Perceptive Thinking and Prerogative Skills
We tend to forget that we as humans, have the reserved right
to change our minds. The reasons for changing one’s mind can be many and
complex in nature but irrespective, we have that right and should not be
criticized for doing so.
It should be become a mandatory and not so difficult
process to understand but always an option left open to rectify any mistaken
calculations or decisions made in the past. The best way to recognize the
rationality to change your mind is to review your thoughts and beliefs on the
original concept you perceived or understood.
Hence we should always take this opportunity to take
better control of ourselves, our emotions and our thoughts when the opportunity
presents itself. During this practice, we are sorting out the filters we put in
place to further clarify what was once our original thought and compare it to
the new information received by filtering the distorted messages and
information.
This is not a sign of weakness or an indicator there
something wrong with your thought process or decision making mechanisms.
Rather, it demonstrates a deliberate attempt to sort out the facts from the
formerly attained perceptions and make the appropriate adjustments needed as
the situation warrants them to be revised or amended.
So how do we breakdown our original perception and what
do we need to do in order to re-visit or re-structure our thinking manner. We
need to admit that there may be flaws with the way we perceived the problem to
exist when approached with it at the beginning.
Some human errors are:
We tend to make simple or quick decisions by
over-generalizing things that we are addressing or dealing with at the time of
making the decision. This is a flaw that can be corrected by taking the time to
become more detail specific and find out what went wrong or would could go
wrong with your analysis based on your first impression.
Guilty of this at times myself, we tend to assume (yes, I
know) that we know what the other person is thinking and jump to conclusions
using this “mind-reading” trick instead of confirming what they are really
thinking out loud. The “proof is in the pudding” when they express their ideas,
desires or wants. Listening skills are vital at this juncture of the problem
solving game.
We are all guilty of envisioning the “sky is falling”
mentality where we catastrophize something more than it really is. Blowing
things out of proportion or exaggerating is a human flaw we need to be aware of
at all times. Expecting a doomsday scenario shuts down any positivity in your
experience and could cause your perception to wander in the wrong direction.
We tend to lean heavily on the “lessons learned” syndrome
where we anticipate the outcome or result based on previous events or
experiences. Just like jumping to conclusions or mind-reading you are now
engaged in fortune telling without any basis to do so.
There are no concrete facts or evidence to guide your
thinking and most of the time, this kind of behavior is negative and
destructive in nature. So how do we prevent making these basic yet important
mistakes? How do we recognize specific behaviors and learn how to re-address
your energies to the positive flow of things so you don’t use your initial
hunches or guesses as a basis for making a decision?
You need to take a few steps that will
help your cognitive skills and decision making qualities. Some simple steps to
follow are:
Make an initial assessment and
collaborate the information accurately and keep the analysis focused on being
positive and productive. Make a goal and keep that goal in sight at all times.
If working alone, make sure you have sufficient data or information to make a
good decision. Don’t be afraid to seek more input or information.
What is your agenda? What do you want to gain out of this
discussion and how does your mind work more effectively and create steps to
ensure you remain on track and follow up on your initial goals set. Organize
your thoughts and depend on your skills, knowledge and even instincts to guide
you through the process.
Is your head clear? Are you open to collaborative
suggestions and ideas? Are you under stress and need to break away from the
discussion temporarily to regroup your thoughts? There is nothing wrong with
taking a time out if you are under pressure to make the right decision the
first time around.
Distorted facts often come from working at the wrong
level when deciding on a decision. Keep it simple but practical. Pay attention
to your thoughts, your visions and your intuitive abilities. Lower your stress
by discussing and addressing concerns brought up during the discussion. Don’t
be afraid to repeat the process to work out any doubts.
Rely on notes, recordings or visual aids to remind you or
to retain information essential to the problem at hand. Use different strategies
to deal with the entire topic of discussion and reach out to others if you need
more information or help with what you have.
Focus on your goals – don’t drift away from what you
started. Maintain a physical or mentally developed structure so you can log or
track your progress. Avoid being distracted or diverted to other subjects until
you finish the one you are working on. Rely on your notes to come back to those
you set aside.
Always follow up on your work. Never take it for granted
it is completed or done in the action tasks required to make a good decision.
Incompleteness often leads to failure as you fail to address the “what ifs”
during the analysis or assessment process that gives you a second chance to
catch your mistakes.
Never forget to ask for comments or feedback if the
decision was a group based decision with collective methods in place. Suggest
a follow up meeting on tracking or maximizing the goals, efforts brought forth
and progress. If this was an individual effort, make sure you collect your
notes, and schedule a review period so you can do the same thing.
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