Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

  1. Recognize that we create our own unique psychological worlds by choosing what to think about and how to think about it, and that our psychological worlds help to shape our behaviors.
  2. Employ the concept of self-talk to identify and replace negative internal dialogues with more positive ones.
  3. Explain the importance of beliefs relative to behaviors and apply this mental strategy by challenging and replacing irrational and dysfunctional beliefs and assumptions with more positive and rational ones.
  4. Describe and use mental practice techniques following the specific steps outlined in the chapter.
  5. Contrast opportunity thinking with obstacle thinking and apply the self-leadership strategies of positive self-talk, challenging beliefs and assumptions, and mental practice to foster habitually opportunistic thinking.