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You have two completely different thinking systems in your head. Most of the time, you don't even know which one is in control.

• System 1: Fast, emotional, automatic, always on
• System 2: Slow, logical, deliberate, requires effort

Here's the problem: System 1 makes most of your decisions in 0.3 seconds. Then System 2 creates a story to justify it. You THINK you're being rational. But you're not.

In this episode, I break down how these two systems work—and why System 1 hijacks your decisions before System 2 even shows up.

Real story from my NYPD days: Standing in a doorway at 2am, domestic disturbance call. Brain 1 said, "Threat. Draw weapon." Brain 2 said "Wait. Look closer. This is a crisis, not aggression." Switching systems changed the outcome.

You'll learn:

1. The 4 massive blindspots of System 1 thinking (why propaganda works, why you're terrible at probability, why you want the donut NOW)
2. Why hiring managers decide in 10 seconds then spend the rest of the interview confirming their bias
3. How to recognize which system you're in (certainty without analysis = System 1)
4. 5 strategies to activate System 2 when it matters (pause, name emotions, ask questions, pre-commit, change environment)
5. When you NEED System 1 (emergencies, performance) vs when you NEED System 2 (strategy, hiring, complex decisions)

CRITICAL INSIGHT: The skill isn't "always use System 2." The skill is recognizing which system you're in and which system you need—then making the shift.

Please sign up. I have additional resources and behind-the-scenes in my $10-a-month subscription, but there are a lot of resources in the free one, so please, please sign up

#CognitiveScience #BehavioralPsychology #Leadership #DanielKahneman #ThinkingFastAndSlow

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Join My Substack for more content: maaponte.substack.com

🎧 Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to join our growing community of thoughtful individuals!

🔗 Follow us:
📖 Check out my book: The Logical Mind: Learn Critical Thinking to Make Better Decisions:

• https://theintellectuallibrary.com/
• https://a.co/d/jdOm9pI
• https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?uZBbvqij7WRGoezaZG6c6L5tcjbl9VZB2vE9UAB9j2b

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• https://x.com/Thinking_2Think

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Download the Cognitive Ladder diagnostic tools: MAAponte.Substack.com

We explore why identity is not a job title but the pattern of thought that runs your choices when the pressure hits. We map three layers of identity, show how unconscious drivers hijack decisions, and lay out practical steps to build a resilient thinking identity.

• story of shifting roles without changing core thinking
• difference between roles and identity
• three layers of identity: surface, aspirational, operating
• identity wounds and how they drive decisions
• common operating identities and their costs
• case studies in school leadership and crisis choices
• questions to diagnose your operating identity
• a four-step method to change identity
• if-then plans, evidence journals, and community
• personal shift from proving to learning

I share my own journey from "Prove you're not a failure" to "Someone who learns from everything"—and how that shift changed every decision I make. You'll learn:

• How to diagnose your current operating identity
• Why your identity sabotages your thinking under stress
• The 5-step process to build a new identity deliberately
• Common operating identities that hold leaders back ("Prove you're smart enough," "Fix everything yourself," "Don't make waves")
• Why shame-based aspirational identities paralyze instead of motivate

Join my Substack. I give a ton away for free, including my podcast notes. And if you sign up for the $10, you get exclusive information and an additional podcast episode from yours truly. Link is in the description. I hope you sign up. No cost to you.

#CriticalThinking #Leadership #Identity #DecisionMaking

Support the show

Join My Substack for more content: maaponte.substack.com

🎧 Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to join our growing community of thoughtful individuals!

🔗 Follow us:
📖 Check out my book: The Logical Mind: Learn Critical Thinking to Make Better Decisions:

• https://theintellectuallibrary.com/
• https://a.co/d/jdOm9pI
• https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?uZBbvqij7WRGoezaZG6c6L5tcjbl9VZB2vE9UAB9j2b

📲 Let’s connect on social media!

• https://x.com/Thinking_2Think

Send us a text

Subscribe to my Substack for weekly decision-making frameworks: https://maaponte.substack.com/

Not all thinking is created equal. There are five distinct levels—and most people get stuck at Level 3 without realizing it.

In this episode, I break down the Cognitive Ladder: from recall to comprehension to application to transfer to evaluation. I share the story of a student who could memorize the Constitution but couldn't apply it to modern life, a teacher who transferred literary analysis skills to crisis intervention, and the Level 5 judgment call I had to make when deciding whether to fire a beloved teacher.

What you'll learn:

• The five levels of thinking (and how to diagnose where you are)
• Why smart people struggle when the context changes
• Traps at each level and how to avoid them
• How I transferred thinking skills across four different careers
• The difference between knowing how to do something and being able to adapt it
• How to move up the ladder one rung at a time
• step-by-step methods to move up a level
• aligning tasks with levels to lead and teach better
• building tolerance for ambiguity and owning decisions

If you want to go deeper on this, if you want to diagnose your thinking level and frameworks for moving up the ladder, I write about this every week in my Substack. If you want the insider of Substack, that's a $10 a month, and the link is in the show.

Support the show

Join My Substack for more content: maaponte.substack.com

🎧 Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to join our growing community of thoughtful individuals!

🔗 Follow us:
📖 Check out my book: The Logical Mind: Learn Critical Thinking to Make Better Decisions:

• https://theintellectuallibrary.com/
• https://a.co/d/jdOm9pI
• https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?uZBbvqij7WRGoezaZG6c6L5tcjbl9VZB2vE9UAB9j2b

📲 Let’s connect on social media!

• https://x.com/Thinking_2Think