HEALTH
ARE YOU USING YOUR
FILTER OF REASON ?
By Liz Fleming
ROD STEWART PROBABLY SAID IT BEST : “ I WISH THAT I KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW WHEN I WAS YOUNGER .”
Rod ’ s right – we do get wiser as we get older – it ’ s the big reward for wrinkles and grey hair . The question is this … is there any way to increase the wisdom without adding the years ? Can we get smarter faster ?
No brain-boosting vitamin supplement ’ s going to do the trick and , so far , there ’ s no mind-sharpening surgery available . Our best strategy for wiser decision making is to use the same filter of reason that keeps us safe on the job every day .
The filter of reason is a mental framework that can be put to work in the midst of any challenging situation – whether we ’ re on the fire truck , in the firehouse or at home with our family and friends . Quite simply , it ’ s a logical decision-making process that tells us when our impulses are about to get us into trouble .
Remember that time when you impulsively chose to go out for a few drinks with the team when you could – and should – have gone to your daughter ’ s soccer game instead ? If you ’ d turned on your filter of reason before you headed to the bar , you wouldn ’ t have disappointed your daughter or had to deal with the death stare from your partner for the next week .
The filter of reason is a straightforward process of questioning and analysis . That all sounds complex and scientific , but the truth is you ’ re simply looking for clarity , relevance , logical consistency , evidence and fairness .
Let ’ s go back to that afterwork trip to the bar . A quick check of your calendar would have clarified your daughter ’ s soccer schedule and you ’ d have realized that it was not only relevant to her , but to you and your partner as well . The logical choice , based on the
OUR BEST STRATEGY FOR WISER DECISION MAKING IS TO USE THE SAME FILTER OF REASON THAT KEEPS US SAFE ON THE JOB EVERY DAY .
evidence of your daughter ’ s enthusiasm for the game and for having both of her parents in the stands would have convinced you that the fair choice was to go to her game .
Filter of reason thinking isn ’ t a long , drawn out process : sometimes it happens in a split second .
Imagine that you ’ ve been talking about getting a new car . A big purchase , it ’ s something you ’ ll want to research and consider carefully so you don ’ t end up with crippling monthly payments that could strain your budget to the bursting point . Your ego may be urging you to go for the top-of-the-line models , but if you run the numbers through your filter of reason , you might decide that you won ’ t be happy paying the piper – and the bank – for years to come .
Collecting and analyzing data is key to this kind of thinking as is the ability to reason critically and
14 | CRACKYL MAGAZINE