Critical thinking is an invaluable skill that everyone should strive to achieve to the highest level possible. Critical thinking is the ability to thoughtfully evaluate a situation while being sensitive to context and consciously eliminating personal biases. In my life, critical thinking applies in many areas. My job constantly presents circumstances that require troubleshooting and it is imperative to think critically about these situations. Logical conclusions are often unclear and difficult to analyze in my workplace because some employees fail to effectively remove their emotions from the equation. There is an innate drive to succeed among my peers and any admission of imperfect results gives rise to apprehensive and subjective troubleshooting efforts. In addition, being the mother of two type 1 diabetic children forces me to analyze situations that have a direct impact on their health. It is not always easy to dissipate the emotion, as the short-term solution requires more suffering on their part, but will prevent a more disastrous and lasting situation from occurring in the future. They often present excellent examples of difficult situations for which there is no right or wrong answer due to the situational nature of each event. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to teach a caregiver, such as a school nurse, how to care for them effectively. Instead of providing a generic guide, we study each situation, honing their critical thinking skills so that they are able to effectively handle situations that arise in the future. Finally, critical thinking is also present in my life when planning my future. As an adult, there are many difficult tasks to accomplish and plan for. Whether career or financial journeys... middle of paper ...... pronounced effort, a person can put most of their emotions aside and move forward with an open mind. By nature, people tend to feel first and think later; this process typically leads to perceptions and thinking being shaped by emotions rather than critical thinking (Bussey & Bandura, 1999, p. 4). Strong feelings cloud good critical thinking exercises and truly derail an assessment. Works CitedBrowne, MN and Keeley, SM (2012) Asking the Right Questions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Bussey, K. and Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of development and gender differentiation. Psychological Review, 106(4), 676-713. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.106.4.676Mejía D, A. (2009). In what sense should I be critical? An exploration of the concept of “hypothesis” and some implications for evaluation. Philosophy and education studies, 28(4), 351-367.