In my profession, I will have to frequently help people break bad habits and form new ones. This Summer I'm taking a class called Eliminating Self-Defeating Behavior. I thought it would be super interesting and complex and psychology intensive. Instead, it's pretty simple!
I'm halfway through the course. The first book we read was:
I've read a lot of self-help books. I think they're incredibly interesting. Plus, I'm always looking for tips to better myself. I was excited for this book. It reminded me of How To Win Friends and Influence People which was super interesting as well.
This book doesn't give you a long laundry list of what you need to do to break bad habits. Instead, it has one tiny simple thing to do! Exercise positive self-talk! Self-talk is that voice (out loud or in your head) that shouts that you hate traffic, today is a BAD day, you're not capable of accomplishing X, or that you're not a good person. We have thousands and thousands of thoughts a day about ourselves. Most of them are negative. ALL of them have an effect on us. The key is our thoughts! And they must be positive. Plus, let's be honest. Who likes to be around a complainer or a negative nancy? My hand isn't raised.
It's super easy to change. When you do simple things like turn the thought "I hate traffic!" into something like ,"my drive to work gives me time to organize my thoughts and catch up on some good music!" (I know it might sound cheesy but it works). There's lots of situations we can't control, but we can work on feeling better towards them. Another HUGE principle is the way we talk about ourselves. This includes to others or to ourselves. When we say things enough like "I'm not smart enough for school" soon you'll believe yourself and MAKE yourself not smart enough for school. You create yourself by what you think about yourself. The power of positive thinking is INSANE! Sorry, I know I sound like a commericial but it's something I feel strongly about. I'm not very good at saying what I'm trying to, so I'll enlist the help of awesome quotes, which of course also means Pinterest.
You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities.
~ Gordon B. Hinckley
Comparison is the Theif of Joy- Theodore Roosevelt
“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley
Awesome. Now go be positive today! :) Have a great weekend!
7 comments:
What a great reminder. Lately I have been finding so many reasons to complain, but I really should stop it and be more positive :)
I like to think I get stuck in traffic because god wants to teach me patience ;) but great post! Totally agree with everything you said.
I love pretty much everything Gordon B. Hinckley said! He just always says something that makes me want to be genuinely happy. And don't people say that we are our own worst critic? Well maybe we should all be our own best supporter :)
love the information here..and I believe it too!
I know we become what we think about....
I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
have a happy fun weekend!
that book looks really interesting! i didn't know you were studying psychology. isn't it the best?
LOVE this. I need to be better at being a sweetheart to myself. Also. Kudos to summer school. That stuff is nasty. You go, girlfriend.
So many good quotes and I want to read this book! It sounds awesome! And yay for the class being simpler than you thought!
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