study the Mind Gym book 1

This chapter is all about challenging your own negative self beliefs through 7 simple steps.

For example – I quite often get negative about my sewing thinking I am crap at it – here are the 7 steps to over come this:

1. The belief that “I am crap at sewing”
2. But I have actually made numerous tops that I can actually wear and a dress that I wore to a work function and everyone commented on how good it was (picture attached)
3. I also accept that I am new to sewing and have lots to learn, practice makes perfect after all
4. If I make something and it doesn’t turn out quite right whats the worst that can happen – it will not fit, l I could learn from mistakes, I may have wasted a little money but not much.
5. Let go of that thought it’s a waste of my energy
6. In fact here are the things to go forward – take a sewing course, practice techniques, finish the dress I am currently working on to the best of my ability and write down what was good and what I can learn from it; make another dress taking into account what I have learnt; buy a new pattern with new techniques and learn something new
7. I will finish the dress this week; I will investigate sewing courses this week; I will shop for a new pattern this week; I will write up a list of techniques I would like to learn about; I will look for new material in a couple of weeks for the next dress.

This chapter is all about optimism – and how the way we look at things can have a major effect on our fortune. Optimistic people achieve more, are more resilient, more persistent, more popular, live longer and have better relationships. Why the hell wouldn’t you want to be an optimistic person. An optimist’s outlook on life events is as follows:

-positive events are universal and permanent
-negative events are temporary and specific

For example

-positive event – “a great dinner party” – the optimist’s view is that “I always hold great dinner parties”
-negative event – “a bad dinner party” – the optimist’s view is that “this one dinner party failed because the oven blew up”

The “attentive” optimist treads a careful path between taking too much responsibility and too little. The attentive optimist looks for lessons they can learn for the future. We should all strive to be an ATTENTIVE OPTIMIST

Pessimism is necessary on occasion – when the stakes are high, when danger is involved or when big decisions are necessary. The optimist will assess the pros and cons and not blindly think they can do anything.

Action:
1.Think of a recent positive events and think of it as an optimist and as a pessimist – done
2.Listen out for my own negativity and reword in an optimistic way
3.Hourly think about something using the optimistic outlook
4.Listen out for other’s negativity and suggest an alternative optimistic view