If thinking is categorized practically, it can be broadly split into ‘volitional thinking’ and ‘instrumental thinking.’ Volitional thinking involves the belief that to succeed, a person must have a strong will to overcome hardships and obstacles. Self-improvement falls under this category. However, to actually overcome hardships and obstacles, it is instrumental thinking that drives us to consider that we need ‘tools’ to get past them. In other words, it’s like how carpenters build houses: they construct the structure, but tools are what make it possible. There is no carpenter without tools. Both are essential for success, but if I had to emphasize one, focusing on instrumental thinking is more advantageous. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
No matter how hard you work or how busy you become, it’s essential to maintain initiative in your life. When I lose control of my life to others, I feel as though I’m living a life of servitude. The most important way to preserve initiative in life is to consistently take action, even if it’s small, as part of my daily routine. Theologian Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr prayed: “Let me do my best in what I have to do, give me the courage to give up what I cannot do, and give me the wisdom to judge the two apart.”
- Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
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