Session 1: Challenge Your Thinking +

Welcome to How to Challenge Your Thinking.

Discover how to deal with upsetting or negative situations and experience new, healthier ways of thinking that will make your whole life so much more rewarding. Challenging Your Thinking is an exercise you’ll use for the rest of your life–not just in your dating. You’ll use it in your extraordinary marriage, at work–and with friends. Literally you get to the source of “the story” — that’s the cause of suffering so you can feel amazing, empowered and free. Remember, suffering is optional!

Action items:

Let’s build the muscle of healthy thinking–becoming your own best friend and advocate.  No more reacting on autopilot.  Instead, you’ll powerfully shift to a healthy place.

Step #1:  Think of a few situations that are annoying, upsetting or a persistent complaint and use the Challenge your Thinking worksheet  to get to a healthy thinking and peaceful frame of mind.  Go step by step and see if you can discover the story you’re telling yourself and replace it with something reality-based.

Here are the steps:

1.  What is Happening?  (describe a situation that is bothering you).
   (i.e., I just started dating again and met someone who seems great).
2.  What is “The Story” you telling yourself about “What is Happening” in #1 above?
   (i.e, It won’t last, even if it looks good, I’ll discover he’s a liar like in the past, I can’t communicate my needs, I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ll be alone forever, There’s something wrong with me.” (The lie, the story).
3.  How does it make you feel when you tell yourself the story in #2 above?
   (i.e., alone, anxious, scared, isolated, unexpressed, stuck).
4.  Replace “The Story” in #2 above with something rational, healthy and reality-based.
   (i.e, There is nothing wrong with me!  I am smart, loving, deserving, capable and clear.  I deserve true love.  I attracted wrong people in the past because of my childhood and lack of modeling.  I attracted what I felt I deserved and it wasn’t my fault.  Today I DO know who I am.  I am ready, have a clear vision, tools and support and I will be visible and expressed in my dating and really see the person and allow myself to be seen.  I know who i am and I deserve love. I express my needs and desires and see if the person responds.  I know good things are happening for me.
5. How do you feel now, that you’ve replaced “The Story” with something healthy and reality based?
   (i.e., I feel alive, excited, empowered and ready to find my person!)

Step #2:  Share a Challenge Your Thinking win on the Facebook forum and what you discovered by doing it.  Challenge Your Thinking (aka CTY) is an exercise you will bring into your life to choose to thrive!  Remember that suffering is optional.  Go with the flow of life!  Choose you!  Choose healthy mindset.