The Power of Clear Thinking

Almost everyone thinks they are a good thinker.

But in reality, few people really are.

A truly great thinker is constantly growing and evolving.

Take a look around you: how many people do you see moving forward in life? How many people do you see solving problem after problem?

And on the contrary, how many people do you see running in circles? How many people do you see still trying to solve the same problems they were working on years ago?

The better you get at thinking, the better you get at solving problems.

1. Good Thinking Begins with Clarity

A clear thought is unambiguous.

It captures the essence of a thing and is formulated logically.

A clear thought can be communicated through a simple if-then statement. For example: if you turn on the tap, then you can get water.

Clear logic leads to clear thoughts.

IMPORTANT

Good thinking begins with clear thinking, and clear thinking begins by turning your thoughts into unambiguous, logical statements.

2. The Cycle of Action and Feedback

A clear thought leads to clear and intentional action.

When you’re thirsty, the statement “if you turn on the tap, then you can get water” leads directly to action.

And clear and intentional action leads to clear feedback.

When you go to test the tap for water, you will immediately find out whether your original thought was true or not. Either water will come out, or it won’t.

Because clear feedback proves or disproves your thought, it helps improve your understanding of the world.

Either you’ll find out that your understanding is correct or incorrect. And finding out you are incorrect helps you move closer towards correctness.

TIP

The more correct your worldview is, the better you will be at solving problems.

3. The Philosopher-King’s Secret

Marcus Aurelius earned the titles of “the last of the Five Good Emperors of Rome” and “philosopher-king” by becoming a great leader.

He became a great leader by becoming a great thinker. He became a great thinker by learning to think clearly.

And he learned to think clearly by writing a private philosophy for himself, which we now refer to as his Meditations.

In his writings, Aurelius organizes his thoughts in a logical way, reflecting on the relationship between his actions and their effects.

If you want to improve your ability to solve your own problems, it would be wise to do the same.

4. Formulating Your Own Logic

Organize your thoughts.

Reduce their ambiguity and make them clear by turning them into simple if-then statements.

Let’s formulate a clear, logical thought: “If I publish a how-to video with a philosopher in the title, then it will get over 100,000 views.”

That is a clear thought with clear logic. That thought leads to clear action: writing the video and publishing it.

Once published, you get clear feedback. You find out if that thought is true or false.

And by improving your understanding of the world, you are better equipped to solve your problems.

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

The formula is simple, but execution requires discipline:

Clear thoughts. Clear action. Clear feedback. Better problem-solving.

Thiago Colman
Full Stack Developer
https://thiagocolman.com