Becoming What You Believe Yourself to Be ...

 There is a belief shared by many that you will become what you believe you will become.   It is believed by those who support this theory that if you think of yourself in a negative way, you will attract negative situations in your life.  Psychologists encourage their patients to focus on positive thoughts of themselves and others.  Many of us react in direct opposition to that theory.  For example, if you get a new hair style and 6 of your friends say they love it, while only one tells you it is unattractive you may tend to give more time and attention to the words of the person who criticized it.  I always taught mental health counselors if you have to address a negative behavior, while you are doing that point out three positive behaviors you have noticed about your client's behavior.  The approach used in modifying negative behavior in our services is to ignore the negative behaviors when possible and reward positive behaviors.  Over a period time with the populations we serve, it is most effective.  It helps on the pathway to the ultimate goal of creating an increased self esteem and self confidence.  It also teaches people they can control their negative behavior.  When you hear someone say he or she cannot help it because of having a temper, know that isn't true.  Behavior is always subject to modification if the right technique is chosen for the individual in need of the change.  Of course, the same techniques do not work for all people, but the unique needs of the individual are addressed in the details when creating an individual treatment plan.  By incorporating equestrian activities into our services, our clients learn they can control the behavior of others even a big animal and as a result, it helps them to realize they also can control their own behavior. The commonly shared thought that we can be guided by our thoughts is true, and we can learn to control whether we live with negative thoughts or positive ones.  I saw a post on Facebook today about the forthcoming global warming disaster, and it reminded me of the major difference in the attitude of the Biden and the Trump administrations.  One gets political support for their party by promoting doom, and the other gains political strength for their party by promoting an optimistic future.  One promotes government growth and the other promotes personal growth of the people.  One serves to divide the people, and the other serves to unite people.  One capitalizes on negative issues and one on positive issues.