COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING
(A CNN Hero)
We talked about diagnosis for your NPTE® mindset approach.
But that’s the easy part. It is fairly practical, tangible, and has a structural framework to becoming aware of your thoughts and which “thought viruses” you may fall prey to.
Unfortunately, the restructuring approach is slightly more abstract. We already introduced tangible items to start practicing for the NPTE®, but part of the reason the restructuring piece is difficult, is because you can’t always make everything black and white.
Most of the human condition is probably based in the abstract rather than the black and white. What about love? Or what about passion and dreams? You can do tangible steps to reach your dream, but the act of dreaming is abstract. Falling in love is abstract.
Today’s story is about someone with a difficult life road who turned his tragedy into service and giving to others.
But it’s a great example of the way that the metaphysical and abstract concepts can become wholly tangible and worthwhile if you have the right perspective.
You might feel stuck at the NPTE® roadblock. Don’t forget why you are becoming a PT or a PTA. Don’t forget the real part of what you’re signing up to do. Take a second and look up from studying. Look up from the question causing you anxiety, stress, and tension.
Think about a patient you have already encountered who left a mark on you.
Or a PT who left a mark on you before you even went to school.
Or even an unknown future patient who is out there right now, who you will work with one day, who needs your skills and expertise - who needs you to persevere through this moment because you have a greater purpose to serve.
This is your perspective shift for today. Shift it away from the NPTE®. It is a hurdle - yes - but it is a bump in the road, not the mountain. This is something you can conquer. It is learnable and it is doable. So instead concentrate on the future mountains you need to climb to make a change in someone’s life.
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