“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 tough 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 most rewarding part of this analysis is that it led me to review some of my work.
A definition of success, one that I pondered for years, goes something like this:
Success is creating your ideal future.
“How does that happen?” you ask. One day at a time.
Nobody has ever done it any differently.
Then, there is the P.A.R.R. methodology.
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 and build habit strength in the process.
While most of the behavioral science community continues to promote Cue, Routine, and Reward as a framework for habit development, 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?
Should humans plan (intend) record and reflect upon habits they’re trying to cultivate?
Then, there are the current “gold standard” behavior models; CBT and TTM.
Both have proven helpful. Yet, each presents challenges when exposed to critical thinking.
Where is the dynamism – the bi-directionality?
How is energy – the flow of energy – represented?
Does human behavior really operate like a business or flow chart/diagram?
Doesn’t energy reverberate/vibrate to influence our behaviors, feelings, thinking, and even our environment and vice-versa?
Where and how is the environmental influence represented?
Isn’t the environment BOTH the ‘inputs’ (stimulus) and the ‘outputs’ (results)?
Don’t humans think predominately in terms of personal narratives/stories?
Where or how are stories (thoughts) represented?
Can these models be simplified?
Aren’t emotions and feelings, over the long haul, less important to one’s goals and/or personal transformation/behavior change?
How can that be illustrated?
Can emotions and feelings have twice as much influence at any given moment?
How can that be represented?
This is how the “3 Circles of Behavior Echo-System” / the “Grunburg Behavior Model” came into existence.
Critical thinking.
Well, that and 15+ plus years of deliberation and meditation. ; )
Must one authentically cherish every moment of their life to be a success?
Nonsense.
Enjoy the show!
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