Common sense is the ability of a person to think and behave in a reasonable way to make good and sound judgments in everyday practical matters.
The judgment made should be common to the judgment made by nearly all persons if they are faced with the same situation.
It involves the use of common sense knowledge and the observation of the world or the environment to decide what to do to achieve your goals.
For example, when you are very sick common sense dictates that you go to the hospital for treatment. If you decide otherwise, then you are not using common sense. Common sense allows you to live in a reasonable safe way.
What is the importance of common sense?
Common sense is sound and practical judgment relating to everyday matters or issues. It is acquired through practical exposure to different life situations. It enables a person to do the following among others;
- Make good and sound judgments in everyday practical matters based on their understanding of the environment around them;
- Solve problems using the knowledge and experience acquired over time;
- Evaluate the situation and identify and manage potential risks;
- Make rational or logical judgments as a result of critical thinking;
- Develop an appropriate workplace behavior because of acquired knowledge and experience.
Is common sense common?
Common sense is a subjective concept based on average standard behavior. Common sense being the average behaviour cannot be common to all people. There are some variations in the quantity of common sense among people and therefore the ability to make good and sound judgments will also differ from person to person because of the following reasons among others;
- There is no common definition of common sense shared by all people;
- People may also not have identical exposure to knowledge and experience in everyday practical matters because of different backgrounds and exposure;
- Your state of mind may affect the quality of your judgment and
- Common sense is based on an average standard behavior without considering possible deviations.
Is a person born with common sense?
A person is born with the faculty or facility of reasoning and understanding objectively inherited from the parents.
Therefore, common sense is a combination of inherited intellectual ability and life experiences that are applied together to make good judgments. Life experiences give a person more understanding of what makes sense and the practical solutions to everyday life challenges.
Therefore, you are born with common sense through inherited intelligence and enhanced by life experiences.
Can common sense be improved?
We are all students of life that gives us many practical life lessons that we learn from to enhance our common sense. The practical life lessons also in a way continuously enhance our ability to acquire knowledge, skills, and experience to make good and sound judgments.
There is no formal training for the enhancement of common sense. It is developed through life lessons and continuous enhancement of your skills and knowledge. You are born with the ability to develop your common sense through your intellect and you can enhance it over time as you get exposed to different life lessons.
The following tips could however help in enhancing one’s common sense;
- Believe that you can do it;
- Get deliberate exposure to different practical life situations;
- Keep trying new things as opposed to being an expert in a narrow area;
- Do not have pre-conceived ideas about any situation;
- Be positive about change as the journey of life is full of changes;
- Read widely both fiction and non-fiction books;
- Confront and solve problems to get wider exposure;
- Volunteer for assignments that will give you new exposure;
- Do not overthink and complicate your situations;
- If you can travel widely to get exposure to other people and cultures;
The role of common sense in the success journey?
Common sense is very important for a person’s success journey as it promotes learning from your experiences.
Learning from experience involves exposure to practical decision-making and the ability to imagine what can go wrong with your decision based on acquired knowledge and experiences. It enhances the ability of people to make irrational or logical decisions.
Common sense gives a person the ability to objective analysis and evaluation of a situation resulting in quality decisions.
Common sense gives the person the ability to learn new things, gain knowledge, and develop new skills that are necessary for success. It therefore promotes an action-oriented and confident approach to life situations.