Do you practice quiet time and solitude? Do you take time each day to conduct a healthy metacognitive assessment? Do you know yourself? What do you see about yourself? How do you see yourself? What is going well? What needs improvement or change? Do you live consciously aware of what happens inside and around you through the day? Do you live peacefully alert? What is metacognition?

Metacognition is the practice of awareness, understanding, and evaluation of one’s thought process. If you ask me, this definition is limited if solely considering thinking process. I want to challenge the definition to extend it to an evaluation and consciousness of our emotions , our spiritual condition, and our bodies. We are not just a computer hard drive. We are a very complex arrange of connecting consciousness. I call it “the table”.

Imagine a table with four legs: cognitive (the mind and thoughts), affective (emotions), spiritual, and physical domains. Each leg has a function in the human experience, but they are intertwined in such a way that it seems hard to separate. I say that every abstract function has a physical manifestation. We can’t define sadness, which is abstract, unless manifested physically. Thinking happens in the brain. If any of the four domains is lacking, the table will wobble. If weight is applied through the circumstances of life, an unstable table will tip and possibly fall.

A daily healthy metacognitive assessment that looks at all four domains is a discipline that when practiced, provides for a balance and joyful life. The consideration of the self is a challenging endeavor and we often run away from it. Through it we see our flaws and imperfections, but we also see our skills and talents, the good and the bad, the honorable and the shameful. It is good to keep inventory of both sides wisely and humbly, because failure and success can be equally dangerous if not assessed with care. The apostle Paul gave a wise word of advise: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement” (Romans 12:3), and “If you think you stand firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

It is also important to apply sober judgement when addressing our shortcomings. We don’t want to be hard on ourselves outside the proper measure. We can use our weaknesses and imperfections to understand where we need more attention and help. We have issues, but we are not that issue. Recognizing the issues is an important step towards change. Sometimes we need a friendly hand to help us and support us through the change and we don’t want to waste their time if we really don’t want to change. When we do, a wise voice and sound advice, a word of correction, a listening ear, a word of encouragement, are always good.

Take time each day to have a talk with yourself in a healthy metacognitive evaluation. Seek help when you can’t go alone. Don’t be overconfident. Don’t put yourself down. Live peacefully without being careless. Keep the table stable.