This month we have been sharing our thoughts on finding your purpose. One of the most critical aspects of being who we were meant to be revolves around our thinking. It’s important to be able to think for yourself and form your own opinions, which can be naturally achieved by some and must be consciously cultivated by others. For some, it is far too easy to follow popular trends in fashion, current affairs, and even political views rather than formulate your own points of view.
Learning to think for yourself, practicing independent thinking, helps you discover and understand your uniqueness. The following are just a few of the many benefits of independent thinking:
- Increased self-confidence, self-respect, and self-worth enabling you to evaluate and challenge popular opinions
- Trust in your ability to solve problems and assess roadblocks from all sides
- The confidence to focus on the direction you want to take without being influenced by others
- Recognizing different perspectives and exploring diverse points of view
- Gaining the respect of others by being able to articulate and stand by your beliefs
- Open to methods of self-improvement
- Owning a set of values and opinions you are comfortable sharing with the world
If thinking for yourself can result in incredible benefits such as these, you might wonder what steps you can take to heighten your own independent thinking.
Know Thyself
The famous Greek philosopher, Socrates advised his fellow Athenians: “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” What he was suggesting is that learning and understanding who each of us is as an individual is the beginning of the most important relationship in our life.
To live a full life, you have to examine every aspect of it. This includes your emotions, actions, and definitely your thoughts. Understand what motivates you to do certain things. Recognize how you feel and think about what you encounter daily.
This philosophy of self-knowledge is the building block of growing as an individual. It helps you make sound decisions that will carry you through life. Self-knowledge also helps you build healthy relationships in both your professional and personal lives.
Stay Current
An essential part of building a deeper understanding of who you are is formulating your own opinions on a variety of topics. To increase your mental resources research and read about as many topics as you can.
Begin by focusing on issues that interest you and then broaden your interests by reading (or viewing) topics that are trending in the news and on social media.
Modern technology makes it easier than ever to find out all you need to know about current topics. Once you’ve gathered information from a variety of perspectives, take the time to assess what you’ve learned which brings us to the next step: critical thinking.
Practice Critical Thinking
We face issues in our lives each day. Some are small, like forgetting to pick up your dry cleaning. Others are more serious, like asking for a raise or dealing with a break-up.
This is where critical thinking comes in. Begin by identifying the problem and gathering all the relevant data. Set aside any assumptions or judgements you may have on the topic and analyze the data you’ve gathered. Then use that information to form an opinion and ultimately make a decision about where you stand on an issue or what next steps to take.
Resist Peer Pressure
Everyone wants to be heard and acknowledged. So, if you’re asking a friend for advice, they’re likely to try and persuade you to see things from their perspective. It is rare to consult with a friend who will help you look at an issue from a number of viewpoints. If more than one friend or cohort offers the same viewpoint, you may feel more heavily persuaded or pressured in that direction.
Resist the temptation to be pressured into an opinion or action that is not your own.
Be Broad-Minded
When you stumble upon a problem, you may have to look for workable solutions in the least likely of places and from a variety of different vantage points. Weigh the pros and cons and consider who may benefit or be harmed by each solution you consider. It’s important to factor in all potential consequences and outcomes.
When you examine solutions in this way, you may find you enjoy gathering all the vital data and coming up with your own ideas and solutions. It is all part of becoming a life-long learner. The more you discipline yourself to examine an issue from as many perspectives as possible, thing will no longer happen in a vacuum for you. You have a process by which you synthesize and learn from new experiences. Your “self” is always evolving and that is an exciting way to live.
Stay Strong
Being flexible and standing your ground are not contradictory concepts when it comes to independent thinking. Always be open to the ideas and opinions of others, but once you know what you rightly believe and are willing to defend, then do so.
It’s another steppingstone in the process of thinking for yourself. You start by getting to know who you truly are on the inside. This includes an examination of your core values. Only then do you have a foundation from which you can evaluate all relevant data.
Examine an issue from as many standpoints and perspectives as you can, weighing each against your foundational beliefs and values. This will help you learn to entertain new ideas, even if you don’t agree with them 100%.
Once you develop a practice of independent thinking you won’t ever again consider “going with the flow” to avoid failure or ridicule. Yes, confrontation can be challenging, but once you know what you believe in and why you believe it, you will confidently defend your opinion and may positively influence the thinking of others. Your idea may be the best one they’ve heard all day. Or it could be the ethical and right thing to do in a certain situation.
Figuring out how to think for yourself is not easy. It takes time and practice. but the effort is well worth it. Forming your own opinions requires courage, grace, and deliberate self-reflection. Once you find your foundational beliefs and are able to articulate and defend your point of view, life becomes much more manageable and loads more fun!
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out our workbook Living A Purpose-FULL Life and take it on summer vacation. You’ll find thoughtful insights into finding your unique purpose. It just might change your life! See you next week.
