Thinking Time

Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. 

Doug Larson

The past several days I’ve continued to mark items off of my bucket list including sliding down a fireman’s pole and parasailing (just not at the same time). Along the way, I’ve had lots of time to think and plan for my next adventures.

I’ve visited a lot of historical places these past few weeks. I’ve learned so much more about America, its people, and its strength as a nation. Specifically, I’ve toured a number of places that highlight the tremendous influence of American technology and innovation on the world. Recently, I stopped by Dearborn, Michigan, to “The Henry Ford” complex. Planning to spend just a couple of hours, I ended up spending the majority of a day touring the museum and Greenfield Village thanks to the wonderful woman I met at the visitor services counter who went out of her way to be genuinely kind.

The museum collection includes the bus Rosa Parks rode in Montgomery, Alabama, JFK’s presidential convertible, Lincoln’s theatre chair, and a lot more really cool old stuff. The majority of the museum is dedicated to American innovation (the planes, trains, and automobiles are just a portion). As I observed a dozen summer camp kiddos running around pressing every button they could while the young college-age camp counselors attempted to wrangle the group, I began thinking about what kinds of innovations will be developed in their lifetime. Then I wondered about the various processes of creating innovative ideas. Henry Ford, Grace Hopper, George Washington Carver, Albert Einstein, Virginia Apgar, and so on were thinkers. They read incessantly and wrote down even the smallest ideas. They tried and failed and continued to think. These “famous minds” carved out hours each day to sit and think.

I would like to ask you to take a moment right now and write down how many minutes per day you believe you participate in active thinking? I mean, really thinking – without the television on, without your cell phone nearby, without music playing, and without others in the room/car to disturb you. How much time do you dedicate each day to thinking? If you are like me, I’m pretty sure I could count the minutes on one hand.

What ideas have been rolling around in your head that you’ve dismissed without giving them your thinking time to develop? What plans have been put on hold because you’ve been too busy to think about a timeline? What goals and dreams have been ignored for a number of reasons, but mostly because you’ve not taken the time to think them through? What world-changing innovations have been lost because the persons with those ideas did not take the time to think? Is thinking time really that important?

This brings me back to the summer camp kiddos I saw at the museum. We live in a country where we find an answer to just about any question in less than 2 seconds. We purchase an item online and have it appear on our doorstep within 24 hours. We order our groceries or our lunch and have them delivered in record time. We live with instant gratification and instant “knowledge” which are convenient and impressive. Yet, are we allowing our brains to be as creative or as intelligent or as innovative or even as compassionate as they are capable of being? How about we all start keeping track of our thinking time and begin thinking intentionally?