Recognizing the Errors in Our Thinking

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As I have mentioned in the past, our emotions are based on our thoughts which are based on our beliefs, experiences, values, etc.  Emotions are difficult to control, so I am not going to suggest that you simply “get over it” or “snap out of it”.  Emotions feel very real to us, and therefore are real. 

What you CAN control are the thoughts that propagate those feelings.  

I know many self-help professionals focus on emotional discipline and control, but what I am trying to do is acknowledge that your emotion(s) are absolutely real, but I also want to challenge the thought that triggers it/them. Our thoughts are in our domain of control.


Most of us make critical thinking errors every day, which cloud our emotions and hurt us. Worse still, can lead to bad decisions. Some of these decisions can be more costly than others, but if you are in any decision-making business, it is vital that you operate on all the information available.


When you have a bad feeling write it down. The mere act of identifying that it is only a feeling takes .some of its power away. Remember, you are NOT your emotions. Taking a moment to observe it and jot it down takes you away from it and onto an administrative task. You will begin to have some tracking of your emotions and more clearly see patterns and triggers that make you feel that way.


There is much more to write on each individual error, and I recognize not everyone has time to read all of it in one sitting, so I will try to break it down briefly here, and if you relate to a few of these, I can expand on it and help you get past it. The first step is...continue reading

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