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Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Who’s the fairest one of all?
The mirror laughed, and then it spat. It sure ain’t you, you’re old and fat. So reads an alternative ending to this well known nursery rhyme. Most people look in a mirror every day and many have some form of these words running through their minds. When looking in the mirror, they are focusing in on the negative aspects of what they see.
The same tends to happen with another type of reflection. The reflection you do when you’re looking back at the goals you have set for yourself and your achievements against them.
I see this over and over in my coaching and mastermind groups. When asked to reflect on progress on a goal or project, it always starts with what didn’t happen; the disappointments; what is lacking. It usually takes time and coaxing to get to the positive aspects: what went well; where hope and opportunity lie; what to feel good about.
Are we humans just a mob of bad news bears? Are we simply wired to focus on the negative? What impact is this negativity having on us?
Turns out that we humans are biased towards the negative. It’s simply an evolutionary necessity to keep us safe. In doing so, our brains both respond to and focus on what is going wrong and what could…
