Self Fulfilling Prophecies

A self fulfilling prophecy is a belief that becomes true because we are acting as if it is already true.

For example: If we believe that we are not good in social situations, we will take this belief with is when we go to social gatherings and we will be looking for social cues that confirm that this belief is true. Our beliefs change our behaviour and this in turn will affect the way others react to us and behave around us. We may be quiet and stand in the corner, not making an effort to talk to anyone else because we believe that we are no good and talking to strangers.

Others will notice that your body language is closed and not approachable and will probably steer clear of you. This then reinforces the idea and the belief that we are not good company around others and the cycle continues.

Others provide us with the feedback that we’ve set ourselves up to get, which just reinforces the original belief. Our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves hold immense power and it is because of this that the wise amongst us know to choose their thoughts carefully.

They also know how to challenge their thinking on a regular basis and see whether they have considered all the possibilities. Is there another possible explanation for this?

This is why it is vital to nurture thoughts that serve you well. The more you repeat these positive thoughts, the more natural they become and the more congruent your behaviour becomes to your thinking.

Fake it till you make it if you have to but never limit yourself with negative thinking.

Mandy X

For a bit of fun..try Mandy’s iphone app: Life Wisdom https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/life-wisdom/id392898772?mt=8Â

More on Mandy: https://www.mandyjane-lifedesign.com The author of this blog lives in Surrey, UK and offers counselling to couples and individuals. All names have been changed to protect the identity of clients. Personal client stories shared in this blog have been published with prior permission from the relevant clients.