Use What Works

I’m not a neuroscientist, psychologist, philosopher, or any type of expert on the topic of “thinking.” I’m a person who has lived his entire life under the impression that you can’t control your thoughts. That way of thinking didn’t serve me well. I was happy one day, sad the next. I got angry easily. And I couldn’t find solutions to simple challenges I faced in my career, business, and relationships. But through experience, journaling, reading, and a lot of introspection, I’ve found a way to get better at thinking.

How do I know I’m better at thinking than before I’m no longer a slave to my thoughts and I’m much happier because of it. I use my mind, and it’s no longer the other way around. To me, that’s the definition of better thinking. It has nothing to do with how smart you are or how many mathematical equations you can solve. It’s about using your mind to get what you want.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers to thinking better, though. However, I do have the answers to how I’ve used nothing but my thoughts to live a happier, healthier, wealthier, and more meaningful life.

I’m the living proof of the “change your thoughts, change your life” idea. Only three short years ago, I was stressed out of my mind, gave up my entrepreneurial desires, and hated my life. I felt stuck. But I don’t want to be too dramatic about my situation. I think we’ve all been there. And if you haven’t felt stuck in your life, it’s only a matter of time before you will.

It’s a natural part of modern day life. I’m not trying to scare you, though. But you know how all these self-help books go, right “I was down and out. I lost all my money. I was depressed. My life sucked. But then I discovered X. And then my life changed.”

X is, of course, the idea they want to sell you. Since I'm honest with you, I’m no different. For example, in this book, I want to sell you on the idea of useful and useless thoughts. But there’s a difference. I’m giving you my perspective—nothing more. It’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do with it.

John Dewey, a pragmatist, and one of the fathers of functional psychology, famously said “The true is that which works.” But that doesn’t mean we should believe everything we hear or read. That makes us delusional.

If we want to think straight at all times, we must stay grounded, look at facts, listen to other people’s perspectives, and only then draw practical conclusions.