Until you watch your thoughts, they’re running the show.
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“If you can see your thinking, you can change your life. Otherwise, you’re just a passenger in your own mind" - Michelle Zelli
I’m often surprised by how few smart and successful people know about their own minds. The root of everything in life - dictating your thoughts, feelings and actions but also fears, aspirations and delusions :)
One of the first steps is to teach a client MetaCognition - the art of being aware of your thoughts. After all, you have around 60-100,000 thoughts a day driving your vehicle on the highway of life - imagine the power of awareness of the invisible driver with a sidekick of navigator!
All change starts with awareness. Therefore, it makes sense that my first lesson is on this.
To begin with, it might seem impossible, but trust me, it’s quickly picked up, and once you’re a MetaCognitionMaster, you’ll never look back. We laugh about superpowers. Here’s one just ripe for the picking.
And if you happen to be thinking that this is just more Fandango psycho-babble BS, let me put your mind to rest. Writings on MetaCognition date back to the work of renowned Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC): On the Soul and the Parva Naturalia.
A full explanation of MetaCognition is the awareness of one's thought processes and also the patterns behind them. The term comes from the root word meta, meaning ‘beyond', or 'on top of', but I like to save the latter part for clients who have embedded the skill of witnessing their thoughts before adding another lesson.
5 Simple Exercises to Build MetaCognition
1. The Thought Tracker
Jot down 3 thoughts at the end of each day and inquire:
Did they help or hurt you?
What evidence do you have that they’re true?
Helping you spot patterns instead of living inside them.
2. Mental Time Travel
Pick a decision and ask:
What were my specific thoughts before acting?
Name the assumptions.
Emabling you to peek behind your conscious mind.
3. Self-Dialogue Journaling
Write a conversation:
Emotional You vs. Rational You
What you think vs what you feel
Empowering you to choose your key drivers.
4. The Helicopter View
Hover above your life:
What patterns do you see?
Are you reacting or responding?
A bird's eye view offers wiser, more strategic thinking.
5. Thought Labelling
Catch thoughts in real-time:
'That’s a fear thought.'
'That’s a judgment thought.'
By labelling, you also weaken its power.
Start now. Please choose one of the five tools above and commit to it for 7 days.
Watch what shifts. And when you’re ready to go deeper, you know where to find me.
Your mind is your most powerful asset. Let’s make sure it’s working for you, not against you!