“Critical thinking is the art of analyzing information to separate fact from opinion.” ~ Carl Sagan
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It’s no wonder people scoff at personal development.
Often “GooRoos” will say ridiculous, silly, and dichotomous things like:
“There are no good habits.”
“Competition is stupid.”
The following is a statement that inspired this episode. It’s kinda hard to read.
It came in an email and it stopped me in my tracks.
"When I think of a truly successful person, I think of someone who can authentically say, ‘I cherished every moment of my existence.’”
Once I read that, I knew I had to discuss critical thinking.
Can you ‘authentically cherish’ the moment your child becomes ill or a loved one passes away?
Can you authentically cherish the moment your home burns to the ground?
Authentically CHERISH every moment? Come on.
Oh, and if you don’t, I guess you’re not a success!?
I queried my AI buddy “BARD” Google’s AI “experiment.” I figured I’d ask him/her/it, “Bard, can you see any issues with this statement?”
Bard’s response was funny and a bit heavy-handed, ending with this:
Finally, the statement is a bit of a cop-out. It implies that if we are not happy with our lives, it is our own fault because we are not cherishing every moment. This is not always the case. Sometimes, we face challenges that are beyond our control. We may lose loved ones, get sick, or experience financial hardship. These are not things that we can cherish, but they are still part of life.
The best part is this analysis is that it led me down a road that covers some key aspects of my work.
A definition of success, one that I pondered for years before publishing in pre-2010 was developed after much critical thinking.
Success is creating your ideal future.
Then, there is P.A.R.R.
P.A.R.R. is a positive habit-building framework for humans. It helps them to create and align habits to their most important goals.
While the world of behavioral science continues to promote Cue, Routine, and Reward as a framework for habit development, basic critical thinking had me wondering:
Isn’t C.R.R. based on the study of rodents?
Don’t humans possess the innate capacities of choice, intention, and reflection?
Even today’s “gold-standard” behavior models CBT and TTM while helpful present challenges of their own when exposed to critical thinking.
Where is the bi-directionality?
Where is the environmental influence on our behaviors and feelings?
Don’t humans think predominately in terms of personal narratives/stories?
Where is that represented?
Can these models be simplified?
How is energy – the flow of energy – represented?
Does human behavior really operate like a business or flow diagram?
Doesn’t energy flow, relative to our behaviors reverberate/vibrate?
Aren’t emotions and feelings, over the long haul, less important to one’s goal pursuits or personal transformation? How is that represented?
Can emotions and feelings, in the moment, be more important and, over time, less important? What would that look like?
Critical thinking begins with positing and arguing the opposite:
Must one authentically cherish every moment of their life to be a success?
Nonsense.
Enjoy the show!
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Critical Thinking