Thomas A. Edison BELIEVED that he could perfect the incandescent electric lamp despite the fact that he failed more than ten thousand times.

Columbus BELIEVED that he could find land in an uncharted ocean and he sailed on and on, despite the threatened mutiny of his sailors, the agony of hunger and the restlessness of the sea.

Helen Keller BELIEVED that she would learn to talk despite the fact she had no effective use of vocal cords, sight or hearing. Her belief in herself led her to become one of the great role models in our world.

Henry Ford BELIEVED that he could build a horseless buggy which would provide rapid transportation despite the fact that most people had no faith in his potential. His belief left the world driving to near and far destinations.

Our American Way of Life and our unmatchable system of Free Enterprise are the products of the minds of many who BELIEVED in a democratic system of government based upon the idea of free enterprise.

Those who BELIEVE are the builders of cathedrals, the creators of technological inventions and the artists of the masterpieces. Those who BELIEVE open doors for the rest of those who inhabit the Earth.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
—Margaret Mead

Inspired by an article from Success Unlimited and the writings of Napoleon Hill

Thought patterns are habitual- awareness of thoughts is the first step to creating a better tomorrow. Focus on the excitement of realizing your potential success instead of lamenting in the sadness of your current problems. If everyone threw their problems into a gigantic pile, most of us would choose our problems over those of others. Where you are right now is the result of your past thought patterns. As soon as you take the first step to change these patterns, then your reality will begin to change.

After you have succeeded in becoming aware of your thoughts, the second step is to begin to filter them and decide if they are warranting a positive perspective. We are bombarded by thoughts. Successful people take the time to sift through those thoughts and decipher them. They determine whether they are helping them to be happy and achieve their dreams or sabotaging them in the quest for their desires. Happiness and success are simple results of a positive perspective. Imagine your mind to be a treasure chest and only fill it with gems and precious jewels, leave out the ugly rocks and blemished stones.

Lastly, take action…look for opportunities around you and act on them. No one reached the top of a mountain by merely thinking about climbing it. Be cognizant of that which surrounds you and allow yourself to step outside your comfort zone and grow to become an even bigger being. It’s in the uncomfortable frontier of our existence that our horizons are expanded.

This was the introduction to a Psychology Lesson on Perspectives, Attitudes and Metacognition taught to 11-13 year-olds in Northern California…

Sometimes it takes only a few, well-chosen words to motivate people in a positive direction—to try to succeed, to dream and to choose to be happy.

Class started in the usual manner…each student gave me 1 of the 3 H’s…pending their comfort zone…a high-five, a handshake or a hug.

Everyone loves a good story, so we started class with one….

“I am so excited because yesterday was one of the best days of my life…mornings tend to be hectic in our household, but we all cooperated and left the house a full 4 minutes ahead of schedule! Yahoo! Then, on the way to school we talked about Greek Mythology, one of my favorite subjects… specifically Zeus…and how his father, Cronos, thought he had swallowed him, but it was actually a swaddled rock…my kids were engaged, excited and energetic and so was I! Afterschool, my daughter had her first volleyball game…every single player did an amazing job, the sets were neck and neck and the team ended up winning, even after losing the first set! It was terrific! Then my daughter scored an amazing goal in her soccer scrimmage, it was an awesome shot from far out…all while my 2 little ones were playing nicely together…the entire day was fabulous and couldn’t be better…..Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a day where everything was awesome and couldn’t be better…seventeen hands shot up like rockets…I paused and scratched my head, crinkled my nose and hesitated….wait I minute, I continued….on second thought….

Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life…..Our pond out front had algae an inch thick growing on the surface, I was worried about the fish, so I put in some algae killer last night….I woke up to find 73 goldfish, 2 koi and 3 rainbow trout floating belly-up on the surface, I felt like I was going to throw-up…I had killed every single fish….then on the way to school our car broke down…we waited for AAA for 1 ½ hours- my kids were late for school and I didn’t get to work-out or complete any of the 5 things I really needed to get done that morning….not to mention that the car is going to cost hundreds of dollars to be fixed and I have to now drive my husband’s humungous truck which doesn’t turn when you really need it to….then, to make matters worse, at my daughter’s soccer scrimmage, my 2 little boys decided to play on an adjacent baseball diamond…at the end of the game they were covered with dirt from head-to-toe…although we were really looking forward to going out to dinner as a family, no restaurant manager in their right mind would allow 2 dirt-covered boys looking like gigantic tootsie rolls into their restaurant…we’d have to go home and get them into the bathtub and I’d have to cook dinner instead, definitely not what I was planning or wanting to do. Turn to your neighbor and share a day when everything went wrong…It was a horrible day and it couldn’t get any worse.”

A boy raised his hand…”What about your daughter scoring the soccer goal?” Another student chimed in, “ Yeah, and the volleyball team winning their first game, it wasn’t all bad…there were good things that happened too.”

“But, your car did break down and if you think about that, then it was a bad day,” replied a girl in the corner of the classroom.

“Yeah, but if you think about the soccer game, then it was a great day-it depends on what you choose to think about,” another added.

Looking baffled, I questioned, “So, you’re telling me that if I think about and focus on the good things, then it was a great day, but if I think about and focus on the bad things, then it was a horrible day?”

Nods…yes’s…and even some “you-got-its!” filled the room.

“Let me get this straight, you’re telling me that my thoughts are up to me and that everyday I can choose whether or not I want it to be spectacular or horrific? I get to decide my focus and therefore my thoughts, emotions and behaviors? So, if you are unhappy, then its because you’re choosing to focus on what’s going wrong instead of what’s going right?” I said.

A resounding “Yes!” echoed throughout the classroom.

“What are you going to choose your day to be like today? Tomorrow? Two weeks from Sunday?”

“Great, happy, fantastic, spectacular, awesome.” The responses were varied but of a common theme.

I then wrote PERSPECTIVE on the whiteboard…. “Remember this word and copy it into your notebook. You students are awesome…most adults live out their lives without figuring this out and you guys understood it in 15 minutes…your perspective on your world is what really matters.” I offered.

Moral of the lesson…We are bombarded by thoughts. Successful people take the time to sift through those thoughts and decipher them. They determine whether they are helping them to be happy and achieve their dreams or sabotaging them in the quest for their desires. Happiness and success are simple results of positive PERSPECTIVES. The majority of adults don’t understand this concept…what a pleasure to be in a class of 11-13 year olds who understand the importance of metacognition- thinking about our own thinking!

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills
Category Knowledge
Information Gathering Comprehension
Confirming Application Making Use of Knowledge Analysis (Higher Order) Taking Apart
Synthesis (Higher Order) Putting Together
Evaluation (Higher Order) Judging the Outcome
Description
The skills demonstrated at this level are those of: observation and recall of information;
knowledge of dates, events, places;
knowledge of major ideas;
mastery of subject matter. understanding information;
grasping meaning;
translating knowledge into new context;
interpreting facts, comparing, contrasting;
ordering, grouping, inferring causes;
predicting consequences using information;
using methods, concepts, theories in new situations;
solving problems using required skills or knowledge seeing patterns;
organization of parts;
recognition of hidden meanings;
identification of components using old ideas to create new ones;
generalizing from given facts;
relating knowledge from several areas;
predicting, drawing conclusions comparing and discriminating between ideas;
assessing value of theories, presentations;
making choices based on reasoned argument;
verifying value of evidence;
recognizing subjectivity
What the Student Does Student recalls or recognizes information, ideas, and principles in the approximate form in which they were learned Student translates, comprehends, or interprets information based on prior learning. Student selects, transfers, and uses data and principles to complete a problem or task. Student distinguishes, classifies, and relates the assumptions, hypotheses, evidence, or structure of a statement or question. Student originates, integrates, and combines ideas into a product, plan or proposal that is new to him or her. Student appraises, assesses, or critiques on a basis of specific standards and criteria.
Sample Trigger Words - define
- list
- label
- name
- identify
- repeat
- who
- what
- when
- where
- tell
- describe
- collect
- examine
- tabulate
- quote - predict
- associate
- estimate
- differentiate
- extend
- summarize
- describe
- interpret
- discuss
- extend
- contrast
- distinguish
- explain
- paraphrase
- illustrate
- compare - apply
- demonstrate
- complete
- illustrate
- show
- examine
- modify
- relate
- change
- classify
- experiment
- discover
- use
- compute
- solve
- construct
- calculate - separate
- order
- explain
- connect
- divide
- compare
- select
- explain
- infer
- arrange
- classify
- analyze
- categorize
- compare
- contrast
- separate - combine
- integrate
- rearrange
- substitute
- plan
- create
- design
- invent
- what it?
- Prepare
- generalize
- compose
- modify
- create
- design
- hypothesize
- invent
- develop
- formulate
- rewrite - decide
- grade
- test
- measure
- recommend
- judge
- explain
- compare
- summarize
- assess
- judge
- recommend
- critique
- justify
- discriminate
- support
- convince
- conclude
- select
- rank
- predict
- argue
Sample Task(s) Name the food groups and at least two items of food in each group Make an acrostic poem about healthy food. Write a simple menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner using the food guide chart. What would you ask shoppers in a supermarket if you were doing a survey of what food they eat? (10 questions) Prepare a report about what the people in this class eat for breakfast Create a song and dance to sell bananas. Make a booklet about 10 important eating habits that would be suitable for the whole school to follow in order to eat correctly.

Example outcome list: (Products which can be used to demonstrate application of Thinking Skills Framework)
Advertisement
Annotated bibliography
Art gallery
Biography
Blueprint
Board game
Book Cover
Bulletin board
Card game
Chart
Collage
Collection with illustration
Collection with narrative
Comic Strip
Computer program
Crossword puzzle Debate
Detailed illustration
Diary
Diorama
Display
Drama
Dramatic monologue
Editorial
Essay
Experiment
Experiment Log
Fable
Fact file
Fairy tale
Family tree
Glossary Graph
Graphic design
Greeting card
Illustrated story
Journal
Labeled diagram
Large scale drawing
Lecture
Letter
Letter to the editor
Lesson
Line drawing
Magazine article
Map
Map with legend
Mobile Monograph
Museum exhibit
Musical composition
News report
Pamphlet
Pattern with instructions
Photo essay
Picture dictionary
Poem
Poster
Reference file
PowerPoint Presentation
Survey
Transparency of overhead
Vocabulary List
Written report

The graph demonstrates each level of the six levels as well as giving examples of possible outcomes.
To empower future success, teachers should be focusing much more time on strategies that students can use to utilize existing knowledge. Even encyclopedias, which are filled with informational facts and figures, are useless if we aren’t taught the strategies to read, interpret, combine, and assess the knowledge they contain. It’s not enough to merely recall information. Research has shown that students in general don’t have a well-developed thinking-skill ability.
The ability to think determines what students believe, achieve, and contribute to the world. Limitations come from within the minds as thoughts function as the creative cause of all experiences. There are five different areas which affect the ability to think: external influences-sensory information coming in from our 5 senses; external output- our words, gestures, and body position; mindset- our outlook on life, past experiences- providing the filter which we use to perceive the world; and our emotions and feelings. One of the most important gifts teachers can teach students is the ability to control and regulate the quality of their thoughts in these five areas.
Throughout history philosophers, politicians, and educators alike have pondered the art and science of astute thinking. Is it a programmed process defined by our genetic predispositions, or can our brains be manipulated by stimulating, academic environments to create an increased ability to promote more complex and creative thoughts than seen in previous generations? Educators now agree that it is in fact possible to increase student’s creative and critical thinking capacities through instruction and practice. This new commonality has led to the call for improved thinking skill instruction.
Our thinking potential is immense. People by far surpass the thinking capacity of all other Earth-inhabiting creatures. Evolution has granted us the powers of discovery and creativity for coping with and manipulating our environment while other species have developed greater speed, abundant fur, camouflage, or an increased sense of smell to help them adapt to an ever-changing environment. Our powers of intellect by far surpass other species even though we are not the only thinkers in the animal kingdom. Let’s explore what the scientific world has learned about human thinking and then apply that knowledge to the educational realm of the classroom.
Scientists who study thinking, called cognitive psychologists, believe that people are endowed with a number of basic thinking processes, which, although closely related, can be separated and studied individually. These processes include: sensation and perception, learning, memory retrieval, and thinking. The thinking process has been identified as the greatest potential of the human individual. How and what we think is everything.
The psychology of thinking has held a mainstream position in the field of educational psychology ever since William James, the famous Psychologist, included a chapter in his world-renowned scientific text in 1890. Several different theories have emerged giving us unique approaches to begin pondering the idea of human thinking. Some of these approaches include: the Information Processing Approach, Semantic Memory Representation, the Gestalt Approach to Problem-solving, the Study of Concept Learning, the Idea of Learning by Reinforcement, and also work achieved by American Psychologists in cognitive development rooted in the works of Jean Piaget. The following diagram is one interpretation of how the human brain functions in the thinking process. The model is based upon a computer prototype, and is referred to as the Information Processing Approach. It exemplifies just one idea of how people think.

The earliest study of thinking can be traced back hundreds of years to the Golden Age of ancient Greece. The Greeks developed the belief that what happens in the brain can be explained in terms of two basic components: ideas and the associations between those ideas. They called this perspective associationism. This field of mental philosophical study further expanded and developed three laws of learning and memory, which are attributed to the Greek Philosopher Aristotle:
1. Doctrine of Association by Contiguity- events or objects that occur in the same time or space are associated in memory, so that thinking of one will cause thinking of the other.
2. Doctrine of Association by Similarity- events or objects that are similar tend to be associated in memory.
3. Doctrine of Association by Contrast- events or objects that are opposites tend to be associated in memory.

In another perspective, the Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget further developed the current view on the ability of children to think and learn based upon prior thinking about thinking, as well as his own research. In his theory of intelligence, Piaget postulated that children in the concrete operational stage (approximately 7 to 11 years) are able to acquire problem-solving skills; however, they are not yet able to reflect upon the content of their thinking to arrive at new insights. Concrete-operational staged children gain knowledge from the outside world, but subsequently cannot learn anything new by contemplating what they already know. In contrast, children in the formal operational stage (approximately 11 to 16 years) can acquire new information as a result of internal reflection. Piaget utilized the term reflective abstraction to refer to this process and defined it as the ability to think about one’s own thinking. It describes the ability to use bits of knowledge that a child already possesses to rearrange, compile, reflect, combine, and refigure those pieces into previously unknown bits of knowledge, like rearranging your existing furniture in order to give your living room a new perspective. This capability allows children to oversee the effectiveness of their own thinking. Some researchers refer to this as metacognition.

Thoughts are everything because they manifest into feelings. Thoughts visit temporarily, but feelings linger indefinitely. A feeling is what is left over from the presence of a thought. Even after a thought leaves our mind, you are left to decipher its byproducts. Thinking always precedes feelings, even if we’re not aware of it, and it is these feelings that validate our mindset and navigate our perception of reality. Feelings can make us buoyant or submerge us in a life that is neither rewarding nor fulfilling. They determine whether we go with the flow, succeed, and find paths of possibilities, or whether we remain stagnant in our ways and travel the same useless roads. How we think determines how we navigate this life. Sink or swim, the choice resides within us. The remarkable thing about thoughts is that regardless of how powerful they are, we still control them.

We have the power to make every day, every week, and every year a fine one. The ability resides within us and always has. Our experiences in life are determined by what happens inside our mind. The continual voice in our head controls everything in our experience, and we are in command of this voice. Our internal monologue creates images that we identify as thoughts. This is an exclusive human condition. Our ability to think is our greatest strength, as well as, our greatest weakness. It can cause us to succeed or to fail in each and every situation we encounter.

It’s the same with our recollections of the past. The past is only a thought, and it, too, determines how we think and what we believe. Each new encounter breeds a reflection on past experiences. We cannot help but to remember. Like a recipe book, we look for the ingredients used in the past to recreate the familiar, even if we have the motivation to change. We look for similarities and find sameness even if it requires a stretch. Empowering thoughts fill our heads when we view a memory as positive.  “I can do it,” we say. “I’ve done it before and I can do it again.” Disheartening thoughts fill our heads and we search for the similarities in that as well when we view a memory as negative. “Who am I kidding? I can’t do this. I have never been able to do anything like this ever before.” Negative thinking is analogous to throwing in the towel before we get a chance to evaluate the other boxer, while positive thinking is analogous to adorning the medal before us step up to the starting line. We can reap the rewards or suffer the consequences before the situation transpires, all inside our head.

It is in daily acts that the hero’s journey is undertaken. When we do the little things with great love and attention, then the things we think of as big we will happen upon. These big things are the capability of the hero that lies within each and every one of us.

Just out of reach there lies a moving target of happiness. You know where you want to end up, yet you don’t know how to get there. Happiness is the bulls-eye, and you throw darts at random without awareness of the rules ad regulations of how the target moves. You haphazardly aim and shoot wishing for the best. You aim with your thoughts and your feelings reveal your successes and failures.

People are in love with the effect of a life that feels good, but aren’t in love with the cause of getting there. Successful people realize that success in life is created from positive-thinking thought patterns repeated over and over again. These people realize that the key to life feeling good lies beyond the other side of fear. Taking risks is essential to examining self-perceptions.

You are subconsciously aware of a discrepancy between where you are and where you want to be. Instead of confronting the cause, you mask it, usually with extremely attainable goals for yourself: money, cars, a spouse, losing five pounds. Instead of confronting wisdom and truth, you hide back in the shadows. You can choose to close the gap by baby-stepping out of your comfort zone evaluating your perceptions.

This manuscript asserts that the ability to recognize and embrace your current situation is the ultimate wisdom. Whatever you’re experiencing right now is precisely where you need to be in order to bring you to your next moment. All you’ve got is this moment in time, the future is an illusion, your future only provides thoughts which create feelings about what may happen. Your life is characterized by patterns of stress, anxiety, excitement and ambition.

In an easy-to-read format, this manuscript holds people accountable for their situations. It examines the perception that most people think they’re successful only when they’re working in perfect external conditions. They surround themselves with external rewards and blame their success as well as their failures on their external circumstances.  What they don’t realize is where they are has much more to do with their internal happenings and less to do with their external circumstances. As Warren Buffet teaches us, “You ca never tell whose swimming naked until the tide goes down.” Positive thought patterns create a life that feels good even with the changing tide.

The goals of this manuscript include: self-awareness of the creation of reality, an increase in successful thought patterns, a decrease in ineffective thought patterns which sabotage life circumstances, realization of the power of the mind, an awareness of the power of the universe, an awareness that all thoughts and feelings needed for success already exist inside each individual, self-responsibility, and an increased discipline of individual thoughts and actions.

Human history provides us with evidence of bad choices based upon unexamined perceptions. These start in the mind and are carried out in the body. Unexamined perceptions lead to illogical and immoral tendencies such as the Holocaust, the Crusades, the Salem Witch Trials and the Chinese occupation of Tibet. This manuscript is a catalyst for an awakening of the responsibility for creating realities based on truth and wisdom.