Patterns of Thought I: “A Man is What He Thinks about All Day Long”

I’m not sure where I came across this quote in my reading, but I believe it’s an Emerson quote.  And it’s an important one.

Emerson’s quote inspired a key discovery for me.  The logic is as follows:

People are patterns.  I know this from working with them.  If a man’s thoughts really do define him, we should all take careful note of our thoughts and be aware of the patterns within them.

And that’s the essence of the quote–be aware of your patterns of thought.  Being aware of thought patterns tells you a lot about what excites you and what you enjoy.  In choosing how I wanted to spend my time once I finished school, understanding the importance of thought patterns was an important guide.

I wasn’t fully conscious of my personal thought patterns until I began writing them down.  I’m not sure it’s possible to be fully aware of them unless you record them in some form and take time to examine them yourself.   I discovered very quickly why I felt so hopelessly distracted in classrooms.  Whenever I was supposed to be solving equations or listening to someone talk about cell biology, my brain was generating hoards of ideas. I didn’t want to be learning things that someone else already understood, I wanted to be building something new and beautiful and pick up what I needed to know along the way.

This is just one example of what I discovered.  It’s a bit strange to become fully aware of things that should’ve been  obvious, especially when they’re about yourself.  But, I think all discoveries seem obvious in hindsight.

Kevin
6.30.2009