THINK is a one-word slogan developed in 1911 by IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, Sr.
Upon its introduction, he said: “The trouble with every one of us is that we don’t think enough. We don’t get paid for working with our feet — we get paid for working with our heads.”
Watson was also a fiercely independent thinker…and encouraged everyone at IBM to use their head to solve bigger problems, add more value and to satisfy their own personal needs.
His THINK motto was and still is the heart and soul of the company, and perhaps the most enduring motto in the history of business.
In this post, simply titled Think… we are going to focus on the discipline of thinking for the simple reason that everything you achieve or fail to achieve during your lifetime is the direct result of your thoughts. So, let’s begin by breaking down and defining what it means to think accurately.
Thought or thinking refers to the ideas, beliefs or opinions that result from thinking. It’s defined as the act of producing thoughts, or the process of producing thoughts.
Although thought is a fundamental human activity familiar to everyone, there is no generally accepted agreement as to what thought is or how it is created.
However when it comes to the word accurately…there is universal agreement.
The adjective accurate or accurately comes from the Latin roots ad curare, meaning “to take care,” and that is precisely what you do when you make sure something is accurate.
You take care to make sure it is perfectly correct: an accurate answer, an accurate headcount, an accurate assessment of the problem.
By adding the Latin root “IN”, meaning not, you make the antonym inaccurate (not accurate)…which means “to not take care,” and that is precisely what you do when you do not take the time to think through the specific outcome you or your customer desires.
When you “do not take care” in your thought process…the result is mistakes, oversights, lack of attention to detail, false assumptions and sloppy execution.
So, when was the last time you set aside time to think?
As in, scheduled thinking time on your calendar, “unplugged” from electronics, and thought intentionally about a topic? Let’s say your life and your future.
For most people the answer is “never”.
Thinking accurately is a powerful, yet vastly underutilized strategy for building anything of value…a successful business, family, career. It’s a force multiplier that anyone can use to dramatically accelerate and multiply their effectiveness.
It’s best to look at thinking as a tool, one of many in your toolbox. The purpose of each tool is to provide you with maximum leverage.
In other words, you use specific tools to gain the maximum outcome with the least amount of effort.
A hammer is a force multiplier, so too is a screwdriver, a power saw, a monkey wrench and even a wheelbarrow to name just a few.
Using any of these tools multiplies the magnitude of the force you’re exerting and concentrates that force into a small area, making it easy to drive a nail in a single stroke, fasten a screw with a few simple twists, cut through wood like a hot knife through butter, quickly tighten a nut, bolt or pipe and move heavy rocks as if they were as light as a feather.
Gaining proficiency with any tool, especially thinking…requires practice, that is if you really want to achieve the greatest output with the least amount of input.
Thinking accurately, taking the time to “care” about the important people, places and things in our lives is your meal ticket to success.
That’s why I’ve put together this Life Planning program as its purpose is to get you to think deeply about your life and to create a masterpiece for yourself.
It’s been used by people all over the world to create the life they’ve always dreamed of…and it will help you to do the same, that is…if you are willing to put in the time to think.
And the best part is that as one of my readers, you can get your Life Plan at a 50% discount by using this coupon code: success
We come to each stage of our lives as a novice. We all start on the bunny hill when it comes to being a successful spouse, parent, boss, even in dealing with death. We never have all the answers and it’s reckless to think otherwise.
That’s precisely why it’s imperative that we intentionally set time aside to think on a daily basis and plan our way to success.
Everything Counts!
Gary Ryan Blair
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