Another way of getting the outcome you want is by learning how to break down oppositional thinking. For example, let’s say that you are trying to convince your accountant to hire some help for the upcoming tax season. He says, “Those people never do anything right.”

You could ask him to clarify several parts of that statement:

• Who are “those people?” (“Everyone” is not an answer!)
• If the person in question has never prepared a proper tax return, perhaps they should not be an accountant!
• What is the definition of “right?” Is the accountant talking about legally correct or simply the way he would do it?

The goal here is to help the person explore their negative thinking and look at the bigger picture, instead of seeing things through a particular lens.

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Session 9: Putting it all Together