Here are four observations from John Maxwell about thinking that may help you hang tough when you’re trying to land a thought.1. Thoughts never begin fully formed. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a complete idea come to me immediately. This certainly would be a more efficient way of thinking, but it simply doesn’t work that way.
2. Thoughts take time and others to reach their potential. Notice I didn’t say it takes time or others to develop a thought. It takes both. Thought maturation works best when it occurs over time and with input from other informed, thinking people.
3. Thoughts are very fragile in the beginning. The quote from my friend says it all. “John,” he said, “ideas are like soap bubbles floating in the air close to jagged rocks on a windy day.”
4. Thoughts only reach their full potential in a healthy environment. In this kind of setting, criticism is constructive, not destructive. Hard questions are asked to clarify and define an idea, not to attack it or tear it apart. Thoughts may be challenged, but the overall atmosphere is positive, not negative.
