Changing the destructive things you say to yourself when you experience the setbacks that life deals all of us is the central skill of optimism.
Martin SeligmanIt's a matter of ABC: When we encounter ADVERSITY, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into BELIEFS. These beliefs may become so habitual we don't even realize we have them unless we stop to focus on them. And they don't just sit there idly; they have CONSEQUENCES.
Martin SeligmanThe clearer the rules and the limits enforced by parents, the higher the child's self-esteem. The more freedom the child had, the lower his self-esteem.
Martin Seligman