In this episode, Cindy Esliger discusses negativity bias, the tendency we have to look for what’s going wrong when we’re in an environment that doesn’t affirm or value our contributions. This focus on the negative isn’t out of pessimism, but is a survival strategy. However, the more we allow ourselves to focus on the negative, the more it feels like the truth. Cindy examines how this happens and what it takes to change our mindset and challenge the negative patterns. Breaking free of self-limiting narratives is possible, and Cindy explains how it’s done.
Negativity is rarely something we consciously choose. It’s a survival technique that becomes a default way of thinking over time. The first step to breaking the pattern, therefore, is acknowledging how easy it is to focus on the negative. Cindy addresses how the habit forms and what we unconsciously do to feed it. When we understand how we’re responding to negative input or a toxic environment, we can identify where the self-doubt takes root. She presents the idea of shifting the pattern of our input to reframe our mindset.
Cindy’s advice on breaking the cycle of negativity includes making a choice not to let our challenges be the only story we tell ourselves. By giving ourselves permission to believe that outcomes other than negative ones are possible, we start to retrain our brains to identify opportunity as well as risk. Cindy talks about the pitfalls of internalized comparison and the glorification of suffering for suffering’s sake. She breaks down how these add to negative bias and work against our success. Instead, she advises giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt so can alter our own mindset and outlook.
Resources discussed in this episode:
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Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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