Changing our Minds: Metacognition and Motivation

Do you feel unproductive in the mornings, even though you have a great deal of work to do? Is it hard to laser-focus on what is most important? How does that impact your sense of accomplishment? What about your sense of self-worth?

Metacogniton, or awareness of one's on thinking, is pivotal for a person to be able to modify thinking and behavior patterns. The desire for positive change may be there, but the habituated thinking and doing patterns that pervade everyday life may be very strong, hence, the individual may feel stuck.

Well, perception is stronger than reality. A problem may appear big, especially if you focus on its problematic characteristics in detail. This unproductive focus can derail motivation, desire, and leave one feeling dejected. It can actually stall forward-momentum, and 'arrest' potential talent keeping it locked up in your mind to gather mothballs.

What is worse is that over time, derailed attempts gather steam, much like a runaway train could. This negativity-minded train takes you for a never-ending ride the wrong way. If this is happening to you, or has happened, you must learn to stop the train, or switch trains at the next train station.

Ask yourself:

Am I taking my daily failure personally?

Did Thomas Edison take failure personally as he failed thousands of times to light a bulb?

Am I the sum of the thoughts in my mind, or the creator of my mindset?

If I am the creator.... then I can think my way out of my stalled thinking.

Do I have a list of positive sentences that work for me?
What are my top two priorities in work, and top two priorities at home?
Do I make a 'to do list' at the end of the day for the next day?
Do I make time estimates amount of time spent per task? Am I tracking my time and writing down actual time?
Do I meditate 2x's a day to quiet my mind?
What are my top three life goals?

What are my time estimates for my life goals today?

Am I eating colorful fruits and vegetables daily, or a bunch of processed food?

Do I eat natural, energy-rich food in the mornings?
Do I eat lots of big meals?

Do I get cardiovascular and muscle exercise at least 4 x's a week?

These questions serve as a rubric, or starting framework to start you off. There is more to it, of course. For example, how are you bringing in new uplifting thoughts to mind? Just like a muscle, metacognition, an Executive Function skill, needs to be exercised. Becoming self-aware of what moves you forward, and what moves you back is important. Ensuring that you don't turn on yourself and trip yourself up is essential.

Try acupressure, meditation, self-talk, and diaphragmatic breathing for short-term solutions to 'in the moment' times of mental crisis.

Coach Bill does these, and then some. Many people, including myself, find great solace and strength in relying on our Higher Power, God.

To generate new thinking and a desire to work laser-focused on our goals we must:

Know our goals
Quiet the mind through meditation
Feed the mind positive nutrition to build it up
Visualize the manifestation of our accomplished goals
and dare i say... pray with an attitude of gratitude ... (Why rely only on your strength and intellect?)

Praying in thanksgiving literally slides me into a great mindset/ attitude.

In conclusion, strengthening metacognition and igniting motivation needs to be part of a holistic overhaul on your life. Self-monitoring how you respond to situations can tell one a lot about their thinking approach. Your brain and stomach both need high energy foods to keep it humming well, and prayer can slide your mindset quickly into a relaxed, anxious free attitude. Consistent repetition of the 5 tips will recondition how you act and respond.

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The Gaslighting of our Constitutional Understanding & The Original Purpose of the U.S. Government

John Adams “I have found by Experience, that in this Age of the World that Man has an awful Lot, who “dares to love his Country and be poor.” Liberty and virtue! When! oh When will your Enemies cease to exist or to persecute! Our Country will be envied, our Liberty will be envied, our Virtues will be envied. Deep and subtle systems of Corruption hard to prove, impossible to detect, will be practised to sap and undermine Us and the few who penetrate them will be called suspicious, envious, restless turbulent ambitious—will be hated unpopular and unhappy. But a succession of these Men must be preserved, for these are the salt of the Earth. Without these the World would be worse than it is.” Letter To Abigail Adams, from John Adams, Paris, April 16, 1783 Few generations, said George Washington and John Adams, are fortunate to produce brilliant minds and hearts that are selfless. How shall we fare in our present? What is the path of national political unanimity that ...

Graciousness Through Christ Jesus Who Is Written In Our Hearts

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” The Epistle To The Hebrews Chapter 13:8–10 Having Faith, hope in what is not seen; yet, through the Word of God, ‘faith’ having greater meaning, hope through the Word and the gracious power of the Spirit of the Word, Truth & Righteousness, brings one; that is to say, translates one, from the kingdom of spiritual darkness: a life, replete with an attitude, perspective, reasoning, and quality of life that is intrinsically a life of scarcity, vanity, gain & advantage, strife, and selfishness, into THE kingdom of God; the kingdom of Light; an abounding reality overflowing with God, and the fruit of his Spirit: joy, peace, faith, gentleness, temperan...

Being a Maverick Thinker with Your #ExecutiveFunction Skills

Once we understand what our executive function skills are, we move to streamlining how well we use them, how they show up/ don't show up in our life. As we move through our understanding of how to better manage our ideas, feelings and actions, can their be soft and hard forces which are orchestrated with the focus of instilling in us..how to think...how to act... how to respond? Or is 'man' so free in mind, so independent, and so ahead of these forces that he is not affected, not thwarted in his goals, and not redirected easily? If we are to polish and tone these executive function skills so that we can harness the ability of our mind (a tool) to facilitate successful outcomes for ourselves, should we not start by bringing a critical eye to why we think the way we think? Is this not metacognition, or how we use our thought process to approach the world? Using systems theory, any system that is accepted into a larger system invariably begins to affect tha...

Coach Bill / Dad, Entrepreneur Special Educator, American Political Scientist, Writer, Musician.

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