"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." - Henry Ford.

Did you ever wonder why we have a designated area to cook, eat, shower, and sleep, but we have no special place for thinking?

Thinking is not what most people think it is. The thousands of thoughts that flurry through our heads daily are NOT thinking. Most of the thoughts are repeats from yesterday; many are negative, and few are active, conscious thoughts. These are thoughts that surface from our unconscious mind, from deep grooves where our belief system lives. This kind of thinking is not creative and does not move us forward.

The true act of thinking is to use our minds to produce thoughts that are consciously brought about by our own will. To think is the action, while thinking is the process. The same way we say walk vs walking and breathe vs breathing.

Everything in life starts with active thinking, the process of choosing words that are chosen by our conscious mind. Thinking while we do the dishes, garden, or cook may produce new ideas, but it is not active thinking.

The older we get, the more we need to engage in active thinking. Our minds often run away with words and concepts, and we start to experience more forgetfulness, often called dementia. Dementia is a general term for the decline of mental activity that affects memory, language, attention, and problem-solving.

We don't want that.

We don't want to decline; we want to grow, be northbound, and use our minds to help us live an active, purposeful lifestyle we choose and love. It does not matter if you desire to get into your best health, be an awesome grandmother, or write a book to share your life story; you must think. To create a lifestyle that supports our personal desires, we need a place to think.

I have a thinking chair, a recliner that was a 25-year anniversary gift from the hospital where I worked. This is my favorite place to think and journal about my dreams, plans, and deepest desires.

Do you have such a place where you can spend some time in peaceful, active thought production?

When we think, we are alert and awake. We notice thoughts and pay attention to how we interpret it. Then we connect what we notice to past experiences and decide what it means.

To think is to actively use our mind to make meaning.

Thinking is our superpower.

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." -- Alice Walker.

The brain creates thoughts, and the mind helps us choose and guide them.

The brain is the physical organ, the hardware. The key players in thinking are the following.

1. The Prefrontal Cortex is our decision center.

2. The Amygdala, which scans for emotional meaning.

3. The hippocampus is the place to store and retrieve memories.

   This image, which I created with the help of AI, can tell you more than words.

Take a few minutes to look at the image and visualize how our mind and our brain interact to help us think.

Next time you need to understand a concept, find an answer, or arrive at a solution, decide on a quiet place where you can think. You'll be surprised to learn how fast answers, ideas, or images emerge.

And it stimulates your mind.

Thinking is the sharpest tool in the shed. Having a designated chair or a place to think is more than just a good idea. For the boomer sisters, and older sisters and brothers, having a special place to think should be the law, especially if we want to go North.

Where else would we want to go?

I wrote an article about this on Medium.

Thank you ❤️

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