Think!

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways.Proverbs 14:8

In order to become a better thinker, you need to:

(1) Do what works for you. Immanuel Kant used to stare out his window at a tower in order to think creatively; when trees grew up threatening to block his view, he chopped them down. Samuel Johnson said he needed apurring cat, an orange peel and a cup of tea in order to write. Some of us like music, some do better at a computer, some must write in longhand. Do whatever works for you!

2) Write down your thoughts. If you don't write down your ideas you'll lose them. In Bird By Bird, Anne Lamott says, "I have an index card and pens all over the house - by the bed, in the bathroom, in the kitchen,by the phones...I used to think that if something was important enough I'd remember it...but then I wouldn't...[writing down your ideas rightaway is] not cheating. It doesn't say anything about your character."

3) Put your thoughts into action quickly. Dave Goetz, founder of CustomZigns.com says, "For me, when an idea hits it strikes fire...the more time that passes after the idea strikes, the less heat it gives off. I forget parts of it, it doesn't seem so great. Ideas have a short shelf life." Author Alfred Montapert says, "Every time a person puts an idea across, he finds ten people who thought about it before he did -but they only thought about it." Don't just think creatively, put those God-given ideas into action and make a difference in His world!

Think!

God gave you a brain - use it! If you're serious about becoming a better thinker, understand this: great thinking comes from good thinking!

If you want to become a great thinker, concentrate on becoming a good thinker. But before becoming a good thinker, you need to become a thinker. And in order to become a thinker, you need to be willing to produce a bunch of mediocre and downright bad ideas. Only by practicing and developing your thinking daily will your ideas get better.

Your thinking ability is determined not by your desire to think, but by your past thinking. So, to become a good thinker, do more thinking. Once the ideas start flowing, they get better. And once they get better, they keep improving. And so does your life!