How Neutral Thinking Can Succeed
Miscellaneous / / July 06, 2022
Just try to look at the world without judgment.
The behavior of any person is influenced by social attitudes and stereotypes, his past experience and expectations. So the brain saves energy and strength. But all this makes it difficult to look at what is happening objectively and leads to failures. Psychological development expert Trevor Moawad believes that neutral thinking helps to avoid mistakes and achieve what you want. Writer's new bookSuccessful thinking: how to control your life and get away from negative thoughts' is about that.
Neutral thinking is a highly effective strategy that emphasizes non-judgment, especially in crisis and stressful situations.
This is the truth I teach athletes and entire teams. Neutral thinking resonates with many elite athletes—most of whom are deeply skeptical of any self-help—because the method actually works. Neutral thinking recognizes that the past is irrevocable; it cannot be changed with mantras and other platitudes.
Neutral thinking rejects any illusion or outright self-deception that often underlies other motivational systems. Neutral thinking gets rid of prejudices, both external and internal.
There are more prejudices in this world than fruit flies and midges combined. They are everywhere you look, and many of them are buzzing around your psyche right now. Confirmation bias, choice bias, negativity bias, novelty bias, gender bias, optimism bias, and pessimism - all this makes it difficult to clearly perceive reality, because your subconscious is busy with what it prejudices happening.
Dont be upset. It's not just about you. Prejudice is an integral part of nature among people and animals (yes, animals have cognitive blind spots too). Much of the living world—perhaps most of the non-living world—filters and modifies reality, according to some philosophers.
Even your eyes scanning this page do not reveal the pure truth to you. They take two flat images and send them separately to the brain. That, in turn, connects and remakes these images into a single three-dimensional image, independently choosing which colors to use. Your eyes tell a biased story to your brain. In response, he tells his biased story, and every stop in this optic neuron game takes you even further from reality.
The most dangerous bias lies in our innate desire to indulge the past. We often put it in the first place, give it too much importance. We serve the past when we should be rid of it.
One of my favorite examples of the power of neutral thinking involves three men in a real life situation.
Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Hayes would have died if they hadn't been able to think neutrally after one of their oxygen tanks exploded during flight Apollo 13. Their command module was damaged, and three of them were left to survive in the lunar lander, designed for two. With the help of a ground team from Houston, they figured out how to stretch their water and energy supplies and return to Earth. They had to lay a new trajectory when the slightest miscalculation could ruin them. When I speak to groups, I reproduce Jim Lovell's comments. He explains how NASA astronauts and engineers on the ground thought through the steps needed to safely return the crew to Earth. “There were times when I didn’t know how many consumables we had—whether we could come back or not,” Lovell said at a post-flight press conference in 1970. “But in this situation, you can only do one thing. You just keep moving on. You just keep thinking about how to get the consumable. That's exactly what we did." They didn't worry about the past. They didn't care about the odds. They could only focus on the next steps necessary to save life and the right trajectory. return to earth.
One of the biggest threats since the accident has been rising levels of carbon dioxide. Every time the astronauts exhaled, the level of carbon dioxide in their tiny capsule rose. The capsule was equipped with filters designed for two people for two days, but now there were three astronauts who had to somehow survive for four days. If the concentration of carbon dioxide in the capsule exceeded the permissible limits, this would inevitably lead to death. The Trinity had filter devices from the command module, but those filters were square, while those of the lunar module were round. The team had to find a way to literally insert a square peg into a round hole. Meanwhile in Houston, NASA employees were racing to find a way to connect the filters using the materials in the capsule. They eventually came up with a plan using polyethylene from a cooling suit, cardboard sheets logbook and duct tape (here is an example of a neutral thought: duct tape is the solution to almost any Problems). The control center called in Lovell and Swigert to supervise the installation of the filters.
Houston
I think from the equipment you will need two canisters of lithium hydroxide from the command module, a roll gray tape, two refrigerated suits - we need polyethylene - and one cardboard insert from the airborne magazine. You will cut it about an inch and a half from the ring. I think that's all we need. Reception.
If at that moment Lovell thought exclusively positively, his answer might have been:
Lovell
Your idea will bring us home, and I can't wait to get back to Earth. I know that we will succeed.
Doesn't sound very realistic, does it? This is the moment when unfounded confidence can lead to the death of astronauts.
Many people confuse realistic thinking with negative thinking. So let's consider what Lovell's answer would sound like if he thought negatively:
Lovell
Are you out of your mind? Adhesive tape? Cardboard? The best minds of America have gathered among you, and you offer THIS? Now we are all going to die.
You and I know that this idea is unrealistic, because the crew survived after all. The situation was not impossible. In fact, it was not only possible, but made possible by the approach chosen.
Here is how Lovell actually responded:
Lovell
I understood you. Two canisters of lithium hydroxide from the command module, a roll of gray tape, two refrigerated suits from where we will get polyethylene, one cardboard insert from the logbook and ...
He simply confirmed the availability of the necessary materials. Then Lovell and Swigert began to ask questions about how to put it all together. They soon installed filters, and carbon dioxide levels began to drop.
This is neutral thinking. You are in the moment, giving each moment your own story and reacting to events as they unfold. You take away emotions and replace them with actions. Instead of asking, "How do I feel?" you should be asking yourself, "What should I do?"
You can develop these skills if you are willing to let go of some things. Negative, cynical thinking does not add realism to events. It just makes you angry and cynical. Preconceived notions won't help either. You need to let go of your emotions and honestly assess every situation you face. Don't worry about how you feel. Rely on what you know.
This applies to any working moment. For example, you despise your boss. Are you cheating while doing his job? If so, then you are only hurting yourself. Instead, try to look at the task in a neutral way. To complete it means to successfully cope with the work. And if you constantly carry out assigned tasks, in the end, the boss will lag behind you. You may even be promoted and become his boss. This happens when we are guided by the truth. When judgments decrease. We understand that the present determines the present, and today's behavior is what affects tomorrow's results. So get started right now.
Neutral thinking helps focuswhen other factors are spinning in your life. In recent years, I had to do this when I was going through a divorce. Dramatic life events usually cause a rush of emotions. By remaining neutral, you will be able to deal with these emotions. Think marathon runner. She has 42 kilometers to run, but does she think about the finish line when the race starts? No. It's too scary. She thinks about her pace in the first kilometer. She plans when she needs a drink of water or a snack. Thinking about 42 kilometers is too difficult. Thinking about the next few steps is easy. And it works whether you're running a marathon, playing for a Super Bowl spot, or trying to save your life in space.
Trevor Moawad has worked with many famous athletes to help them get ready for a game or competition. After all, not only physical fitness is important for victory, but also mental state - and this is true in any field. In his book, co-authored with sportswriter Andy Staples, the writer uses personal examples to analyze techniques that help get rid of negative thoughts and achieve success.
Buy a book
The book is published by agreement with HarperOne, HarperCollins Publishers and Andrew Nuremberg Literary Agency.
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- 30 Thinking Mistakes That Cause We Live By Patterns
- 14 Ways to Develop Analytical Thinking
- “Making thinking work well is a great art”: an interview with psychologist Vladimir Spiridonov
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