Adventures in Critical Thinking, Part 1

So, as part of this blog, I am going to recap some of my personal experiences in the world of critical thinking and creative problem solving to demonstrate just how prevalent these processes are in day-to-day life. We study these in the context of "how to analyze" our entire academic lives, but how does it translate IRL (in real life)?

I've just bought my first car. Buying a car is a super stressful and difficult process that definitely involves some higher level cognition. My set of data/previously acquired knowledge:

1. Cars are expensive

2. Car dealerships are scary.

After defining my problem (I NEED A CAR ASAP), I started to research like crazy. I needed to widen my base of knowledge in order to have greater data to consider and better identify obstacles that stood in my way. I needed information about buying versus leasing, new vs. used, credit information, loans, etc. I eventually became overwhelmed with information from various sources, including the internet and friends and family, and I needed to edit all of my data.

In order to analyze and sort my data I asked myself various questions. What was relevant to my situation? What sources were the most reputable? What options could I afford? 

Other examples of elevated thinking: I had to clear and coordinate my schedule over the course of a week, I needed to prepare my bank account, gather insurance quotes and actually become insured, and what seemed like a million other things. I could have easily given up and said "Nope, I'm just going to suck it up and take the bus."

There were so many factors that needed to be organized chronologically and strategically so that I could get this car, least of which was picking the actual car. Logistically, negotiating and doing the paperwork was another chore that required me to crunch numbers, think about my future, and literally fork over the most amount of money I have ever paid for anything. But, if I hadn't gone through this process, I would have just walked into the dealership with no experience, even more added stress and naivete and have been at a disadvantage. There's a small chance that I would have gotten a car, but it may have left me a) looking like an idiot and b) getting scammed. But luckily, do to some perseverance and critical thinking, I was able to get a brand new 2013 Ford Fiesta with an amazing lease deal with monthly payments I could easily afford.

SUCCESS!