Tag Archives: common sense

“Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”

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“Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”

—Albert Einstein

Image of Albert Einstein from Public Domain

When we think of great minds, few people top the list more often than Albert Einstein.

If you investigate his life through a wide variety of sources, you will see that he was fond of what he called “thought experiments.”

I guess you could say that he thought a lot about thinking!

What about your own mind?

How much do you think about your own thoughts and how they influence your view of others and life in general?

What prejudices, biases, mental models, and paradigms have you ingrained that support and in many cases limit what’s possible for you?

EXERCISE:

How can and will you conduct some of your own expanded thought experiments to realize a less common and more extraordinary life?

“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

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“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States

In my coaching work with clients, I have a favorite simple technique to help them solve problems. I refer to this as a “pivot point exercise.” It involves three simple steps:

1.       Identify the current reality of a situation – what’s working and not working.
2.       Describe your vision for the future that you and others desire.
3.       Decide what new and different actions you and others can take that move you from the current reality toward your committed vision.

Exercise:

Capture this three-step pivot process on a few post-it notes and place them strategically in your home and in your place of work.

Add the word “repeat” as the fourth step to build your own self-coaching muscle to move your world forward.