THINKING, COMMUNICATING, AND TAKING ACTION
Over the past three years, I have frequently discussed and reflected on the relationship between thinking, communicating, and taking action. My observations created a deep frustration over how much theorizing and talking fall short of meaningful action. This could be something as simple as my husband and I talking about intending to make positive changes in our life - and rewriting them on our to-do list 379,899 times. Or regularly seeing a large number of people being quick to speak and provide hot takes on social media, while appearing to lack any real-world connection to the problem to try and make it better.
I want to move beyond simply acknowledging that these categories of thinking, communicating, and taking action exist in my life to better understand how they relate to each other in healthy ways. While each category is important, it is crucial not to get stuck in a cycle of merely thinking or talking about things. It is important to know when to transition from one category to another. Instead, one must take action and actually do the thing itself. This is an important step in bringing ideas to life, making progress, and creating a positive impact.
A recurring theme on this blog is the idea of establishing a life that holds everything with a healthy tension and balance. Life is not always about uncovering a simple “yes” or “no.” Most of the time, it’s “yes, and…”
As we consider these three categories, they all work best when there is a balance and flow between each of them. None of them are healthy in seclusion, and the whole process can get messy if one is left out.
The goal of this blog is to look a little closer at each category and share some of the things I’ve learned that have helped me want to do better in these areas. I still have a long way to go, and desire to give healthy attention to each step in this process. But I hope these will awaken some thought and consideration for the flow of action in your own life.
Thinking
Thinking is one of the most fundamental parts of life. We are constantly thinking. At times, we can think without even realizing we’re thinking. We’ve all been there - when our mind races from one thought to the next in a matter of seconds. Thinking can often feel automatic. But our brains are a thinking muscle that we build strength to use in very specific ways.
I like to categorize my thinking in three ways: reflective thinking, critical thinking, and creative thinking.
Reflective Thinking
I’ve always considered myself to be a reflective person. Reflective thinking can be such a powerful tool. It can be really helpful if you have a healthy foundation of evaluating your past experiences with a desire to learn from them. There have been seasons in my life when that foundation felt a little shaky because of some of the voices I allowed to speak into and influence the way I thought about things.
I feel like this section could easily become a 4 part blog series where I unpack that in minute detail, but I will just put that aside for the time being.
Reflective thinking requires the ability to look back and observe with clarity the things that have happened, not just the way things happened from your vantage point. It’s about learning the perspective of others and how they see the things that shape their experiences.
Good reflective thinking requires more than just being in your own head. It means communicating, listening, and understanding others. Maybe that is having a follow-up conversation with someone. Maybe it’s sending a letter to someone explaining your point of view and asking to better understand theirs. Maybe it’s just listening.
It also means learning from your reflections and taking meaningful action to make improvements in the future. Thinking and talking can feel like you’re taking action, but in most cases, it comes up short. The point of reflective thinking is observing what could be improved on, deciding what could be different, and then doing it. At some point, all of the thinking and talking needs to turn into something tangible.
Critical Thinking
I really enjoyed being in school. I loved reading books, writing papers, and studying for exams. I had to work hard at these things because some of them came more naturally than others, but I loved the process of learning and thinking critically about things. Critical thinking involves analyzing information and making logical conclusions.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the more I learn and grow, the more I realize how much more I need to learn and grow.
I’d like to think that I’m a very logical person. My personal beliefs about life, the world around me, and what all of it means are born out of my journey of searching for answers to really difficult questions.
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking is the process of generating new ideas and solutions to problems. It involves questioning assumptions, making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and thinking outside the box.
Creative thinking can be difficult to cultivate because it requires breaking out of the familiar patterns of thinking and exploring new possibilities. However, it is a crucial part of problem-solving and innovation.
One way to cultivate creative thinking is to practice brainstorming, either alone or with others. Set a goal or problem to solve and then generate as many ideas as possible, without judgment or criticism. Once you have a list of ideas, evaluate them and choose the most promising ones to develop further.
Another way to foster creative thinking is to expose yourself to new experiences and perspectives. Travel, read, watch films, and engage with people who have different backgrounds and worldviews than your own. This can help you break out of your own mental limitations and explore new ways of thinking.
Communicating
Communication is the bridge between thinking and action. Talking openly about things helps others know how you’re processing and what your intentions are. It helps other people know what you are thinking and planning, and it keeps everyone in the loop on what is being done. Relationships thrive when there are good open channels of communication.
It’s easy to get stuck in the space of thinking and communicating, because it takes up energy and feels like you’re busy doing things. But we can’t forget that thinking and communicating should always lead to action. When someone around you is struggling or hurting and you see that, of course, as you process that internally, you can internally stir up compassion for this person. You can empathize with their struggles and pain in real ways.
Taking Action
Taking action is one of the most important steps in bringing ideas to life, making progress, and creating a positive impact. The benefits of taking action include:
Turning ideas and plans into reality
Making progress towards goals
Creating positive change
Building momentum and motivation
Learning from mistakes and failures
Moving from thinking to action can be difficult, but it is crucial for achieving results. One way to make the transition is to set clear goals and develop a plan of action. Break down the goal into smaller, actionable steps and prioritize them. Then, take action on the steps, one by one.
Another way to move from thinking to action is to establish accountability. Share your plans with others and ask for their support and feedback. This can help you stay motivated and committed to taking action.
If compassion and empathy for your neighbor are stirred up and you only take it as far as talking about it, you fall short of what you can and should do. So often we can get caught in the cycle of thinking and talking about things and we never take our thoughts and words and put them into action in a meaningful way.
I don’t want to be known as the kind of person who is all talk. I don’t want to be remembered just for the things that I said. I want to do things that make an impact. The longer you just think and talk about things, the more you delay and become further removed from the actual thing you’re thinking and talking about.
You can think about being a certain kind of person, you can talk about being a certain kind of person, but until you begin acting like that certain kind of person, you’ll remain the same old person you’ve always been.
Loving action is what keeps you grounded in reality. Jesus didn’t JUST spend time in seclusion. He didn’t just spend time preaching on the hillside. He also got his hands dirty, exposed himself to sickness, and had physical contact with those who were hurting and suffering.
If what you’re thinking and talking about doesn’t lead you to loving God and loving your neighbor in real concrete ways that can be seen, felt, and experienced, then what is it for?
Action can feel overwhelming. Start small. Pick an area or focus that you need to work on and allow it to be your focus for a bit. After a while, it builds up over time.
We’ve all heard about picking a word for the year. It sounds silly, but it really is helpful.
Back in 2017 my word was compassion. I knew that I could tend to be over critical and I wanted to be quicker to begin my thoughts with compassion, care, and assuming the best.
Here are some personal examples of areas I’ve picked to focus on for myself over the past 10 years to make my years more intentional. When you have one area you’re focusing on it allows you to break it down and evaluate the how and why this is something you want to work on.
When I look back over this list I’ve kept over the years I can see the fruit each year has brought to my life.
2014 Healing
2015 Leadership
2016 Creative
2017 Compassionate
2018 Health
2019 Be Present
2020 Contentment
2021 Confidence
2022 Calm
2023 Balance
2024 - I’m looking forward to focusing more on rest
When you choose a focus - change is possible.
Conclusion
Thinking, communicating, and taking action are all crucial for bringing ideas to life, making progress, and creating a positive impact. Each category has its own unique benefits and challenges, but they work best when there is a balance and flow between all of them.
The goal is not to become a master of just thinking, communicating, or taking action, but to develop healthy habits and practices in each area. Habits that allow us to learn from mistakes and failures, turn ideas and plans into reality, and create positive change.
| Credits: Author: Jacintha Payne; Photography - Ali Henderson |