Smart people think about how they think…and why. I have had a feeling about this for some time now, but not until picking up de Bono’s, “Six Thinking Hats,” a couple days ago was I given the words to describe this idea with clarity. I had heard of de Bono from my mother-in-law, a PhD in talented and gifted education and blog author, but knew nothing about him or his field of study.

After reading the first 50 pages of his book I found myself hooked. Dr. Edward de Bono is the leading authority in the field of conceptual thinking and is an advocate of teaching thinking as a skill. Here’s a snippet from the preface that sums up his approach to the human mind:

Thinking is the ultimate human resources. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we should always want to be better. Usually, the only people who are very satisfied with their thinking skill are those poor thinkers who believe that the purpose of thinking is to prove yourself right - to your own satisfaction. If we have only a limited view of what thinking can do, we may be smug about our excellence in this area, but not otherwise (Preface 2, emphasis mine)

The part of this quote that struck me the most was how often we find ourselves pursuing learning and thinking for the sole purpose of proving ourselves right. What a terrible habit, yet it’s such an easy trap to fall into. It’s only when we’re challenged that we find ourselves scrambling to do research or looking up data to support our claims…yet, shouldn’t that come beforehand?

We can only start to scratch the surface of intelligent thinking when we humbly admit that we know very little; that the unread books on our bookshelves greatly outnumber the ones we have read.

So what is the purpose for which you are trying to learn and expand your ability to think? Is it simply to prove yourself right or is it an authentic and innocent pursuit of truth, whatever it may be?

More on De Bono’s, “Six Thinking Hats,” to come….

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**Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post by Glenn Packiam, author of “Butterfly in Brazil: How Your Life Can Make a World of Difference,” songwriter, and worship pastor at New Life Church. Glenn was also the best man at my wedding and someone I spend hours with solving the world’s problems. His awesome blog can be found here

Isn’t it an unfortunate truth that the knowledge required before an experience is only gained after the experience is over? Last summer, my first book was published by Tyndale House. It was a great experience and certainly marked a dream coming true. But, oh, if I could do it again! Rookie mistakes are inevitable in every field, and writing is no exception.

Here are a few thoughts on what I’ve learned through long meetings with my editors, patient advice from more seasoned writers, and the wonderful gift of hindsight.

1. Great ideas are not enough

Just as a good product is not enough to make it fly off the shelf, good ideas don’t automatically make a good book. Hard is it may seem to believe, it actually takes good writing. In my opinion, there are three reasons a publisher says yes to a book proposal: a compelling story or idea, a unique writing style/voice, or a ridiculously large platform that is just about guaranteed to translate to large sales numbers. Or you can, as was the case with me, be average on all three counts and have a great agent who talks up your game!

Pro athletes, celebrities, and conference circuit speakers tend to get book deals because of the large platform for promoting their materials…but their work is often an insufferable read. Speaking and writing are related but separate skills. (Acting, playing sports, or being in a rock band usually have nothing to do with writing—or reading for that matter. But I digress.)

If you want to simply be an author, then find the quickest way to become famous—be a pro athlete on steroids, or a minor criminal, or a slutty porn star—and sign a deal for your tell-all tale. But if you want to be a writer, learn from good writers. Work on finding new ways of saying things. If you’re inclined to non-fiction topics, then for the love of art, read some fiction to learn some new adverbs!

Chances are, most of us will never gain a large enough sphere of influence to demand a book deal. So we need to take our great ideas and bring them to life through great writing. Donald Miller is a great current example of a guy who began with a fresh writing style, a few good ideas, and not much of a platform, and has turned into an influential voice and a really great writer because he paid attention to the fine art of story-telling. Which leads me to the next thing.

2. Everybody loves a good story

I was terrible about including stories. I used to think they were a waste of time. Who cares about silly anecdotal bits about Bob and Susie’s marriage? As it turns out, everyone. Well, not about Bob and Susie, per se, but about stories—anyone’s story. Stories are the language of life. It is how we learn everything.

We hear Mom and Dad talking about how Uncle John lost a bunch of money by betting it all on a single stock, and we learn to be diversified investors. We read about companies that grow by taking care of their employees and we learn to be kinder to out most valuable resource. While there will always be those who insist on distilling every story down to a few bullet points, it is the story itself that draws us in. You can flash all the statistics about the plight of children in Africa or the 2 million kids forced into sex-trafficking, but people stop and listen—and moreover, they remember—when you tell them a story of a single child.

The best stories are the ones that involve you. These were the stories I was most reluctant to tell. Why does anyone care about me? Well, they don’t. But if someone is going to take to time to read something you wrote, they would at least like to know a bit about you. How did you come to these ideas? Why do you believe them so strongly? What’s your story?

3. End with a beginning in mind
The best books are the ones where a chapter ends and we can’t help but peer over the edge of the next page to find out what happens next. Of course, what happens next doesn’t happen until about 5 pages into the next chapter and by that point you almost finished with that chapter and then you’ve got to know what happens after that. Even in non-fiction writing, each idea should tease at the ones to come. It should make the reader have a conversation in their head along these lines: “Well, OK, that may be true, but what about….? Is he going to address that? Oh, wait, he is…but in the next chapter!”

In a sort of macro sense, the book should end with a beginning in mind. Not a beginning of your book—though often you might re-write your beginning once you have reached your ending—but a beginning of something on the part of your reader. What will they now do, how will they now live, in what ways will they think differently? What new beginning in them will be sparked by the end of their journey with you? I hear you say, “But those sorts of questions seem more fit to be asked by a traveler than a teacher.” Ah, good point. It is mine exactly.

4. Write like a tour guide not like a telegram
My biggest early writing tendency was to approach a subject like I did my senior paper: with loads of research, quotes, and references, and an obnoxiously argumentative tone. That simply won’t do. There is a reason so many who have spent their lives in academia find it impossibly hard to communicate to the common person. Conversely, all the best-selling books by Ph.D’s are usually scoffed at in academic corridors as cheap, anemic pop-culture redactions of a complex subject. Responsible research aside, if we are going to write in a way that people will read, we must take them on a journey.

In this sense, non-fiction writing ought to mirror its fiction counterparts. Where is the tension in the ideas? Where is the human struggle to live out these truths? Guide them from point to point like a great tour guide. Make them see each scene, smell each moment. Use stories to make abstractions actual. Don’t talk about how small actions can trigger enormous consequences. Tell them about Rosa Parks. (There’s a page—literally—out of my own book.) I read a book on Sabbath that was written as elegantly and delightfully as a day at a quiet lake. How appropriate. I might not remember all the points, especially since his writing was not very linear. But that was a journey I’ll never forget.

Samuel Goldwyn once remarked, “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” If you want to write, you’ll have to learn to become more patient. People don’t change by convincing arguments. They are changed by a compelling journey. That is why you write.

Reading is one of the best ways to learn, develop and change. However, the immense benefits of reading are only as great as one’s ability to remember and process the information. Nothing is more frustrating than reading a great book and not being able to recall any of the major points a year or even a month later. It makes the whole process seem like a huge waste.

My family are all avid readers and they instilled that passion in me. I try to read at least 2 books a month, but often more. Over the past few years I’ve made a much greater effort to be more intentional about my reading, making sure to get the most out of the process. Here is some of the best advice I’ve come across when it comes to remembering what you read:

1) Read With the Goal of Teaching Someone Else - My friend Glenn has one of the most brilliant minds I know. He can read a book and process the information, quickly adapting new ideas into his life and teaching others along the way. The secret to Glenn’s ability started during his childhood. Every weekend his family would go to the local library to read. During dinner they would teach the other members of the family what they learned that day. This ritual formed a wonderful habit in Glenn of reading comprehensively in order to teach someone else. He had to constantly think, “How will I be able to explain the main ideas of this book to others.” In doing so he delved deep into the book and the information stuck with him.

2) Read the Last Chapter First - This one is more geared towards non-fiction as I can already hear people screaming, “But it’ll ruin the ending!” At the end of most books is a summary chapter that gives the main ideas and how they all tie together. By reading this first you are then able to catch these ideas and themes more easily as you go through the book. It also allows you to read like the author would read his own book, with a full understanding of where everything is going.

3) Take Notes - Lots of people utilize this technique in school, but let it go when they toss their caps at graduation. Taking notes allows a reader to right down key points, themes and memorable quotes. In doing so the information is then processed twice, once when read and once when written. This gives the reader a much greater chance of remembering. My friend Beau uses a pencil to mark and highlight in the book as he reads and then transfers this information into Google Docs. He has a great summary of his method here.

4) Read When You’re Awake - Most people read right before they go to bed. After a long day, they’re usually tired and hardly in the best state to process and retain information. By reading at other times throughout the day chances are their minds would work much better. If you are a night person maybe it is the best time for you to read. The important thing is to know your body and know what times of day are best for thinking and concentrating. Try to schedule your reading during these times and you will give yourself a much better chance of remembering what you read.

5) Discuss What You’re Reading - Some of the books we remember most vividly are those that we read in our high school English class. Why? It is the practice of nearly every teacher to have lively class discussions and debates over each section of a book. In discussing the book we were able to process the information as a group, bouncing ideas off each other and hearing different perspectives. All of these made us use the information in various ways cementing it in our minds and helping us remember. Most of us are no longer in high school, but the options are endless. Join a book club, or if you have a good group of friends, start one. Discuss the book online in book forums or in a social networking group like Facebook. The important thing is to talk about what you’re reading.

6) Read the Cliff Notes First - We’re not in high school anymore, so it’s not cheating. Especially for some of the classics, reading the cliff notes before starting the book can provide all kids of insight into characters, themes, symbolism and author background. By reading these things beforehand you are helping ensure that you won’t miss them as you read the book. Another benefit of reading summaries is the mental debate you will have each time you reach a controversial section as you ask yourself whether you agree with the conventional interpretations.

7) Find Your Reading Environment - Sometimes more important than how you are reading is where you are reading. Is the television on? Are the kids crawling all over you? Do you do your best reading on the airplane? Some things can’t be helped, but finding a good reading environment goes a long way. I had never thought much about where I read until reading a great post Ben Casnocha wrote on optimizing activity for location a couple months ago. He explained, “…when thinking about what you’re going to do, think about where you’re going to be, and how that place will affect your productivity at completing the activity.” Find your reading environment and enjoy remembering what you read.

Lately my wife and I have noticed that our 7-week old daughter Malone is starting to outgrow some of her newborn clothes. Suddenly, the jumpsuits that once enveloped her are now uncomfortably tight. Of course this is nothing surprising, from the moment they are born babies grow…its healthy. If she wasn’t growing that there would be a problem. A lack of growth indicates sickness and if not corrected, death. Thankfully, she’s growing like a weed.

But, growth is not just for babies. While most of us finally stop our physical growth in our late teens and early twenties, other areas of growth ie. mental, spiritual, emotional, relational must still occur if one hopes to live their best life. Just as a baby ceasing to grow would indicate sickness, so too with an adult ceasing to grow in any of these areas. Simply put, if you’re not growing, you’re dying.

In thinking about all of this I am reminded of a great saying I have heard a few times and something I’ve made into sort of a personal motto, “You’ll be the same person a year from now except for the books you read, the places you go and the people you meet.” To me these represent the primary ways that one continues to grow in life. Here’s why:

Books - Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith and printer, invented movable type printing in the mid-15th century ushering in a revolution in the way that information and ideas were shared. Books brought about the democratization of information allowing people all over the world to learn things about people, places and things they had never seen or experienced. The same is true today.

Books allow us to travel, meet new people, walk ancient battle grounds and learn from a Nobel prize winner, all without leaving the comfort of our favorite recliner. Ideas have consequences, they shape how we view the world and interact within it. Books are essentially idea transporters that help us grow. Read, read, read.

Travel - The longer one lives life the more one realizes that they are just a small piece in a very large masterpiece. The way things are done in middle America is not necessarily the way things are done in the other 99% of the world, this can be a startling revelation to some. It is possible to learn a lot about different cultures through book, but nothing compares to immersing yourself. Eating new food, learning new languages, hearing different viewpoints are all growth experiences that make travel so incredible.

During my time at the Air Force Academy I had the opportunity to go to Mexico, Morocco, Germany, Thailand and South Korea. Each of these places taught me something unique and helped me grow in a different way. Without these trips, I can tell you without a doubt, that my worldview would be extremely limited and incomplete. More than anything, traveling has taught me that life is not about me.

People - Most often, the primary influences in our lives are friends and family. The people we choose to associate with are the people who have our ear, our minds and our hearts. My friend Aaron likes to say, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Look around at your friends, are they the people you want to become? Since people are such big influences, it makes sense that a big part of growing is continuing to meet new ones and more important than just meeting people, meeting the right people.

For me, one of the best and most unexpected part of blogging has been meeting so many motivated, quality people. Through comments, blog carnivals and various social media sites I have had the pleasure of meeting people from incredibly diverse backgrounds. Connecting with these people has taught me a great deal, not just about blogging, but about things like personal finance, personal development, social entrepreneurship, and the health care industry .

Obviously not everyone has the time or desire to blog, but the important thing is to constantly put yourself in positions where you will be able to meet new, quality people. Go to church, attend the symphony, volunteer, or join a book club. The method doesn’t matter as much as the end result, growth.

Most predictions are flat out wrong, just listen to any “expert” on CNBC give a prediction of where the market is headed on a given day. Yet, we love predictions because they help us feel like we understand what’s going on around us much better than we actually do…the idea of randomness is uncomfortable. The reason our prophecies fall so short is our lack of understanding of the Black Swan and its impact on both history and the future. The Black Swan as Taleb describes it is:
1) an outlier 2) carries extreme impact 3) produces explanations only after the fact.

The bulk of Taleb’s book explains in great detail, clarity, and wit the error most humans make in failing to account for the Black Swan in their thinking. He explores various theories ranging from our eagerness to interpret the “causes” in history (confirmation bias, narrative fallacy, etc.) to our inabilities to predict the future (the expert problem, herding and the character of prediction errors).

Finally, Taleb doesn’t stop with mere theory; he gives the reader help in how to think in a Black Swan world. His advice, make black swans gray by being aggressive in gaining exposure to positive Black Swans and extremely conservative when under the threat of a negative Black Swan. You’re probably reading this right now going, I think I know what he is talking about, but you don’t, just read the book and be prepared to have your comfort zone shattered and your mind exercised.

Since finishing UPT about a month ago I’ve had lots of free time on my hands. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

Books:
- A New Brand World: Eight Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the Twenty-First Century by Scott Bedbury

- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

- Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich

- Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in an Everyday Life by Eugene Peterson

- Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality And Spirituality by Rob Bell

- Pour Your Heart into It : How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz

Blogs:
- Ben Casnocha: The Blog - entrepreneurship, writing, books and tons of other good stuff

- Ramit Sethi: I Will Teach You to Be Rich - personal finance

- Seth Godin: Seth’s Blog - marketing

- Brian Reese: Brian Reese Blogs - investing, books, business, faith

- Lawrence Cheok: A Long Long Road - personal development

- Akshay Kapur - great blog on health care, economics and business intelligence

- Andrew Pratt: Andrew’s Thoughts - books, business, grad school

- Justin Steinhart: Steiny’s Corner - faith, books, life

Its about that time again when much of the media will be focused on creating their year-in-review pieces. Like my blogging friend, Ben Casnocha, I love “Best of” lists. So, without further attempts to write for the sake of hearing my fingers hit the keys, here is a list of my favorite books I read in 2007:

Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England by Lynne Olson

My latest read, a story about the band of young MP’s in Britain that broke party ties on the eve of WWII in order to topple the Chamberlain-led appeasement government and make way for Winston Churchill. Starts out a bit slow, but gains rapidly after the first 6 chapters. Incredible insight into the internal struggles many of the young politicians faced in going against their party and standing for what they believed was England’s only chance at survival, all-out war against Nazism. The book raises interesting questions concerning loyalty, party politics, the role of the press and leadership. Lynne Olson has made great tale in describing the behind the scenes workings of a few that helped change the world for so many.

Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There by David Brooks

Go to any college campus, resort town, or urban-chic hotspot in America today and David Brooks’ “Bobos In Paradise,” could act as an incredibly detailed and relevant tour guide. Everyone knows a Bobo whether they realize it or not…in fact they may be one themselves, though they would never admit it. After reading this book I realized that I am in fact a Bobo. Brooks cracked the code for me on things I had always noticed, but never been able to put into words regarding the new class of society forming in America; the exotic coffee drinking, urban outfitter/anthropologie wearing, mutual fund owning, I go climb Himalayan ranges barefoot and drink yak’s milk tea with the sherpas over Spring Break for fun because all the “tourists” stay in Kathmandu, class of society. The people that will not like this book are the ones that take themselves way too seriously…most likely because they are probably Bobos too, but too proud to admit it. Entertaining to say the least!

Londonistan by Melanie Phillips

Shocking commentary on the rise of radical Islam in London. Finally, someone who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. Melanie Phillips should be commended for her courage and tenacity in tackling head on an ideology that is seldom confronted out of fear of being labeled “intolerant.” Ideologies of hate simply cannot coexist with freedom. “Londonistan” shows the front lines of a culture war that has been brewing for centuries and is nearing its critical mass. This book should sound as a warning for every American, highlighting the consequences of appeasement and the philosophy of moral and cultural relativism. Prepare to walk away angry and shocked.

The Brothers Karamazov (Everyman’s Library) by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Not much to say on this book, its a classic for a reason. Dostoevsky has an amazing ability to take characters and make them your friend, brother, father, etc. The story of a Russian family and their struggles for power, money and blood. Some of the greatest writing I have ever experienced. Examines nearly every big philosophical question: meaining, purpose, good, evil, God, man. If you read one classic, read this.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb

Most predictions are flat out wrong, just listen to any “expert” on CNBC give a prediction of where the market is headed on a given day. Yet, we love predictions because they help us feel like we understand what’s going on around us much better than we actually do…the idea of randomness is uncomfortable. The reason our prophecies fall so short is our lack of understanding of the Black Swan and its impact on both history and the future. The Black Swan as Taleb describes it is:
1) an outlier 2) carries extreme impact 3) produces explanations only after the fact.

The bulk of Taleb’s book explains in great detail, clarity, and wit the error most humans make in failing to account for the Black Swan in their thinking. He explores various theories ranging from our eagerness to interpret the “causes” in history (confirmation bias, narrative fallacy, etc.) to our inabilities to predict the future (the expert problem, herding and the character of prediction errors).

Finally, Taleb doesn’t stop with mere theory; he gives the reader help in how to think in a Black Swan world. His advice, make black swans gray by being aggressive in gaining exposure to positive Black Swans and extremely conservative when under the threat of a negative Black Swan. You’re probably reading this right now going, I think I know what he is talking about, but you don’t, just read the book and be prepared to have your comfort zone shattered and your mind exercised.

“To be conduits of change, we must be faithful stewards of the small, ordinary moments.” -Glenn Packiam, Butterfly in Brazil

Great insight at a time when the individual has the most opportunity to create change in the history of the world. Sometimes big dreams overshadow the small details that will allow us to get to where we want to go. A life of impact is lived out everyday, making lots of good decisions over a long period of time.

History is full of the narrative fallacy, our desire as humans to package well-known events and people into pithy, oversimplified stories. It makes sense for us to think that great things happen due to great people rather than ordinary people doing nothing more heroic than showing up to work every Monday; or that events are shaped by a few moments of incredible magnitude rather than a series of seemingly insignificant and otherwise dull sub steps. It is this weakness in human logic that Glenn Packiam takes aim at in his book Butterfly in Brazil: How Your Life Can Make a World of Difference, stressing that greatness is not achieved by that “one moment in time,” but rather over years of faithfulness in the small things…an idea not too attractive in today’s culture of instant success.

Packiam delves into this idea with precision, using the story of Nehemiah as an example of, “an ordinary man who ended up making an extraordinary difference.” Showing how God has chosen to intertwine himself and His supernatural nature into our mannish and gritty lives, Packiam paints a clear picture of how we should go about living a life of lasting impact…as participants in a divine improv, not chained to a script, but nonetheless completely ineffective and awkward outside the director’s basic framework.

Most of all this is a book about creating lasting change. His main points: 1) change is small 2) change is local 3) change is gradual 4) change is costly. He explains that while Christian culture often encourages its youth to change the world, “Trying to change the world is the surest way to guarantee that we won’t.” Instead Packiam encourages us to be faithful in the small things over a long period of time and as Jim Elliot so simply, but profoundly put it, “Wherever you are, be all there.”