Inspiration and Life
Eight Ways to Increase Your Common Sense
Why is common sense not so common?
If you could easily gain more common sense, would you want to? More than 250 years ago, Voltaire made an astute observation:
“Common sense is not so common.” Voltaire (1694–1778)
Today, such publications as Psychology Today echo his statement. Since it seems to be a good thing to have more common sense, is there an easy way to get it? Keep reading to find out!
What is common sense?
“Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)
The term “common sense” is thrown around quite a bit today, 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 context, it usually refers to using sound practical judgment. Together the words mean having ordinary “good sense and sound judgment in practical matters,” which happens to be the Oxford Languages definition for the term.
I always find looking at the opposite meaning of words enlightening and important to developing a better understanding. Some antonyms for common sense at Thesaurus.com include inability, ineptness, stupidity, foolishness, impracticality, insanity, and unreasonableness. I don’t know about you, but those words make me want to gain as much common sense as I can!
Have you said or heard, “he doesn’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain!” Or perhaps you have heard the term “he’s an educated fool.” Each of these refers to someone having little or no common sense. Of course, those are extreme examples of a person who can’t choose an obvious solution like finding shelter when it is raining, even when highly educated. But their real meaning is that 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 (1833–1899)
Other people’s 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.” Simply put, they just have no common sense. Such sayings make it clear that education has little or nothing to do with common sense.
“Common sense is in spite of, not as the result of education.” Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
Why is the term “common sense” so often used in the negative? Perhaps it is because 80% of our thoughts are negative, with 95% of them being the same as those of the prior day, according to the National Science Foundation.
The bottom line is, why isn’t common sense more common? Is it because it just isn’t? Or is it only not perceived to be common? What do you think?
Looking at the positive side of common sense, don’t you find if someone tells you that you have a lot of common sense, it is a nice compliment? They are, in essence, saying you make sound judgments in practical matters. I’ll take that compliment any day!
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 (1803–1882)
Gain experience
The first thing to note is common sense comes from experience in the school of life, not from 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 (1847–1931)
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 on a given situation. The more you see, the better the decision. If you are stuck in your little world with blinders on, you will not see well. How can you find other perspectives about anything? It’s straightforward. Use a little common sense and ask someone else how they see “it.” You can also read, study, watch videos, or seek 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, limiting 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, better yet, 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 straightforward. For example, answer these questions to test your common sense, then you be the judge. Look for the simplest solution to each question.
- What would you call a person who doesn’t have all their fingers on one hand?
- 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?
- Some months have 31 days, others have 30 days, but how many have 28 days?
- What do you sleep on, sit on, and brush your teeth with?
*Answers are at the end of this article. If you answer each question correctly, you have a lot of common sense!
“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 (1918–2007)
Face reality
The 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 them. 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 (1802–1886)
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 common sense approach will help you avoid a potential “you told me” situation. What other uses can you make of this idea?
“Seek advice but use your own common sense.” Yiddish Proverb
Final thoughts
You may have noticed a theme to enhancing common sense is gaining experience. Be the type of person who makes every experience count. Accumulate experiences, build on them, and you will develop more common sense over time.
One day someone will 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:
- Normal. Most of us have all of our fingers on two hands, five on each.
- He was bald, so there was no hair to get wet.
- You thought it was February, yet every month has 28 days.
- A bed, a chair, and a toothbrush.
Try not to overthink or overcomplicate things. All it takes is a little common sense!
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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION
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