Think slow You’ll do better

There are times for quick thinking.

Perhaps you discover your house is on fire; or you need some mental maths in the supermarket.

Quick thinking has its place…but it can also bring trouble.

Quick thoughts are often thoughts of offence, for instance. Our untethered mind takes things personally and is quick separate us off from others. It’s what it does.

Quick thoughts are also frequently mistaken. We make an assumption about a situation which is often inadequate or just plain wrong.

By the time we realise our error, it may be too late to rectify.

We may not be able to stop quick thoughts; they will always pop up unbidden. But we don’t have to believe them or act on them…because they rarely bring a truth to our door.

With a few deep breaths we can slow our thinking – slow down the thoughts, slow down the judgements and look again at the assumptions in play.

To think slow is to think wiser, think better, and ultimately, to do better.