Master of Your Mind
Photo: Joshua Sortino
Meta-cognitive ability is the most predominant power in one’s lifespan. With continued efforts in exploration and application, I have genuinely harvested the pragmatic and miraculous effects of meta-cognitive ability.
Long before I graduated, I have always been dubbed as incapable of wrestling with social relationships, and to my enduring regret, I seldom have a firm and lasting contact with all the resources in my life. The concept and methodology of making friends slip my mind from time to time.
What’s worse, my inordinate temperament has shunned me from participating in formal occasions. I used to be silent and quiet, struggling to deliver appropriate remarks in front of others. All I could do was to mind my behavior and awkwardly listen to their hits of laughter.
Lastly, in almost every interview, I would involuntarily become nervous and strained and would not stare down other candidates in structured debate. I used to believe that ability outsmarts everything in an interview, but after a handful of battles, I failed to see the overpowering confidence that is also a predominant dimension of one’s ability.
Since my fiascoes, I have pledged to reverse the stereotype and in quest for some remedies.
However, after months of learning, I have come to realize all of my past misdeeds and mental inferiority were attributed to my shallow understanding on my own thinking process as well as others’. It is called meta-cognitive ability, as I later mastered in frequent discourse with the most brilliant minds in this era of social and economic transformation.
It was at this moment that I suddenly pushed open the door of another universe.
The instant shift of master and slave in one’s perception of body and brain perpetuates and with repeated efforts and conscious practice, I have become the master of myself, not at the mercy of instincts and emotions.
Changes are hard, but time works the magic.
There is no exaggeration to claim that meta-cognitive ability furnishes us with enormous tools in dealing with multiple dilemmas, which sometimes rack our brains and consume our attention.
Be aware of one’s status quo and conjuring up solutions are its laconic expressions. Painstaking as it is, the joy and happiness will make up for your conscious efforts.
The next episode delicately demonstrated my deepened empowerment of meta-cognitive ability.
When I was vanquished by the disappointing conflicts with my former employer, I was at a loss and became less confident about the looming future. Luckily, our like-minded comrades strived to conquer another beachhead with unmatched combination of smart hardware and big data. However, before I formally introduced myself to the new management, I hesitated, contemplated and formulated a plethora of questions in which I meticulously touched the core business paradigm.
On my way to the rendezvous point in a nearby coffee table, I scribbled all my doubts in a note in case I forget the fundamental principles. There I met him, alongside with C. They had been heatedly discussing the bigger picture and the next moves that would strike the market. I briefly cut in, and after short warming-ups, I raised my first question:
What is your vision and strategies after fierce competition in the last two years?
How is it going to be different from where you started?
He seemed to be startled, but quickly adjusted his position. I could sense his sincerity and courage in his explanation. In his words, it had to be tougher for all the players, and the market had not been ready to seek a reliable and everlasting strategy in the sports industry. On the contrary to the conventional wisdom, he expressed his conviction that the future would belong to the widespread application of big data which would be unquestionably wholesome regarding individual performance as well as online entertainment. With our powerful additions, he believed that we could make a difference.
The answer was satisfactory. To some degree, I have been seriously tapping into the labyrinth of data and become addicted to its promising energy. Data is the new oil, as concluded by a new edition in Economist. The individual and targeted services are the building blocks of tech giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook. If we can maneuver more personal behaviors based on their games and statistics, the future is unlimited.
Instead of continuing to bombard him with business plans, I switched my focus to the team:
How would you evaluate your team and are you pleased with all they have accomplished?
Adequate but not superior.
His concise remark caught me by surprise. He later explained,
Owing to our previous experience and management in traditional industries, the road has always been meandering and those who decide to come on board must be aspirants with curiosity and self-motivation, which I have not found in some of them.
We are willing to move on with everyone, but if you are incapable of straightening things out, your destination belongs to somewhere else.
After I had deeper understanding of his motive, I carried on with regards to roles and responsibility. He firmly pointed out that our value would stand out as there was inefficiency and miscommunication at work.
The open discourse dissipated my doubts and with refreshed mind and relieved heart, I started my next chapter.
The above instance is a perfect epitome of the application of meta-cognitive ability. Everything has an end. The logic is all the more clear:
1. Recognize your current situation:
I am the employee but confused with the company’s future.
2. Differentiate your emotions and sensibility and then find the reasons behind all your behaviors.
I deem it requisite to be in good touch with the management and share the benefits with all its employees.
3. Formulate plausible solutions to tackle with the problems.
I decide to work out my doubts in strategies, team and roles with hearty discussions so that I can see the panorama and become the one that consistently creating value for both parties.
Keep motivated and focused on everything that you have experienced and it will stay with you in every choice that you make.
Perhaps, this article is the right cure for your dilemmas.
Hope you are all inspired.
