======Correlations====== The following is my response to an e-mail a student sent to me, asking about ways they could pursue developing better problem solving and active thinking skills. I quote their content, and reply beneath: =====Hacking=====
So before when you brought up an experience with a classmate in regards to hacking his blog. Between you and Joe, it has been said that hackers will throw data or input at something in order to break it's defences. By giving it something it doesn't expect, in an attempt to bypass security.
I'd personally broaden the definition of hacking, and diminish the notion of security: hacking is merely the act of figuring something out. A carpenter, a seamstress, an electrician, a poet... are all hackers. I'd even argue that the best hackers are amateurs at their craft (I tend to like the term "professional amateur"; they may lack official credentials associated with a specialized professional, but that doesn't mean they are in any way deficient in ability. Furthermore, they are doing it for fun, where the "specialized professional" may not be enjoying themselves). Hackers figure things out, be it some tool or technology, or means of expression, and can then start using it in ways others perceive as masterful. To the hacker, it is just normal perceived usage. That perception is the key. And I'll reiterate: I suspect the "best" hackers don't look at the application of their abilities as superior. They will often just admit to "seeing" things. If anything, hackers merely have refined skills at observation and playing, which bolsters their problem solving and active thinking abilities. ====Hacking vs. Security==== And this whole issue with 'security'... from a hacker's point of view, it is merely how poorly assembled or brittle so many things are. And to focus on security as a means of breaking into things... that's such a narrow application of hacking (often at the expense of learning the art and seeing the bigger picture), that it should be expelled from consideration. Breaking into things is but a small (and narrow) application of hacking. The art is in the observation and thinking about things. ====Big picture thinking==== Security is a problem because some hardware/sofware/service was designed poorly. Often times, it was designed poorly because the implementers didn't learn or appreciate the basics to see a deep, effective solution clearly, so they cranked out something that worked "well enough" (often only considering the short term). So many security issues would be mitigated if the programmers learned to code, problem solve, and think better. And that's part of my game. I am not predominantly nor even particularly interested in teaching 'technologies', 'programming', 'computers', but instead THINKING. All these other things just naturally make sense when one can think effectively (and then those very things can change- be it brands, instantiation of idea, or whatnot, and understanding is still had). Yet it has become so easy to seemingly memorize current things and regurgitate them back in boxes. Technology X can have its attributes learned, but that only prepares one for dealing with technology X.. often times the idea or concept that underlies it is completely ignored... so when Technology X is replaced with Y, people need to get "retrained". Not so if one is immersed in the fine art of thinking. =====Exposure to the uncomfortable/unfamiliar=====
In a lot of ways that's similar to your approach on teaching. By throwing/exposing people to things in ways they aren't used to, to overall strengthen their "security" (brain). This sort of thinking I know you've been pushing, and for good reason. I can definitely see how much like a security system becomes better at handling all sorts of "issues" (hackers) the brain then will become better at handling the various, and potentially complicated problems that we'll have to solve in our careers.
Yet (active) thinking is hard, especially when one has never been exposed to it; instead, there's a lot of authoritative "follow these directions", and people unknowingly just follow along. Becoming aware of it is an important first step. Being willing to pursue it another, and a big part of that is being willing to take on seemingly uncomfortable or inconvenient experiences (because the brain likes to autopilot and immerse itself in familiar things; it grows when you challenge it, but it loves to stagnate itself to death). ====Embracing the beginner mindset==== Something for everyone to keep in mind as I seemingly force unfamiliar (and at first glance, undesirable) things at you. *cough* vim *cough*. While I may personally believe in the value of a tool, there's also the purely DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE I want you to encounter. Many may then find increased value in a particular tool (and that's fine), but to get in a situation that challenges a seemingly familiar notion (text editing), that's what is valuable here. There should be a constant drive, and eventually a willingness, to deconstruct and return to basics (I like to call it the "eternal beginner" mindset-- being willing to try out something new and different. Even if it means potentially approaching a previously familiar/mastered thing as if we're just starting again. It can be a hit to the ego, at least at first. But to put the ego aside and partake in the experience? That's what makes us better, and rather more quickly than if we avoided it because of our pride. Because if we THINK we know a thing, we're limiting ourselves). And remember: being a beginner at something does not imply it is easy. Usually far from it. Truly being a beginner means we are inexperienced in the thing. There are no habits based on experience, they haven't been formed yet. You are more keenly trying to study and figure a thing out, observing its underlying machinations and operations. =====Advice on cultivating active thinking=====
Do you have any advice on improving that kind of thinking? In class i'll certainly have those "A-ha" moments where you'll show us neat ways to combine commands into these (even more) powerful tools. (I compare them to legos, on their own increadibly useful for limited tasks, but when together great art can be performed)
====Observation==== Yeah: work on being observant, in as many arenas as possible. What is there? How does it appear to work, or interact, or function? How long has it been there? Does it change? How does it change? Work on challenging (not for the sake of being difficult or causing others frustration; indeed, a lot of the magic comes from being invisible and therefore being free to observe without being overly involved) preconceived notions or supposed limits of how you think things should work. ====Asking (yourself) questions==== Challenging yourself is often best accomplished by learning to constantly ask (much of it to yourself) questions. If you cannot do something, or it seems hard: Why is that? How are you thinking it has to be done? What part of that seems to create an issue or perception of difficulty. Is the difficultly merely something unfamiliar (a cue for a learning experience- which one should consider diving into), or is it familiar but boring (a cue to challenge how you otherwise think about accomplishing the task-- finding some other way, even if it may not seem as efficient, provided it does not run counter to baseline requirements). Or even better, if certain steps are required... accomplish the task in the familiar way, then go back and specifically set about solving it in different ways. You'll note that largely reflects my advice about redoing past projects without asking for help or consulting your own notes. You want to be as on your own with your own skills as possible. The less you bring along, the less invested you are in going with familiar, comfortable solutions. ====Success is in the combination of all these skills==== So observing, asking (yourself) questions (I emphasize this, because while it is good to ask others questions, and I wish people would do more of that, as you have been doing, recognizing the need to ask ourselves questions, and frequently, is often overlooked: the more one asks themselves questions, the better their questions to others become), seeking more information (sometimes basic operating knowledge isn't enough... learn more than you think you may need to know about a thing... like you know '-l' and '-a' are common options you use on ls(1), yet the manual page is filled with dozens more... have you ever just checked out what is available, outside of any immediate need? Developing that curiosity is important... and then playing with these things. That way, you'll have played with things, lacking a specific need, and then will be more informed and able to solve a problem when there is a specific need. ====Focus on the long-term, not just the immediate task==== The more you only learn when there's a required task to solve, the more limiting your learning will be (as you are only seeking to solve the problem at hand). Learning to play for the sake of playing is critical. Figure things out, just because. So that the projects themselves become more like amusements, successfully accomplished, but NOT so much the initial learning opportunity (certainly a supplemental one, as its particular path may cause you to meander in yet new directions you hadn't considered). ====Avoid confusing short-sighted amusements for accomplishments==== Be mindful of familiar actions. I see people all the time with an express interest in breaking things (because they can, because destruction invigorates some odd sense of enjoyment). But when you only go at something because you want it to break, your purpose is purposefully shallow and limited. Okay, something may be brittle, but do you know all it can do and how it operates? Sometimes NOT breaking it and learning about it is a lot more fun than breaking it (although perhaps not as enjoyable for that short term, direct, tangible rush). ====Spectrums of considerations==== But remember, there's a spectrum of considerations out there (here are but a few, which I generally find quite pertinent to analyzing many situations): * **short term** vs. **long term**: humans are REALLY good at seeing the //short term//, and terrible at seeing the //long term//. The more we practice contemplating and trying to see the long term, the better our abilities become. With very rare exception, EVERYONE can stand to practice and focus more on the long term (outcome, possibility, forecast, potential, impact, whatever). * **direct** vs. **indirect**: we use our senses to directly sense things. Something is hot when we touch it, we react. We have a very close and comfortable DIRECT relationship with so much in the world around us. Yet often overlooked is the INDIRECT. Things we cannot directly sense, or that occur as a result of something we specifically set in motion. In reasoning, we have such concepts as inductive and deductive reasoning... putting clues together and figuring stuff out without having the direct answer at hand. The more we practice our interactions with the indirect, the better we become at so much. EVERYONE else is out to focus on the direct. But by stopping and thinking, the indirect reveals itself to us... this is where sidepaths appear and hidden passageways in otherwise perceived solid walls manifest. * **tangible** (material) vs. **intangible**: once again, we often pay attention to the SPECIFIC thing in focus. Yet there's also the intangible... that which we cannot put our finger on or draw a box around. To reuse a recent example: vim is a tangible thing. We can point a finger at it and say "I like/hate it" or "It is different". But again, my purpose is not specifically to teach you vim. My purpose is more intangible: I want you (all) to have a better insight and perception into the concept of text editing, and to challenge you to think about how you go about editing text (the process). With vim being able to navigate not just by character but by word, line, paragraph, there are many new ways to go ABOUT editing text. Old habits to challenge and break (especially the numerous, inefficient ones when better tools weren't available), and new habits to form. To change the way you interact with information is what we're after here, NOT to teach you technology X. If all you see is me trying to shove vim down your throat, you're going to squander and miss out on the opportunity to re-examine many things you currently take for granted (ie believe you have adequately mastered). Editing text, navigating information, simplifying transactions. And then, when that's all said and done, YES there's the tangible aspect of vim (you've just learned a specific technology, one that has a broad use in the technical community. Yet ANOTHER technology we've learned this semester. But learning it was the after-effect. Experiencing something new/different? That was the reason we set about it.) ====Various practices to consider==== So some practices to consider (reiterating some): * **observation**: This is the seeing/focusing on something. It is an important first step in pretty much any endeavor. Doing this you remove it from the background, where it remains ignored and invisible. * **reading**: I've heard plenty of grumbling about the length of my e-mails and the verbosity of my projects, and how I infrequently provide you with concise, specific information (WHY won't I just answer your question, instead of answering your question with a question?!!). Reading is a basic ingredient of observation. It introduces us to new ideas, notions, and insights. It enhances the intangible, indirect, and longer term value of things (even if, at face value, it may seem to be quite tangible (e-mail about a topic), direct (giving you particular examples), and short term (something you are reading here and now). Yet, for YEARS I've consistently gotten comments along these lines by some of my best students: * I'm so glad you made us do that. It seemed pointless then, but I have to do it EVERYDAY at $JOB now. * Your projects are long and it is a LOT of reading, but once I sit down and take the time to read through it, I realize just how informative it is. So many of my questions are answered. * This was so frustrating until I stopped and thought about it. Took a step back, read the instructions. Then an answer appeared; why didn't I see that before? * **asking __yourself__ questions**: Challenge yourself. Question assumptions. Why are you doing things this way? Do you really like it? What (aspect) don't you like about it? Why? Could you explore a different way of doing it? Why does it work in this way? Does it really work in this way? * **asking questions**: Asking someone a question is among our most adequate means of gaining clarification or further information. When asked effectively and intelligently can be the spark of considerable further success towards a solution. "I don't know" isn't a question, neither is "I don't know what to ask". Although, asking yourself some pointed questions could help you cultivate a worthwhile question to ask. * **playing**: we NEED to play; NOT because you need to figure them out for a specific task/project, but because it is there. And don't play to intentionally break. Play to discover and appreciate how a thing operates (this is what lead me to doing the occasional '1337h4xx', because I wasn't seeking to take advantage of everything. I was seeking to understand how it all worked, so when I had a specific instance of something that I shared in a story, I was dwelling amongst many familiar things, vs. some singular locked door. I didn't look at it as some door to unlock even then, but a desire to figure out how the thing worked. Then in the process of that exploring, I realized how non-existent it was. * **repetition**: intentionally redo things. Complete a project? Wait a week or so, then go back and do it again... no asking for help from others, no referencing any of your notes. How well can you accomplish the thing left to your own devices. No rushing. Take your time. Recognize walls, and question them. Ask little questions, deconstruct the obstacle. * **eternal beginner**: embrace being an eternal novice. Clinging to a status of expert is self-limiting. It adds pressure. There's ALWAYS something new to be realized in the basics (Not that there isn't anything to be gained from more advanced material. I didn't say that. I'm merely saying there's ALWAYS something more to learn in the basics). When you immerse yourself in the basics, not feeling it is below you, you may well be amazed at the further insights gained. * **cultivate awareness of the //long term//**: work to notice the longer term impact of things. You're not in this class to do projects and get a grade (that's a short term perspective). You're here to gain experiences and insight that will help form a foundation to operate from long down the road. How could something we are doing here and now be valuable in the broader picture? We may do a SPECIFIC thing with an item now, but what other treasures does it possess? * **develop your skills of the //indirect//**: What have your actions set into effect? What might happen 5 steps down the line if you start it off this way? Could you make an investment in something now that could pay off later? * some good exercises for developing your indirect thinking skills include logic puzzles. Try to regularly do a logic grid puzzle, or a letter math division, or crossword, or sudoku (and don't shy away from the ones that seem less fun- again, not fun is your brain saying it isn't comfortable/familiar. A clue that it is something you should try because you can benefit). * I have (off and on) utilized services such as **Lumosity** (brain games), to both measure my progress in certain categories, and also to induce some variety. The brain may like to autopilot, but it also enjoys stimulus. * **intangible**: work on the appreciation, recognition of the intangible. What was able to happen, or you were able to attain, because of some experience that appears entirely contrary on the surface? What underlying skill were you able to further develop through your interaction with a specific tool? * **write**: Reading is important, so is writing. Reading is informative, writing is empowering. Write in your journal, write shell scripts, write programs. Write on paper. When you write, you create. You also engage the brain, involve it in active thinking (one rarely consumes while composing, we are creating). * A good practice to consider taking up is to //develop your handwriting//- brush up on cursive; talk about a long-term, indirect, intangible benefit: spend time handwriting, and your brain will light up in all sorts of amazing and beneficial ways; it may be an utterly "useless skill" today (from a short-term, direct, tangible perspective), but those are the type of things I'm always on the lookout for. And I have benefit immensely by exploring them. * **Embrace mistakes**: We learn from mistakes. Mistakes are an acknowledgement of a deviation from expectations. To make a mistake gives us an opportunity to reflect, and that leads to new insights. Chasing perfection just closes our minds to possibility (not that it isn't preferable to successfully do a thing: but the difference I am trying to point out is we shouldn't obsess about being perfect. If we welcome mistakes, we'll get better at the thing quicker). * **Purpose**: Try to find some innate, passionate purpose. Some people may think of these as "goals", or "missions". I tend to think of such things (goals, missions) as artificial and external. Regardless, you want to find something that resonates with you. * For example: from an early age (elementary school), I found myself thinking "//I want to learn something new each day//". For its simplicity, it seemed reasonable. It was something I could endeavor to do and did not feel overwhelmed by following the practice. And if you understand the whole short-term/long-term, direct/indirect, tangible/intangible thing, it is totally possible. Sure, I may not tangibly learn some direct new thing that can help me today, but I've most certainly had an insight. I've continued some exploration, achieved some new awareness. And I'm grateful for the experience. =====Discipline plus time begets success=====
I know it won't be something that happens overnight. I just get almost frustrated on how I didn't notice that closed door, that is now open so to speak. The methods that I believe to help the most are..
Acknowledging the thing is important. Transforming the perspective is a next step. And we should always be on the lookout for acknowledging some new discipline or activity we may want to improve upon. For once we identify it, we can then choose to act on it. So, once again: we fall back on the critical need to be observant. Instead of feeling frustrated, work on seeing it as achieving some new insight from an observation. That's why we have literature, we tell stories, we have jokes. The more well-read we are, the more experiences we can draw from to better perceive things. And the wider our scope of experience, the more adept we will become at solving all kinds of problems. =====Suggestion: Targeted activities=====
Things I think I may try: Jumping into it, play around, utilize an OS at home to familiarize myself with it better. Would this be advisable?
Not necessarily (although not to say that this wouldn't be a worthy exploration, in time). This is why I've set up lab46. To let you immerse in a functioning environment. One cannot be a good administrator until they are an excellent user. So many tend to jump this gun (and "installing OSes" is one of those cheap thrills that too many try to claim some level of expert status with); it takes more to USE a thing than to INSTALL a thing. =====Suggestion: Seeking out information=====
Things I think I may try: Asking/seeking knowledge from sources such as peers, wikis, or other texts/outlets. Would this be advisable?
This is among the very core of reading and observation. Identify sources of information, both pertinent to some topic and hand, but also connections to other things worth investigating. Familiarize yourself with them. Consuming information. Reading. Improving your input bandwidth will be of immense help. One of the stumbling blocks of so many right now is that they're not used to reading so much. Yet what I'm presenting to you (even in my lengthy responses) is but a small fraction of the volumes of technical and pertinent information on a topic, much of it hidden from view if you cannot adequately process more than a page at a time. And also of importance: do not just search for, and stop once you find some precise, short answer. Read into it and explore the background. The history. The evolution. Don't just focus on the thing as a means to an end in the present- get to know it for the problems it has solved, the approaches it has taken, and the paths it has traveled to arrive here in the present. =====Suggestion: Making/reacting to mistakes=====
Things I think I may try: Making mistakes, and learning to fix, or not have them occur again. Would this be advisable?
A recurring mistake merely means you didn't adequately learn from it the first time. Don't obsess about making mistakes. Let them happen. Embrace the opportunity to learn from them. In time, they will vanish (but the more you want them to go away, the longer they will stay around). =====My experience=====
Were you someone that struggeled at one point with that style of thinking/processing? If so, what did you find to be the best methods, or advice that you picked up as you progressed?
We all have to make our valiant escape from the jails of conformity and indoctrination. I certainly was no different. Often times it occurs by accident: something in some previously established and "impenetrable" system shows a shortcoming or failing. We happen to notice it. We ponder it, we witness it again and again. Our reality changes: no longer is said system some absolute, unquestioned bastion of perfection. Then: are these weaknesses apparent elsewhere? And there are so many distinct opportunities to free ourselves onto any of infinite paths to discovery. I wouldn't say I've ever //struggled// in learning to do active thinking, but like everyone else, I've been blind to the details and reality of many things before I had cause to pay them notice. And often growing comfortable with working with these new skills can be uncomfortable at times. For me, many of my notable introductions to active thinking occurred in elementary and middle school. I found reason to notice people acting against their will in order to conform or "be accepted" into some clique or group. Peer pressure and class pranks gave me opportunities to cultivate my inner strength (there were instances where I disagreed with the context or, more likely, pointlessness of a prank, and that resulted in me standing firm, often being the lone person out, standing for the cause I believed in). There may be a word or a description for this phenomena (I cannot think of any pertinent name at the moment... kudos to anyone who can offer up a name, and ideally a wikipedia article link for us all to read more about), but I've had a long history of realizing many things I perceive as everyday and normal are quite the exception. Even to this day, as I explore some new interest, or stumble upon some new notion I was previous unaware of (or didn't think to observe it as a particular instantiation of a distinct thing), I frequently find I am or have been naturally practicing many of its patterns, or can anticipate its progression. Sure, there's always some fundamental new stuff, but then there's how it connects with so much familiar stuff (that I never would have thought were in any way connected). I've definitely been in scenarios where I've realized I'm somehow the odd one out: "What, you didn't know that?" ====Genius? Or just consistent and refined normalcy?==== I've definitely had my fair share of people claiming my various skills are above-average or "genius": I tend to disagree. Very little of what I do seems outwardly unique. I exist in a sea of general connectivities: I only came upon some 'unique' solution because I saw how common and obvious it was from my observations. That I may have improved my aptitude at various activities is merely a byproduct of practice, discipline, and consistentcy, to gradually become acclimated to it. And I certainly can recollect when I wasn't good at such things, and I struggled. So from my point of view, this is just the result of applying all the above-mentioned principles, over time. For example: there was a scenario where we were having a teaching demonstration by an interviewee for a position. They were giving a "mock lecture", setting up some multi-dimensional array and populating it with values, doing some sort of operation with it. The lecturer asked what would happen when we did operation X. I start piecing it all together in my head as I spoke through to the answer. I realized everyone was looking at me. The lecturer said, "and then for the rest of us who aren't superhuman, that's why I handed out paper to write out the logic". Again, to me, because of my many years doing programming, I had BECOME quite adept at conceptually visualizing these sorts of things in my head. There was definitely a time when I couldn't do this. And over time, through practice, I gradually became better at it. Yet because I chose to practice and develop that skill, is that somehow worthy of the attribute 'smart', or 'genius'? I prefer to call it 'practice' and 'experience', which anyone can do on any topic. ====Non-conformity==== At the same time, I've also had a history of possessing quite a fiery non-conformist streak. I despise doing things "just because", or "for the sake of it", or "because they're doing it" (notice how all three of those "explanations" are devoid of details and underlying understanding; maybe a thing IS worthwhile, but I'd like to evaluate its efficacy for myself). It has resulted in many scenarios where I'm the lone person standing, holding onto a perspective. Hey, my reasons seem sound. Yet I've also been recognized in many of those same harrowing situations as being correct, where others took the expected or conforming path, giving in to peer pressure or just not wanting to feel left out, and ended up being wrong. Society at large doesn't like people thinking differently. Be aware of that. ====Thinking about thinking==== I've always thought about things: Numbers, doing simple math in my head, trying to find new/different ways of doing things. A favorite sporadic hobby of mine is to try and find patterns in prime numbers- an endeavor not very likely to be successful, but it has been the source of considerable inspiration, programs written, scripts prototyped, all to test some crazy new idea I've come up with, or to crank out data to analyze. It should be noted that this is pure playing, and in the process I get so much better at so many things. ====Writing for fun and profit==== As a discipline building/maintenace practice, currently I personally try to write (handwrite, in cursive) at least one page a day... a few years back I trained myself to write with my right hand, and now can do normal/mirror writing, even normal/upside down, both hands. Now, I write mirror with my left on the left pages, and normal with my right on the right pages (I wrote 12 pages today, incidentally. And that isn't any sort of record for me). ====Expression==== I've been endeavoring to learn French for the past few years. Not so much to speak the language, but to read material if I encounter it. To listen to and understand a song. An underlying driving force is that it has propelled my understanding of English to new levels (they say about 60% of English vocabulary is from French). Talk about indirect patterns and insights. Etymology is also a mild hobby of mine (and you know what else it helps with? Programming. A heck ton.) ====Challenge myself with logic puzzles==== I can often tear through one of those 7x7 challenging logic grid puzzles in under half an hour. Tons and tons of applied indirection skills at work to pull off a task like that. ====Become bi-layoutial on the keyboard==== I learned the dvorak keyboard layout, and now am effectively bilingual in qwerty and dvorak (take a look at the keyboard at my pod sometime- there are stickers on they keys) ====Resist familiarity==== I try to alternate the sides of various things each month to force the acclimation of the other hand (kitchen sink: I flip the side I wash and the side I put dishes to try), I alternate pockets where I put my phone when I'm out walking, I change the side of the keyboard I put my notebook I write in, so my body position has to adapt. =====In general===== To be sure: I am not mentioning any of these things to brag. These are but a sampling of my amusements, things that entertain me. They did not develop overnight. I've been at them for SEVERAL YEARS. I mention them to provide some examples of things I've stumbled on, and some insights I've gained from doing these things. There are infinite paths one can take. So many avenues to discovery. These are some I stumbled on... be it from reading or just deriving some connection that felt like something to try. In each case, there was resistance: I wasn't used to cursive. Or writing with my right hand. Or writing in cursive with my right hand. Or French. Or using the dvorak keyboard layout. Or doing a logic puzzle. At one point, years ago, at each moment of inception, I thought to try this activity out. It was challenging. I didn't like it. It was easier doing the things I knew. But I knew I'd never advance that way. So I kept with it... forced myself to write a sentence... that awkward, ugly, and uncalibrated squiggle produced by my right hand become increasingly legible. What took half an hour and left me exhausted mentally became 15 minutes. 10. As I said, today I wrote 12 pages. 6 of them with my right hand. In cursive. I tore through them, in alternation. I maintain these disciplines, yes, I'm also quite comfortable with them as well (now). But I also constantly come up with new ways, new games, to challenge how I do these familiar things (write every other line, every four lines, alternate hands/orientations each line, don't leave a blank line on the same line as there's a blank line on the page before, forcing me to improvise more). I'll get some new idea and set about exploring it. Deconstructing it, how I think about it, finding patterns, deriving new patterns. Testing anticipated patterns. Writing new scripts/tools to assist me. Rewrite an existing thing because it is rigid in an increasingly inconvenient way (I've rewrote many a script, if only to make the end result look prettier). In the end, it ends up being a philosophy, an art. I don't look at these things as discrete activities. To me they are all related. New things I am doing now and becoming more familiar with will eventually integrate and become just as natural. I'll stop recognizing it as some unique thing, but increased flexibility and observation as I encounter yet more new things. And certainly: I look back at where I was in the past. A year ago. Two. Five years. Even longer. I pull out an old notebook I did my writings in... night and day difference. Even further back: woah. And even to read about the things I was thinking about, or moreso: HOW I was thinking about them. I was so inflexible back then. So limited in my way of seeing things. I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now. So again: one needs to embrace the eternal beginner. Embrace mistakes, so we can learn from them. Play. Keep playing. Allow for time. Consider things from multiple perspectives. Explore. Read. All those things I've mentioned above. In various combinations. It takes time. It takes practice. But while not necessarily immediate, results can start to be realized in a few weeks to a few months. One just needs the werewithal to keep at it, despite not immediately being able to see any short-term gain. I hope this ends up being helpful. In some capacity. I can certainly expand upon things as desired. Congratulations if you've made it to the end of this treatise. I don't expect many will. Certainly some who do will not appreciate the gist of what I just shared. But some will: a spark, perhaps. And that's all it takes to set to life an inspiration. And that's really what I seek from you: to inspire, and to share in that inspiration. That's why this is "the best class you've ever taken". One might say "but all I asked was how I could think better". Well, I gave my response. Notice how it isn't a 30 second / 1 sentence answer. Because there isn't one, at least not one that would be valuable. To want that means you're not truly interested in thinking more and differently. For those with a willing and sufficiently open mind, perhaps there is a piece of insight here that resonates with you here and now. There's certainly too much to take everything in all at once. Cherry pick some things in the here and now... real change is effected in little bits at a time. They say you can only successfully change up to 10% at a time. Any more and you increase you chances of failure dramatically and stop. Slow and steady. Consistency is key.