was something better for me to do with the resources I have. And that thought led to the creation of this podcast in which I get to learn all sorts of cool stuff and share it with others. It obviously took a lot more thinking to get it to where it is, but that’s where it started. You can check it out by navigating to it from the site bar up top.
But the point is that many people’s entire lives change with an idea they’ve had. Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk began their journeys with an idea. And it starts with asking these questions, with taking the time to deliberately, intentionally think. Human beings are creatures of habit; we will avoid thinking as much as we can. That’s why you can brush your teeth half asleep, for example. That’s why you can drive home while talking on the phone like you’re on autopilot. It’s useful, but most people become so lost in their habits that they never really take the time to think deeply.
Most people will stumble upon a good thought one time or another in their lives. “Once or twice a year” as George Bernard Shaw put it. But why stumble around in the dark when you have a flashlight waiting to be used? Take the time out of your day to actively think and question all of the implicit assumptions you operate on. Make it a habit, a daily brain workout. You never know which thought might change your life. After all, every great business, technology, or innovation came out of an idea.