It seems absurd that a “how to” article should be written on applying advice that’s common sense.
But as we all know, common sense is not so common anymore these days. Somewhere along the line, people stopped practicing it. They’ve heard advice that’s common sense over and over again, yet fail to apply it and we are seeing an example of that with the whole financial turmoil going on in the U.S today.
Common sense is made up of principles that are timeless. They’re principles that are rock solid. They have been endured all the trials and tribulations through the crucibles of history and have been deemed fit to pass along to generation after generation after generation.
We’ve heard it all before time and time again.
– Eat and drink in moderation.
– Save.
– Budget.
– Spend less than you earn.
– Don’t drive if you’re drunk.
– Be thankful for what you have, etc.
You will NEVER, EVER (they say never say never – I’m saying NEVER), hear common sense that sounds like this:
– Eat and drink anything and everything as much as you can.
– Spend 100 times more than you earn consistently.
– Drive if you’re drunk. It doesn’t matter.
Failure to apply common sense is not really an education issue (although there are might be those who have never been taught these things). Common sense makes, well, perfect sense, the logic is irrefutable, it’s repeated over and over again, so why don’t some people apply common sense in their own lives?
The reasons will vary from person to person – peer pressure, social influence, low self esteem, etc., so for the sake of saving time and words, we’re going to jump right into practical methods that people can use to apply advice that’s common sense, regardless of whatever the reasons are that they can’t apply it in the first place.
The Big Shock
Nothing gives a person more potential to apply common sense than experiencing a Big Shock of their own.
Say a person has avoided common sense of eating and drinking in moderation, and instead, eats all the meats, drinks all the alcohol he wants, stuffs his face with fatty and delicious desserts galore and one day, gets what’s coming to him.
A heart attack.
It happens unexpectedly, the ambulance and paramedics come, rush him to the hospital, the paddles are used – the whole nine yards of the heart attack experience.
And somehow he survives his near death experience.
There is a window of opportunity where the “slate” is wiped clean in his mind, when he becomes easily impressionable and that’s the best time common sense can “sink” in and take root. He finally understands what all that common sense on health was all about and from then on, resolves to follow it for the rest of his life.
People need dramatic examples to shock them out of the apathy that routines and habits bring about in their lives.
Think of the Great Depression and those who’ve survived it. They understood the importance of saving, budgeting, spending less than you earn, being grateful for what you have, etc. Those who haven’t experienced that Big Shock don’t seem to be as capable of applying that advice, living on credit and thinking the sun will always shine, when it’s not.
And when the economic sun sets, they experience that Big Shock on their own, but rather than feel very negatively about it, it’s important for them to realize it’s an opportunity to wipe the mental slate clean and to allow financial common sense to “sink” in, to take advantage of that window of opportunity where they can develop great financial habits that they will apply and reap benefits from for the rest of their lives.
That’s the great thing about the Big Shock.
There’s so much potential to change in an instant.
The flip side is that it’s not something you can necessarily summon on your own. It has to happen to you so it’s a very reactive approach, not a proactive one.
The next best thing is to do this.
Expose Yourself to the Big Shock
While you can’t force yourself to experience a Big Shock on your own, you can see the effects of the Big Shock on others and in that sense, get an idea of what it might be like had you experienced the Big Shock on your own.
The showing of charred black lungs from long term smoking, clogged arteries of hearts from bad eating habits, photos of drunk driving car accidents, etc.
It’s all there to shake you out of your mental apathy, to wipe the mental slate clean so that new advice can be written on it, advice that’s hopefully common sense.
While this method can work, it’s not as effective as experiencing the Big Shock on your own, but again that’s something you can’t control.
Exposing yourself to the Big Shock is something you can.
Socialize With Those Who Practice Common Sense
People don’t realize how much the people they socialize with rub off on them. It’s easy to compromise when everybody else you know is doing something contrary to what you believe in so it only makes sense to only socialize with those who share similar values and goals, and in this case, those who apply common sense.
Socializing with those who practice common sense can help you not only in the repetition department (one of the easiest ways to learn is through sheer repetition) but by learning how different people look at things that you’ve always looked at before, in different ways, giving you a more “holistic” view of the situation. You begin to appreciate it that much more, which makes it that much easier for you to apply.
For example, one person in your group can tell you stories of their own Big Shock that they’ve experienced and how it changed their attitude toward life. Another can show you the many advantages they’ve experienced of applying common sense for a long time in their lives and the benefits they’ve reaped as a result. Still another can be there to encourage you should you feel the temptation to stray from the path of common sense. All that can help you easily apply advice that’s common sense.
It’s important to take a good hard look at your own social circle and if you find it’s giving you a hard time in applying advice that’s common sense, it’s time to look for a new one.
Last, But Not Least – Put Common Sense in the Big Picture
We live in a world where long term thinking is tossed aside for instant gratification. People want and expect things immediately. Technology has spoiled the virtue of patience and in some regard, is responsible for the non application of common sense we see rampant today.
But when a person steps back and puts common sense advice in the big picture, it will always “fit”.
It will always “click”.
It will ALWAYS make sense.
History has experimented with all kinds of situations from both extremes of all cases for a long, long time, and has always reached the same types of conclusions time after time again and has always delivered that same information to its generations, time and time again.
Why?
Because it simply works.
It has passed down its most consistent truths in life under the label of common sense and it’s only the ones who apply it that are the ones who will be able to fully realize it.
