Life and Leadership

8 Simple Ways to Gain More Common Sense

Why isn’t common sense more common in the world?

You hear the term “common sense” often, but what does it mean? Think about each word. Common means ordinary, normal, routine, regular, usual, familiar, or done often. Sense has several meanings, but in this sense, it usually refers to using sound practical judgment. Together the words mean having normal good sense or ordinary sound judgment.

Have you ever heard or asked the question, “Why doesn’t he have enough sense to come in out of the rain?” Or perhaps you have heard the term “educated fool.” Each of these refers to someone having little or no common sense. Of course, this is an extreme example of a person who can’t choose an obvious solution like finding shelter when it is raining, even when highly educated. Its real meaning is, they do not function well when thrown into certain ordinary situations.

“It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.” Robert Green Ingersoll

Yes, there are some people whose lack of common sense shows up in these two sayings — “They are too smart for their own good,” or “they lack any sense at all.” Or simply put, “They just have no common sense.”

“Common sense is in spite of, not as the result of education.” Victor Hugo

Why is the term “common sense” so often used in the negative? Perhaps it is because the average person’s thoughts are 80% negative according to an often-quoted National Science Foundation study!

Too many of us continue to ask the question, “Why isn’t common sense more common?” Is it because it isn’t? Or is it not perceived to be common. Yes, and yes!

“Common sense is not so common.” Voltaire

What about the positive side of “common sense?” To say someone has common sense is a compliment. In essence, you are saying they make sound judgments in practical matters, which should be common among people, but isn’t.

Eight ways to enhance common sense

How can you develop more “common sense”? There are several practical ways to do this. Let’s examine a few.

“Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gain experience

The first thing to note is common sense comes from experience in the school of life, not formal education. This means trying, failing, picking yourself up, repeating until you succeed, and then pushing through life. By repeating this pattern, you gain more experience and, therefore, more common sense.

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” Thomas A Edison

Learn to reflect

A great way to build common sense in your life is to reflect on what you have done right and what you have done wrong. As you become more self-aware of your actions and who you are, you learn what to do, what not to do, and new ways to do things through reflection. By understanding yourself, you can better foretell how you might react or respond.

Develop perspective

A third way to build common sense is to find other perspectives for a given situation. The more you can see, the better the decision. If you are stuck in your own little world with blinders on, you will not see well at all. How can you find other perspectives about anything? It’s very simple. Just use a little common sense and ask someone else how they see “it.” You can also read, study, watch videos, or otherwise seek out more information on the subject. As you learn more and experience more, you will gain more common sense.

Overcome fear

A fourth way to build common sense is to conquer the fear of failing. Fear can keep you from trying new things and gaining new experiences, which will limit your ability to develop more common sense.

Be decisive

A fifth way to build common sense is to be decisive. The more decisive you become, the more decisions you make and the more experience you gain, increasing your common sense.

Respond or Create

A sixth way to gain common sense is to learn to respond or create rather than react. This again requires building self-awareness. To respond or create, you must slow down whenever your emotions hijack your brain. Purposely delay doing anything until you are in control; then either respond reasonably or create something that eliminates the issue or problem.

Keep it simple

Don’t overthink. Use the KISS principle — Keep It Simple Stupid. We often look for something that is not there when the answer is simple and straightforward. For example, answer these questions to test your common sense, then you be the judge. Look for the simplest solution to each question.

1. What would you call a person who doesn’t have all their fingers on one hand?
2. One day a man got caught in the pouring rain without an umbrella, hat, or anything else to cover his head, yet not a single hair got wet. How could that be?
3. Some months have 31 days, others have 30 days, but how many have 28 days?
4. What do you sleep on, sit on, and brush your teeth with?

*Answers are at the end of this article.

“That’s the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along.” Madeleine L’Engle

Face reality

An eighth way to gain more common sense is to face reality. Some things are what they are, and there is nothing you can do about it. For example, you can’t make lead into gold, no matter how intelligent or how much experience you have. And you can’t directly make another person change no matter how much you attempt to do so. You can indirectly help them change by changing yourself, but you will never force them to change.

“Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” C. E. Stowe

Bonus — a lesson in common sense

Lastly, I leave you with a bit of common sense learned the hard way — through experience. Avoid giving personal advice to other adults. (I am making an exception here since you have not solicited this advice!)

As an adult, they should make their own decision. 99% of the time, when someone asks for your advice about something personal, they have already made up their mind. They are only seeking your approval or confirmation. Don’t fall into that trap.

They are an adult. Let them stand on their own two feet. Avoid getting caught up in their drama. The best thing to do is turn it back on them by asking what they think they should do. This will help you avoid a potential, “you told me” situation.

“Seek advice but use your own common sense.” Yiddish Proverb

Final thoughts

You may have noticed the bottom line to enhancing your common sense is gaining experience.

Be the type of person who makes every experience count. Accumulate experiences, don’t repeat them. As you build on your experience over time and develop more common sense, someone will one day say to you, “you have a lot of common sense.” It is one of the best experiences and greatest compliments anyone can give another person.

*Answers to questions/riddles:

1. Normal. Most of us have all of our fingers on two hands, five on each.
2. He was bald, so there was no hair to get wet.
3. You thought it was February, yet every month has 28 days.
4. A bed, a chair, and a toothbrush. Don’t overcomplicate things!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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