Superpower: How to Think, Act, and Perform with Less Effort and Better Results

Chapter 8

Critical Thinking Tactics

Are you ready to put on your critical thinking cap?

Critical thinking is a superpower. It's different from the thinking most people do. When you make decisions, are you taking some kind of constructive action or simply reacting to the current situation? If your answer is action, then congratulations; you're using your critical thinking superpower to help you make good decisions. If your normal mode of response is to react, you may spend your time feeling like you're spinning out of control, making poor, fear-based decisions, and you may be living your life in survival mode rather than success mode.

In the 1980s, I was an in-line speed skater who competed in national competitions. One of the benefits was the opportunity to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I was lucky enough to train there two different times, and it was a wonderful experience. Although I never competed in the Olympics, just training like an Olympian was an amazing feeling. Back then, I weighed 168 pounds and was strong, fit, and flexible. I was burning so many calories each week that I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. After speed skating for years, I took up road cycling, first recreationally and then as a USCF-licensed bicycle racer. It was an easy transition from speed skating to cycling because I was using the same muscle groups.

In road cycling, there are five categories of licensed racers. I raced in category three (CAT3) out of ...