Critical Condition

When I hear people talk about hating to write or complaining about having to write something, I am always struck with surprise. For me, writing is a way for me to think through an issue. Whether it is personal or professional, I can always think clearer when I am writing it. Thank you to all my English teachers over the years. It was their guidance and educational assignments coupled with helpful criticisms that led me to be able to write my way through life.

The best life lesson I learned from English class and writing is critical thinking. The definition of critical thinking is: the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment. Thanks to dedicated teachers who didn't give up on a stubborn teenager/young adult, I not only learned how to think about academic topics for school, but how to apply these processes to my life outside of academia.

Critical thinking can be used not just to dissect a complex philosophical question for your classes, but can also help you dissect the regular moments in your life. Especially in time of high emotion, we can become stuck on how to deal with a problem.

Thinking critically about a situation can help pull you out of the emotional part and help you handle the situation. For example: You have a project at work and your boss comes in and says the deadline has been moved up to tomorrow. The first thing most people will feel is panic because they don't have time to complete it. Thinking critically about a project or situation allows you to focus on the facts of a situation and not the emotional reaction to the situation. Focusing on the facts gives you the chance to plan your project faster than anticipated while not panicking about not completing it. Instead of processing your feelings, you're processing how to get the project completed.