Critical thinking is essential. It is crucial for our success in every area of our lives, from our spirituality to our road navigation, from the classroom to the boardroom. If you are not critical of your work, ideas or actions, you can’t be successful or reach your potential. But many people tend to think critically only when they are about to perform a task. It is important to approach each day with objectivity so you can see life as it is and tackle the challenges that arise. This is where self-actualization comes in. Some people spend a lifetime trying to figure out who they are and where they are going in life while others achieve self-actualization early on, gaining insight into who they are and where it is they want to be. Very few people take the time to focus on themselves and find their real purpose in life. It’s no wonder so many of us question what it is we were put on this earth to do. Self-actualization challenges us to achieve our highest potential in life and find ways to sustain it.

When we are children growing up, our imagination is the key to an untold world. In fact, kids with more active imaginations have better brain health, and more likely to dream and strive for greater things as adults. Too often, however, as we grow up, we are told to “get our heads out of the clouds” and that living in an imaginary world is not good for us. However, stifling your imagination is the worst thing you could do for yourself, as it will only pave the way for accelerated aging, and a life that is left unfulfilled.

Your body physically reacts to your thoughts every minute of the day. Just a thought can trigger the release of neurotransmitters in your brain, sending chemical messengers to communicate with the rest of the brain and the nervous system. Critical thinking can be the link between our thoughts and actions. 

 By definition, critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In other words, critical thinking is a rather complex process of gathering information, sorting it, analyzing it, and then drawing logical conclusions based on what you’ve learned during your research. It can help us in all aspects of life.

Not surprisingly, many people do not take the time to be mindful of anything around them. Surely, you’ve had an occurrence when you just found yourself lost looking at the clouds and feeling a great sense of joy. This is mindfulness. But how does mindfulness help with critical thinking? Mindfulness and critical thinking are not the same things. However, mindfulness can help you develop “critical thinking” — by helping you be more present-moment focused.

Having emotional control takes practice; it’s a skill that you have to work to develop. It doesn’t just happen overnight. Developing emotional control is an important part of human development, as well. Not having emotional control can be a problem for decision making. If you're not aware of your own emotions, or how they dictate your decisions, the negative effects can affect your ability to make good choices. You don’t really understand the full scope of emotional control and how it can influence decision making until you are in a situation where you didn’t have any.