Book of the year

I have read many books in 2005, but nothing comes close to this.

This excellent book teaches you to spot your mental locks and how to open them. You will recognize your thinking pattern and learn a different method to complement it.

For example, you could be very strong in critical thinking and economic rationality. That is excellent in the workplace because we value people who can solve problems with the shortest time and the least cost.

But life is rarely that simple. Solutions are smudged with uncertainties. An option may solve 80% of the problem, but it worsens the remaining 20%. What do you do when your primary reasoning fails to solve the problem?

Dig into the other side of the mind: parallel thinking.

You see, critical thinking is a process of elimination; It cuts down wasteful options. Parallel thinking is a process of creation; It opens up a universe of possibilities.

Critical thinking emphasizes about how different things are. Nobody would mistake a fridge for a cat. But parallel thinking sees how similar a cat and a fridge is. Both have a place to store fish. Both have a tail. And both purr.

Like a spotlight, critical thinking is bright, clear and intense, but the focus is narrow. Parallel thinking is like a floodlight. It is more diffuse, not as intense, but covers a wider area.

To effectively solve any problem, you need parallel thinking to see all the solutions. Then you use critical thinking to pick the answer.

Personally, I find it useful for 2 kinds of problems. The first kind are new problems that require answers I've never imagined possible. And I learn new things that have not appeared on any books before. It's like blind spots: I can't see what I missed till I turn around.

The second kind of problem is people-related. Parallel thinking taught me how to see a person for all his worth. Instead of thinking about what a person cannot do, I learn to value what a person can be taught.

Look into the mirror today. Is it someone who sticks to the familiar, or someone who learns something new everyday?