1. Today is the day to… DEVELOP A PLAN

2. Where to go from here… “Focus your energy today on designing the next phase of your self-development plan…figure out how you will continue to develop your critical thinking abilities from this point forward.”

3. THE WORST PLAN IS… N O P L A N !

4. A “no plan” approach leads to …low-level functioning “Remember, the pressure to conform to mass views continues unabated all your life.” …keep your plan to “become your own person”—do your own critical thinking. (Ibid) DEVELOP A PLAN FIGURE OUT… WHERE TO GO N E X T

5. YOU, ALONE, ARE THE KEY TO YOUR INTELLECTUAL GROWTH YOUR PLAN SHOULD BE A DRIVING FORCE; DON’T ALLOW ANYTHING TO DETER YOU BEGIN AFRESH EACH DAY…AND VALUE YOUR PERSONAL PLAN (Ibid)

6. Many strategies can help you improve the quality of your life “You have been introduced to 24 simple but powerful ideas… “If you don’t take a next step, there will be no next step… “You will return to your original habits.” You will be in command of your mind only to the extent that you develop, and continue to redevelop plans for future growth. (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid)

7. Otherwise…it’s back to your comfort zone “The egocentric and sociocentric tendencies of your mind (as with all of us) will take over— pulling you back to your comfort zone.” “They will keep you trapped in the ideology and mental habits you have developed unconsciously, in ideas that need questioning.” (Ibid)

8. “The chief art of learning, as Locke has observed, is to attempt but a little at time.” - Johnson

9. A POWERFUL IDEA from Dr. Elder and Dr. Paul: READ BACKWARDS “One of the most powerful ways to educate yourself, to open your mind to alternative ways of experiencing the world, and thus to counteract the influence of social conditioning and the mass media, [of the ‘here and now’] is to read backwards…” (Ibid)

10. “…to read books printed 10 years ago 20 years ago 50 years ago 100 years ago 200 years ago 500 years ago 1,000 years ago even 2,000 years ago, and more” (Ibid)

11. When you do this…read backwards “You can step outside the presuppositions and ideologies of the present day and develop an informed world perspective. “When you read only in the present, no matter how extensively, you are apt to absorb widely-shared misconceptions taught and believed today as the truth.” (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid)

12. CREATE A LIBRARY Include in it works by the world’s best thinkers, past and present (including dissenting thinkers). Make it your home. (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid)

13. Today is the day to… DEVELOP A PLAN

14. Today’s Action: “Develop a Plan” The key idea I am focused on today is: The basics of my “next steps” are: I plan to practice using these steps in the following ways (using the following strategies):

15. MY WEEKLY ACTION PLAN The key idea for this week is: The settings in which I can best practice using this idea are: I plan to practice using this idea in the following ways (using these strategies):