Restrictive Self-Perceptions and Beliefs

In that moment, Janelle knew it was time to make a big, bold decision about what to do next. She could allow someone else’s mindset to limit the hopes she had for her own life, or she could choose an alternative path. “I remember having a full belief and awareness that I would race again, and if there was anything I could do, if there was anything I could say about my future, I was going to do so!” Janelle remembers. She spent the next two years in physical recovery, re-creating a relationship with her body and learning to trust it again through countless hours of exercise and rehabilitation.

Two years later, not only was Janelle walking, but she had also earned third place in her division in an Ironman competition. Although the accomplishment of racing again meant a lot, she learned that selfcompassion and self-nourishment were so important to her overall well-being as an individual. “I wasn’t feeling fulfilled by the comeback,” she said. So, Janelle turned inward and asked, “What do I need right now?” She learned to get quiet through yoga, honoring her need for reflection and self-nourishment. Her resilience is reflected by Seligman’s 3 Ps framework: she knew the crash wasn’t a personal failure, she believed the effects were not permanent, and she knew in her heart that bad luck would not be pervasive throughout her life.

Janelle now has a newfound sense of self-compassion and a rejuvenated appreciation for life and shares her wisdom with others as a yoga teacher and personal life coach. Sometimes, to push forward, you need to slow down.

The way we perceive our reality is framed by our point of view, which has been cultivated over time through our experiences and our beliefs about ourselves and the world. It is estimated that we process between 50,000 and 65,000 thoughts per day (University of the Sunshine Coast, n.d.), many of which are subconscious. As James Allen (1951), author of As a Man Thinketh, writes, “Your beliefs influence your actions.” If our beliefs about ourselves are positive, it’s more likely that our actions will tend to align with these positive beliefs and, therefore, manifest more positive outcomes (Sisgold, 2013). If, however, our self-perception is negative, our actions (or inaction) may result in less desirable outcomes. Table 2.1 (page 44) provides specific examples of positive and negative beliefs.