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It seems that the CPU is the brain of the computer, but it is the person who really controls the computer. So what’s standing behind your brain?

Fast time passes

Our column has been updated with 6 important concepts so far:

• From when you realize that you have the most precious wealth is “attention”, to make good use of every time to be a “time businessman” …

• From how you learn to build your core competitiveness around your “talent”, to using “complex interest thinking” to make wealth and yourself grow quickly …

• In the new module, you learned how to see that strange and real self through “de-characterization”;

• I also discovered from the concept of “level of understanding” that the original problem can be quickly solved in a higher dimension …
  

  From your background messages, in addition to being able to see your gains and growth, I also saw some reflections from everyone, such as:

  • After learning the concept of attention, I developed a sense of fear and anxiety. I used to waste my attention too much! Even being harvested every day …

  • The compound interest effect is the way it used to be. I used to know that money made money. In fact, it is a way of thinking. Is Amazon’s flywheel effect also a compound interest effect?

  • Yes, who am I? Why did I come to this world and what kind of existence do I want to be? Can I see my true self without characterization?

  • The original problem can still be thought like this. I used to only see the behavior layer at most. I thought that as long as I acted, it would be the most efficient solution …

  • What is the relationship between characterization and level of understanding? Seems contradictory and unified, can they be used together? …
    

    Do you know what abilities are activated at this moment?

    Your “metacognition” ability is activated!

    What is metacognitive ability?

    Metacognition, J.H.Flav, American psychologistThe concept proposed by Ell in 1976 means “knowledge or cognitive activity that reflects or regulates any aspect of cognitive activity, that is, cognitive cognition”. In short, metacognition is your “cognition and understanding of your own thinking process.”

    It turns out your brain works like this:

    Event A happened … → You have reaction B

    But what if your metacognition is activated? How does your brain work?

    Event A happened … → You have reaction B → Why am I having reaction B? Is reaction B right? → C seems to be a more suitable reaction → So you have reaction C

    Did you find the difference?

    Your brain starts to have an “error correction mechanism”. There are even two or more voices in your brain. They are debating and persuading each other, and you are like this small debate. The referee, watching this battle, finally chose the “player” who won, and responded in accordance with “his conclusion”.

    Your “thinking process” has been “seen” by you, and you can still decide the outcome of this battle, and let your brain think and act according to this winning idea.

    You suddenly discovered that the brain is also an organ that can be controlled

    The CPU is the brain of the computer and controls all the behaviors of the computer. Who controls the CPU?

    is a computer program.

    Who controls the program?

    Yes, it’s the “person” behind the program.

    It seems that the CPU is the brain of the computer, but it is the person who really controls the computer.

    What’s behind your brain?

    Yes, it is you, the metacognition we are talking about today. The brain is just an organ in your body. It is the same as your hands and feet. You can use “metacognition” to control it!

    Metacognition is the real brain that controls your brain.

    How does the brain work?

    Our brain is actually the same as a computer. In simple terms, it uses external input devices such as hearing, taste, vision, smell, and touch to transmit external signals to the brain for processing. Mouth, hands, feet, these “output devices” output to the outside world.

    But we do n’t know how the brain handles it, just like a black box.

    The whole process is this: information input-black box-output results

    

    In the end, any thoughts and results you think need to be output through your mouth, hands, and feet, and the outside world will only give you feedback based on your output.

    Thus, the different output of each person will lead to a completely different life track for each person.

    However, the brain is a black box. I do n’t know how it works, so the output may not be the most suitable content at the moment, and sometimes it may even get out of control.

    For example, something happened that made us very angry, and our emotions suddenly took over the black box, controlling our hands and feet to engage in improper behavior. We would drop cups and slap the table; control our mouths and say Offensive words that have serious consequences in the end …

    However, we were stunned by what we just did afterwards! Why would I do these actions? Why should I say these things? Don’t know at all, can’t control it, it’s terrible! It’s like the cab of the brain, hijacked, and at that moment the body completely becomes a slave to the “brain.”

    So, if we want to change the trajectory of life in the future, we must first decipher this black box to prevent this kind of “hijacking” from happening again, and even let the brain run as we want. In this way, we can control the “output” and change the future life direction.

    So what would be different if you had metacognition?

    The role of metacognition

    Metacognition allows you to see the whole process clearly, and it is up to you to take full control of these three links:

    First, control input

    Remember our attention in the first lesson? Why is attention the most valuable asset you have?

    Because attention determines what information you receive; what you receive determines what your brain thinks about; what your brain thinks affects your output, what you say, what you do. In the end, these outputs will make a difference in your life!

    

    Why a father must have a son, Long Shenglong, Feng Shengfeng, and the mouse’s son will make holes?

    It’s because they received different “messages” from childhood.

    Remember the “Seven Years of Life” documentary we talked about in lesson 3? Why are there richer children?

    Not because they inherit wealth from their homes and become rich, but because the “educational resources” and “relationship resources” they obtained from childhood are all different. The quality of these “input information” determines their thinking. It determines their circle of competence, their resource structure, and their different lives.

    Note: What is the concept of capability circle and resource structure layer? Please go out and turn left to see our fifth lesson

    Many rich people have said, “My money will not be left to the next generation,” but never met a rich man who said he would give up the best education for his children, because they know that this is the most important thing that affects their lives. Wealth!

    So, controlling attention means controlling your brain’s “input device”.

    Because of the explosion of the mobile Internet, the threshold for content creation and dissemination has been greatly reduced. A lot of useless, occupying your brain’s memory, sales purpose, and even wrong knowledge; deceptive rumors; Information such as gossip without nutrition can be seen everywhere, they will spread on the Internet like a virus, occupying your mobile phone screen, looking forward to entering your brain, occupying your black box, making your thinking cloudy, and it is difficult to be Clean it out ……

    Over time, all the content that you can think in your brain is all this information, and the way of thinking has become more and more simple and rude, the superficial emotions are vented …

    So, you must activate “metacognition” to keep your attention as strict as anti-virus software, implement zero tolerance for unqualified information, and be determined not to let them enter your brain.

    About this, in fact, we already talked about its importance in the first lesson. Many students were also shocked with cold sweats, but felt that they still could n’t do it. The reason is because of your “metacognitive ability” It ’s not strong yet, not even activated.

    Second, control the brain

    What do you do with the information entering the brain?

    Enable metacognition. Depending on the information, choose the following 3 processing methods:

    1. Useless information: Discard

    What if there is some information and your attention is not blocked, and you enter your brain?

    It’s simple. Identify them and discard them!

    But the question is, how do you identify it?

    If we want to know what is wrong, we must first know what is right.

    My father likes to play antiques, so I always saw some so-called “old mages” in antique circles since childhood. In my eyes, they are particularly magical. It takes only 5 seconds to get an antique in hand. Judge true or false without the aid of any instrument. As a layman like us, a thing is often hidden in the house for several years, but it is unknown.Tao himself had hidden a fake …

    So, once I could n’t help but ask the old mage, do you have any special tips? Why can’t I see a fake for a few years, and you only need 5 seconds?

    The old mage said something that made me insane: know the truth, because I really watch too much!

    So, if you want to have this recognition ability, you have to take the initiative to learn a large amount of correct knowledge. After accumulating a certain amount, you will naturally have these golden eyes, and you can see a certain information at a glance. Good or bad.

    What is the right knowledge?

    It is those textbooks that have gone through the wind and frost, and have become classic books. They may not be as eye-catching as those written by headline party articles on the Internet, or they may not be written like 10w + articles. They are lively and fun, but they can help you build a solid knowledge building and help you have a pair of intelligent eyes.

    2. Useful information: storage

    If it is a useful piece of information or a concept of knowledge, store it.

    The useful knowledge you store is like data in a computer. All computer operations are based on data. Without data, there is no way to calculate, and your brain’s thinking also depends on this knowledge. Otherwise, I don’t know what to think about.

    What types of useful information are there?

    There are 4 main categories of content that need to be stored:

    • A. Concept: Your understanding of things, our first module is all about this, this is the brick you understand the world and think about problems.

    • B. Values: the correct value judgment of things, what is right, what is wrong, and what is better.

    • C. Way of thinking: ways of thinking about different issues.

    • D. Methodology: A known optimal solution to a specific problem.
      

      Where is it stored in the brain?

      Remember the “level of understanding” we talked about in the last lesson? Think of it as the “internal structure” of your brain, and let it be stored as follows:

      

      What if I have too much knowledge? Forget it after learning?

      At this time, you need to connect an external hard disk to expand your brain. The specific methods for expanding and organizing this knowledge will be introduced in detail in the second quarter of “Reshaping Your Brain.”

      3. For problems or tasks: handle

      If you compare a cell phone to your brain for the time being, and now you encounter a dangerous event, you need to call the police for help, so you enter a message “alarm” to the cell phone, what will the cell phone do?

      The answer is, nothing happens …

      You have to let your phone understand what you mean by “alarm”. You must first open a corresponding app on your phone. Different apps may enter the same information and may have different reactions.

      For example, if you open WeChat and enter “Alarm”, a person or article with “Alarm” in its name may appear. When you open Taobao and enter “Alarm”, the purchase link of “Anti-theft alarm” will pop up … < / p>

      Only when you open the phone app, it will recognize that you want to make a call, then call the address book, translate the word “alarm” into the phone number “110” and start the communication function …

      

      What is this app?

      The “thinking methods” and “methodologies” that you stored in the “competence layer” before; what is the address book you call? It’s the “concept” you store in the BVR layer.

      There may be many sets of thinking methods stored in your brain. When different tasks and different problems enter the brain, you must first determine which problem it belongs to. What task? What is the purpose? Then start different “thinking methods” and “methodologies” to process this information.

      For example:

      If you want to start a business, you must first plan a strategy that suits the current situation. You may need to use a thinking tool: SWOT analysis.

      Do you have a choice problem? Don’t know how to choose when facing multiple options? You can use thinking tools: probabilistic decision trees

      You are going to write an article, don’t know how to write a pen? You can try a structured expression tool: SCQA

      …

      There are many other ways of thinking that can match different problems, such as: forward thinking, reverse thinking, systems thinking, game thinking, MECE rule, 5W, KT …We will talk about it in the second quarter “brain upgrade” course.

      You might say: Thinking about a problem, is it necessary to be so complicated?

      You can buy a mobile phone without any APP installed in it. It can also solve the basic problems, but the function of this mobile phone is relatively simple, and it can’t handle too complicated tasks.

      It ’s like you do n’t know these ways of thinking. After some tasks come, you do n’t know how to deal with them, or think in an inappropriate way, and get a wrong result … So, your brain ’s “ “Ability” is worse.

      So with metacognition, when a task or problem comes to your brain, you will “flow control” as follows:

      

      Third, output control

      After thinking, we must implement the results of the thinking as planned, that is, we have come to the “behavior layer” that interfaces with the external environment. However, if you do n’t have “metacognition,” even if you know what to do and how to do it, you may not do well.

      For example:

      The conclusion has been clearly considered, and I have a clear idea in my heart, but I can’t express it, I can’t make it clear …

      The action plan is clearly listed, but there are so many things all at once, everything seems important, and time is so urgent, so you do everything, lose sight of it, and get messy …

      Three things are planned to be done on the weekend. As a result, I will accompany the dog to give an injection, and I will have a meal with Lao Li, and I will not miss a game on the weekend. I will start work after I buy a pair of shoes on Taobao … . It’s been a night on Sunday night, and nothing has been resolved. Finally, with anxiety, you start the night fight of the lantern, exhausting yourself …

      Communication, task management, time management is a mess …

      Maybe you have learned a lot of time management methods and you know it is important, but if you ca n’t call your “metacognition”, you ca n’t control your brain, so you ca n’t control your Behavior, so how do you manage time?

      Thinking but not able to do it, your anxiety is getting stronger …

      Thus, the strength of “metacognitive ability” almost determines the strength of every aspect of a person.

      Whether the computer can play a role or not, the key depends on how the people behind use or even transform it; and whether you can let your brain play the biggest roleUse, it depends on how you use your brain, how much you can control and optimize these 3 key links.

      So how do we improve our metacognition?

      How to improve metacognition

      What you just learned is “metacognitive ability”, and there are so many benefits, maybe very excited, and I found that the brain is actually an organ that can be controlled by you, and then start planning excitedly Take back control of your brain from tomorrow and let it think and act your way!

      However, I unfortunately tell you that this is impossible …

      Just like you can lift up to 150 pounds now, and then you learned a way to lift 300 pounds, but with your current muscle strength, you can still only lift 150 pounds … < / p>

      From 150 pounds to 300 pounds, knowing the method is not enough. You need to exercise constantly to strengthen your muscles. You need to control your diet so that your physical fitness is not damaged by food …

      The brain is also like a muscle. It can’t be very strong all of a sudden. It needs your continuous practice to strengthen.

      How do you exercise?

      1. Intentional practice

      I don’t know if you have heard the “10,000-hour theorem”?

      “The law of ten thousand hours is the law pointed out by the writer Gladwell in” The Alien “. He said:” The genius in people’s eyes is not extraordinary, but it is a constant effort. s hard work. 10,000 hours of tempering is a necessary condition for anyone to become a world-class master from ordinary. “

      However, many people have a big misunderstanding about this, thinking that as long as they continue to do something for 10,000 hours, they can become a master.

      But why do many people still play football for a lifetime and still be amateurs? It also takes 10,000 hours of practice. What is the difference between them and the world’s top professional athletes?

      Excluding the talent factor, the essential difference between professional players and amateur players is not in the time of practice, but in whether you have mastered the routine behind. There is no routine to practice, not only will you not become a master, you will also You practice waste.

      What is a routine?

      As we mentioned earlier, the “way of thinking” and “methodology” stored in the ability layer, they have been verified by predecessors as a more efficient way to do something. Once you master them, you will master them. The “knack” of something.

      For example, we have mentioned many ways of thinking: forward, reverse, MECE, SCQA, decision tree, KT, SWOT …..

      But you only know that these methods are useless. When new problems arise, you will still habitually think in the original way.

      At this time, you need to practice calling “metacognition” to force yourself to use this new method.

      It will be slow, difficult, awkward, and habitually return to the original thinking. At this time, you need to call “metacognition” again to pull yourself back …

      As long as you insist on “practice deliberately” in this way, certain specific areas of your brain will be continuously strengthened. Over time, your skills in certain areas will leave ordinary people a street and metacognitive abilities It has therefore been strengthened.

      I am a table tennis enthusiast. I was sent to participate in 2 months of professional training in the 6th grade of elementary school. After that, I rarely played again … The current level has deteriorated a lot because of infrequent practice, but Even so, it can basically kill many amateurs who have played for many years, and can also win the first place and second place in the amateur competition …

      This is the difference between having a “routine” and no training.

      

      2. Frequent reflection

      Every night you can spend half an hour reviewing what you have encountered today, what you have said and what you have done, and see what works well? What can’t be done well? How to improve next time? What behaviors have been “kidnapped” by the brain?

      This is a very good way to exercise metacognition. Of course, you can also keep a record of these thoughts by writing a diary.

      This is not the same as memories. The focus is not on narratives, but on the “reasons” of why there were such thoughts and actions at that time? And “What to do next” can be better?

      In addition to this “Three Provinces Every Day” method, there is a second method, which is “Reading”

      Reading text is also a very good way to exercise metacognition. Some people don’t pay much for reading because it is too concerned about the content itself.

      What is the text?

      Text is the “output” of the author’s brain thinking results, text is the result, and the process of thinking is the reason. It is even more important to learn how authors think about these results.

      So what should you read? It’s the author’s way of thinking.

      Why did he write like this? What is his way of thinking? What concepts and values ​​are used? Is there an error?

      Then call your “metacognition” to compare yourself while reading: What would you write if you wrote this content yourself? What makes him think better than himself?

      Continuous comparison with yourself is like talking to a person. Over time, you will slowly find that your reading speed has become faster, and your learning efficiency has improved a lot, even half. , You can guess what the author will write, how to write, and even know how to write will be better, you are no longer led by the text, but with the author to think together …

      That’s where your metacognition comes into play.

      3. Practice meditation

      People who have not been in contact will feel that the word “meditation” sounds very religious, and it also has many other names, such as meditation, meditation, Vipassana …

      So what exactly is meditation? How does it improve our metacognition?

      I’m talking about the method directly, you can take 15 minutes to follow it, so that you may feel more about what I describe below:

      • The first step: find a quiet environment, sit in a comfortable position, do not have to sit cross-legged, comfortable way, straight waist

      • Step 2: Set an alarm for more than 15 minutes (15 minutes is better at first, you can slowly increase it later), then close your eyes

      • The third step is also the most critical step. The brain is empty, trying to stop all your thinking, focusing all your attention on your breathing, slowing down the breathing rate, you can breathe in 5 seconds. Breath, exhale for 5 seconds as a rhythm, feel the process of each inhalation and exhalation, feel the temperature difference caused by air flowing through your nasal cavity …

      • Step 4: During the process, you may be distracted, or you may fall asleep. It doesn’t matter. When you realize, use “metacognition” to draw your attention back to your breath. Repeat until the alarm sounds.
        

        But when you sit down for the first time, try to keep yourself calm, focus all your attention on your breathing, and start to meditate, you can see very clearly your heart In fact, it is extremely chaotic. Like Hollywood blockbusters, all kinds of thoughts flow out, there is no script, no rules, and it is impossible to calm down. You finally pulled them all back and returned to your own breath. In a few seconds, my heart began to gallop again …

        At this time, you will suddenly think of what I said just now, it turns out that the brain is really not your own. You want to keep him quiet for a while, he just thinks wildly, you want him to pay attention to his own breath, it just gives you Duanshan flowing water …

        It’s like a naughty child who plays by himself. When you scold him, he obediently obeys. When you don’t pay attention, he starts to make trouble again …

        In short, there will be a protracted tug-of-war between you and him. After a while, “metacognition” wins and pulls you back to your breath. After a while, “brain” wins and takes you into another world.

        There is no way. For the first time, as a parent, you never know how to discipline bear children.

        But slowly, through continuous practice every day, you constantly call “metacognition”. You gradually improve the technique of discipline. You can slowly control it. From the original 15 minutes, you have been thinking wildly. It can be effectively controlled for 10 minutes, and then completely calm down later, this process is a process of “metacognition” unceasing improvement.

        After you can maintain the “meditation state” for more than 10 minutes each time, you can obviously feel that the brain is extremely clear after doing it, and even has a cool feeling that the body can feel, and the thinking begins to gradually become clearly visible. , More importantly, that “bear boy” has gradually grown up to become your “good son”.

        Some studies have shown that the changes brought about by long-term meditation are not only reflected in feelings, but also in the actual volume of certain brain regions.

        A preliminary study by Sarah Lazar, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues showed that the dark regions (i.e., gray matter) of cerebral islets and prefrontal cortex in meditators’ brains are volume-comparative to controls The members of the group are different and will gradually grow, especially Broadman 9 and 10. These areas are often activated in various meditation activities, which may reflect the number of connections established between brain cells. .

        You can see how much meditation can help to reshape your brain.
        

        Picture: Jobs is meditating

        Starting a day of metacognition …

        When you keep practicing, your “metacognitive ability” will become more and more powerful:

        You can start to control your thinking without being hijacked;

        You can freely use the knowledge and methods you have learned to move between any problems without being stumped;

        You can control your emotions, understand the emotions of others, and become a master of socializing;

        You can easily control your attention, build your brain’s barrier, and maintain a high level of concentration;

        You can make a thorough action plan, manage your time well, and work in an orderly manner …

        In psychology, there is a proper term to describe thisStatus: Awakening!

        Looking forward to your “awakening” day …

        See you next class ~
        

        Editor’s note: This article from the public micro-channel number ” Fu Yansha “(ID: dontletmeplay) , author Xie Chunlin. Reprinted with permission.