Big Thoughts for Big Results!

by: Louise LeBrun & Gwen McCauley

You already know that if you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're right! Funny how 'thinking' occupies so much of our time. Yet do we ever stop to ponder what that really is, or more importantly, what it creates.

Think about your work. When you think about where you go, the documents you work with, the technology you use, you're thinking at a level called 'environment'. That kind of thinking relates to the physical experience of your work; the things you see and touch. However, when you think about the people you work with, how they act, the way you interact, who you get along with and who you don't, you're thinking at the 'behaviour' level. Notice that now you've moved from inanimate to animate. Movement has appeared… and movement is a sign of life!

When you move from inanimate to animate, you've raised your thinking to a higher level. To paraphrase Einstein, 'the problems of today cannot be resolved at the same level of thinking that created them'. You must move your thinking to a level higher if you want to make a difference.

Moving higher than 'behaviour' takes you to 'capability'. This has to do with your ability to take action; to say 'no' instead of always saying 'yes'; to hold your ground, change your mind or act on your instincts instead of waiting for logic and its insatiable appetite for data.

Higher still is the thinking that drives the way you live; what you call 'truth' and what you call 'betrayal'. This level deals with beliefs, values and attitudes - yours and those of others - and how they shape your life… and your results.

Move higher still, and you go beyond what is and into the realm of what might become: thoughts of potential and possibility; thoughts of 'what if' and 'why not'. Creativity is an act of thinking that requires you to let go of what you know and allow uncertainty to shape itself and become your tomorrow.

The highest level of thinking - the one that makes the game worthwhile - is the level of connection. Connection to your authentic self, the one you really know yourself to be; to others; to your environments and all who occupy them; to your values and your willingness to take action to allow your world to unfold in its reflection.

And more important than any of these are the choices you make, from one level to another, each choice placing you squarely on the path to its natural, unfolding consequence. How mindfully are you choosing? Do you choose or do you just run habits, without thinking at all? Isn't it interesting to note that your life is a tapestry that reflects the choices you've made. How do you like it so far?

This article was originally published in Australian Business Magazine, March 2002 issue. You may reproduce it in its entirety with appropriate acknowledgement of the authors.