Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

by Martin E.P. Seligman

To learn how to dispute your automatic thoughts, you first have to learn to listen to your own internal dialogue

You can see that when adversity is followed by permanent, pervasive, and personal explanations (“I must be really lousy”), dejection and giving up follow. When adversity is followed by the opposite kinds of explanations (“That’s one ‘no’ out of the way”), the consequences are energy and good cheer.

It doesn’t make sense to base my worth as a teacher on a small percentage of my students. The truth is that I do excite the majority of my students, and I spend a great deal of time planning lessons that are creative and allow the students as much individualization as possible.

You should have found that when you began to dispute your negative beliefs, the consequences changed from dejection and lethargy to invigoration and feeling better.