What is your first thought when someone:
Praises you
Criticizes you
Says something you agree with
Says something you disagree with
Makes fun of your mother
Asks for a favor
Offers to do you a favor
Cuts you off in traffic
Spells your name wrong
Gives you a generous gift
Complains to you about someone else
Hurts your feelings
Has their feelings hurt by you
Laughs at your joke
Tells you they love you
?
Your first thought will tell you a lot about yourself if you’re able to slow down and really think that thought. Then think about why you’re thinking that particular thought and not some other thought. We are easily fooled into thinking that our thought is pure and just. When we’re wronged by another we feel righteous indignation. We don’t even look to see if we have all the data. When we’re affirmed, we’re just as lazy. We don’t consider if it’s warranted. We’re just glad it’s to our benefit, if only to our ego.
In idea generation, your first idea is often not your best. Dig deeper and you find the resource worth extracting. Your best ideas are typically buried. I think the same is true for our thoughts. The first one isn’t often the best. It’s usually primal and self-fulfilling. Maybe we should set that one aside and dig a bit. Let’s see what else we can find.
We’ll always have that first thought to rest on if we come up dry.
