“Think before you act; think twice before you speak.”
– Thomas Browne –

When you think first before speaking or responding verbally to what others say, you engage in thoughtful communication. You avoid saying something you might regret. It will help you earn trust and confidence and build better connections with people around you. The same thing to your actions. Our actions are integral parts of what we are. When it is committed, it would be hard or impossible to reverse. If the things you do are products of careful thinking, you build goodwill and establish a good reputation.

Thinking before reacting (saying or doing something) is a little bit challenging. Findings from neurological research reveal that sensory input always goes through the emotional centers of the brain before it reaches the frontal cortex – the place for our rational thought. This means that it is actually physically impossible for thoughts to come before emotions.

We often define emotions as feelings that are portrayed physically or verbally. They  (emotions) are said to be paired with instinctive reactions (verbal or physical), reactions that you don’t think about but instinctively do. This is the reason why sometimes people have already said and done something before realizing whether what was said and done was right or wrong. In the end, it is a matter of them saying, “I am glad I did it.” or “I should not have done it.”

But even if we are naturally wired to have emotions formed first before thoughts, we can train ourselves to think first before making a decision – say or do something. It may be hard to be consciously aware of what we say or do in a split second, but it is harder to regret doing or saying something, especially if the consequences are grave.

Remember the Think Before You Click campaign? It was launched to remind people to take the necessary precautions when they indulge in any kind of activity on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), YouTube,  and other social media platforms. People are urged to slow down with whatever they’re doing in cyberspace and scrutinize what or who they are interacting with.  It is when people act impulsively and without thinking that they become vulnerable to phishing, malware, identity theft, cyber espionage, data breaches, and other kinds of cybercrimes. There are grave personal and professional consequences for failing to think before clicking. Millions of dollars were lost and lives ruined simply because some people did not think before pressing the enter button.

But we also live a life outside of cyberspace that requires us to think first, not just before clicking but also before saying or doing anything. In this article, think first is referred to as the skill of momentarily pausing in order to assess the consequences or implications of an action about to be done or words about to be said. It is one of the self-improvement skills needed by people seeking success. The absence of such skill may lead to failure or ruin.

Think first precedes decision-making. Remember that the decision-making process is a crucial part of our life. We make decisions (say or do something)  that affect both our personal and professional lives. Thus, you need to reflect first about the decisions you are about to make. Thoughtful deliberation and mindfulness are prerequisites to decision-making. You can avoid making impulsive decisions if you think first before doing or saying anything. Remember that there are negative consequences or results when decisions made are a product of thoughtlessness.

Developing the skill to think first is an integral part of self-improvement. It is an area of personal growth and development that cannot be taken for granted.  The way to success, good health, and happiness is replete with a lot of decisions you need to make. Remember that becoming successful, healthy, and happy hinges upon your decision-making ability.

Thinking first provides you an opportunity to hold your horses and not rush to make a decision. It gives you a moment to reflect on your thoughts and emotions before doing or saying something. It allows you to check your intentions. Many people make wrong decisions, resulting in lost opportunities and ruined relationships, because they do not weigh the pros and cons by refusing to think first.

Thinking first or not at all is what separates successful people from unsuccessful ones. Those who make decisions – say or do something – without thinking it through first are very likely to fail. According to Maxwell (2009), “The one thing that separates those who go to the top from those who never seem to get there is good thinking. It is not that some people get better opportunities  and better education or that some people are just lazy and had bad breaks.” They fail because they don’t have the ability to think properly. They go on autopilot when making decisions.

It’s not just a matter of thinking first but also being mindful of the quality of thinking that you do. It is not enough that you think first. How you think also matters. It is the quality of thinking that makes a thinker more successful than other thinkers. The better a person thinks, the better results they get.

But how to think well? How do you become a good thinker?

 Two concepts come to mind whenever the process of thinking is discussed – critical thinking and analytical thinking. These two philosophical constructs are often used interchangeably.  Yes, the results are the same – informed and responsible decisions – but the manner in which they are performed is different.

Bensla (2023) provided the following definitions to differentiate one from the other. “Critical thinking is an objective process of examining and evaluating an issue to form a judgment. Conversely, analytical thinking breaks down complex issues or concepts into smaller, more digestible pieces. It can be said that the two are complementary.  Both critical and analytical thinkers identify, analyze, and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct. Analytical and critical thinking prevent one from acting impulsively when making a decision.

No matter how small and insignificant a decision that is about to be made, guarantee its success by thinking first before making the decision.

Becoming a good thinker is not rocket science! Simply follow the prescribed procedures in critical and/or analytical thinking, and you will be on your way to making well-informed decisions. Sometimes, a simple application of common sense is all that it takes to make a decision.

Aside from following established thinking procedures, there are other ways of improving your way of thinking.

To improve thinking, Maxwell (2009) recommended the following: 1) expose yourself to good input; 2) expose yourself to good thinkers; 3) choose to think good thoughts; 4) act on your good thoughts; and 5) allow your emotions to create another good thought.

Exposing yourself to good input involves reading books, reviewing trade magazines, listening to tapes, and spending time with good thinkers. You should also strive to spend time with the right people. Maxwell mentioned that the writer of Proverbs observed that sharp people sharpen one another.

Maxwell added that in order to become a good thinker, you must be intentional about the thinking process regularly putting yourself in the right place to think, shape, stretch, and land your thoughts. He cautioned that ideas have a short life, so you must act on them before they disappear, and when starting the thinking process, you cannot rely on your feelings. This means that you cannot wait until you feel like thinking to do it. He reiterated that to think better, you must find a place to think, shape, stretch, your thoughts, land, and fly your thoughts.

 Additional tips on improving thinking were presented in an article (“How To Think Better,” n.d.).  The writer said that the best way to improve your thinking is to spend time thinking. To force ourselves to spend more time thinking, we must write about it. In the article, Leslie Lamport was quoted, “If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.” The writer of the article added, “Writing is not just a vehicle to communicate but one to practice our reasoning. Writing forces you to slow down, focus, and think deeply.”

Breathing can also help one in the process of thinking first. Providing your brain with oxygen will assist you in planning what to say and do. Pausing momentarily before making a decision allows you to weigh your thoughts carefully and prevents you from acting or saying something impulsively.

Taking a second or two to think first before making a decision can save you from hours, if not a lifetime) of regret.