Have you ever felt that you have a lot of potential for personal growth, but your own thoughts and feelings are getting in the way?
It could be because the way you interpret and think about events in your life is not only counterproductive but also harmful and inaccurate.
Our brains are powerful, but they’re also prone to cognitive distortions—thinking errors that affect our perception of reality. These mental habits can hurt our health, seriously limit our personal growth, and hold us back from building and growing a strong personal brand.
In the video below, I break down six of the most common thinking errors and, more importantly, how to reframe them so they’re not running your life.
🎥 Watch the video here:
Key Moments in This Video
00:00 – Introduction
- Introduction to the concept of thinking errors (cognitive distortions).
- These errors can sabotage personal growth and branding.
00:07 – The Cognitive Triangle
- Thoughts create feelings, which drive behavior, which in turn reinforces thoughts.
- External events don’t directly cause emotions—it’s our interpretation that does.
- You can reshape your thoughts to empower yourself instead of holding yourself back.
00:53 – Thinking Error #1: Ignoring the Good (Distorted Mental Filter)
- Focusing only on negative aspects while ignoring positive feedback.
- Example: Fixating on one critical comment while disregarding praise.
01:27 – Thinking Error #2: Mind Reading
- Assuming you know what others are thinking without evidence.
- Example: Seeing someone with an angry expression and assuming it’s about you.
02:04 – Thinking Error #3: Fortune Telling
- Predicting a negative outcome before it happens.
- Example: Assuming you won’t win a business pitch before hearing feedback.
02:31 – Thinking Error #4: Catastrophizing
- Blowing minor issues out of proportion.
- Example: Making a typo in an email and believing it has ruined your credibility.
03:04 – Thinking Error #5: All-or-Nothing Thinking (Black-and-White Thinking)
- Seeing things in extremes (100% success or failure).
- Example: A presentation is either perfect or a disaster—no middle ground.
03:28 – Thinking Error #6: Emotional Reasoning
- Believing feelings equal facts.
- Example: “I feel like a failure, so I must be one.”
03:56 – How to Overcome Thinking Errors
- Recognize when thinking errors occur.
- Reframe thoughts with more balanced, realistic alternatives.
- Example: Instead of “My presentation was a disaster,” consider “I stumbled a little, but overall, I kept the audience engaged.”
04:35 – The Power of Thought Reframing
- Changing thoughts affects feelings, which influence behavior and reinforce new, positive thoughts.
- This practice can break negative cycles and create a healthier mindset.
Full Transcript
Does it ever feel like your own thoughts and feelings are holding you back?
I want to tell you about six common thinking errors that could be sabotaging your progress.
When you’re developing your personal brand, you have to have the right mindset.
And if your life is being ruled by thinking errors—also known as cognitive distortions—then it’s going to be nearly impossible to hit your goals.
First, you need to know about the cognitive triangle, which is at the heart of modern psychology.
It states that thoughts create feelings, feelings then create behavior, and behavior reinforces thoughts.
Notice it didn’t say external events create feelings.
That’s a key point because it’s not external events but how you think about and interpret external events that affect feelings and behavior.
The good news is that you can use the cognitive triangle to your advantage.
Instead of having thoughts that hold you back, use your thoughts to empower you or balance you.
So here are six very common thinking errors:
1. Ignoring the good (Distorted Mental Filter) Ignoring the good is a thinking error where you focus on the one thing wrong in a situation and ignore everything right.
For example, if you receive glowing feedback from a client but they dislike one small part of your work, you might fixate on that criticism and conclude you’re a complete failure—despite all the praise.
2. Mind Reading Mind reading is when you assume you know what someone is thinking without any real evidence.
For example, if someone near you has an angry expression, you assume it must be about you, even though you have no proof.
3. Fortune Telling This thinking error involves predicting a negative outcome before it happens.
For example, if you pitch a business proposal and haven’t yet received feedback, but you convince yourself there’s no way you’ll win the business.
4. Catastrophizing Catastrophizing is blowing small issues out of proportion and seeing them as disasters.
For example, if you make a typo in an important email, you might think, “I can’t do anything right, and I’ve really let my team down.”
In reality, the mistake has little long-term impact, but catastrophizing makes it feel much bigger than it is.
5. All-or-Nothing (Black-and-White) Thinking This is when you see things as either completely good or completely bad.
For example, either your presentation was flawless, or it was a complete disaster.
There’s no middle ground or room for nuance.
6. Emotional Reasoning Emotional reasoning is when you believe something must be true simply because you feel it.
For example:
- “I feel like a failure, so I must be one.”
- “I feel like my partner is going to leave me, so it must be true.”
How to Overcome Thinking Errors
The first step is recognizing when these errors occur. That awareness is crucial.
The next step is to look at those thinking errors and reframe them—finding alternative thoughts that are more positive and realistic.
For example, if you feel like a failure, remind yourself that feelings aren’t facts.
Think of your past successes and accomplishments instead of focusing only on what went wrong.
Instead of thinking your presentation was a disaster, try: “I stumbled in a couple of places, but no one seemed to notice. I kept everyone engaged and hit all the main points, so overall, it went well.”
If someone near you looks angry, rather than assuming it’s about you, try: “They seem to be going through something. I hope they’re okay.”
The Power of Thought Reframing
Reframing thoughts might seem simple, but it’s incredibly powerful.
Remember, your thoughts affect your feelings, your feelings affect your behaviors, and your behaviors reinforce your thoughts.
By changing your thoughts, you can break negative cycles and replace them with more positive, productive ones.
I’d love to hear from you—do you see yourself in any of these thinking errors?
Do you have examples of how they’ve impacted your life?
Let me know in the comments!
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