Quality of life is subjective and will have a different meaning for different people and at different
stages of their lives. But if you are young or a millennial today, you have probably
noticed that it’s hard to get ahead these days.

The lack of economic opportunity that you are experiencing is most likely greater than it
was for your parents. In fact, while your generation hold only 7 percent of total wealth in
the US, your parents held 22 percent – three times more – when they were your age. 1

If you are just starting out in your career or trying to advance it, you will be faced with
this reality. Quite a few people of your generation find this frustrating, which is
understandable. And you could spend a lot of time blaming everything else than
yourself.

But why is it that some people win and get ahead every day? It really comes down to
how you think. If you change your thinking, you can change your life for the better. All
action, and thus, all change starts in the mind. And Critical Thinking is one of the most
powerful skills that can make a positive impact on all areas of your life.

Some of the positive effects of Critical Thinking are:

 More creativity
 Better problem solving
 Clearer communication
 Stronger decision making
 Distinguish facts from opinion
 Prioritize important over non-important
 Recognize one’s own cognitive biases
 Separate the subjective from the objective
 Evaluate information and its sources critically
 Identify and reject false ideas and conclusions

With these benefits, it is easy to understand how Critical Thinking can improve the
quality of your life in many areas. From doing better in school to advancing at work, and
from organizing your life to having more successful relationships, Critical thinking is one
skill that can improve a multitude of areas in your life.

But What is Critical Thinking?

The Oxford Dictionary defines Critical Thinking as: “the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.” Obviously, if we make bad judgements in our lives, then the quality of our
lives will follow in that direction.

This is why Critical Thinking (CT) is all about how we form a judgment and learning to
make better and more correct judgments. This is where objectivity comes in as the
process or the how to do the analysis and evaluation that form our judgments. An
objective judgment is one that is not influenced by personal feelings, opinions or biases
when considering facts.

This is why objectivity starts from a point of not knowing. To be objective we need to
come from a neutral starting point, whereby letting go of subjective views, we can truly
be open to new information. Critical Thinking is about being humble and open to the fact
that we do not know everything.

Critical Thinking in Your Career

If you feel stuck in your career, you can use Critical Thinking to find better job or
advance in your current position. This can start with you asking yourself what is the
purpose of your role and why are you in this job?

A study of 22,000 employees, found that 37 percent didn’t know the mission of the
company, and only 20 percent knew the connection between their job duties and the goals the company. Also only a mere 20% were excited about the goals of the company
they worked for.

That should tell you how to get ahead at work, or if its time to find another job that you
are really passionate about. A job is not an entitlement, it’s part of greater mission to
solve a problem. You should always ask: what does success look like in my role?

The value that you can and should add, is to help solve a problem in line with the
mission of the company you work for. Do a little research and tell that to your boss or
put it in your cover letter and you got a career advancement.

I love this tweet from Elon Musk after just taking over Twitter: “Just looking for problem-
solvers who get things done with a high sense of urgency. Don’t care if or where they
went to school.”

You can also start a business. Here too, you will need critical thinking about things like
product/market fit and building something that people will love. Or you may conclude
that the 96 percent failure rate of start ups is too much for you and decide to buy an
existing business instead.

With a small down payment, you can borrow the rest against the cashflow of the
business and find yourself a business owner in no time. Or maybe you are still in school
and feel broke.

Then consider for example getting a job at a restaurant or bar. You can eat and drink at
work, while living off your tips. Then you can put all your salary into e.g. buying Crypto.
And in one year, I promise you will be in another place than where you are today.

The point is that with a little Will to Success, you can change the circumstances of your
life. All you need to do is take action with determination and some critical thinking about
how to get ahead.