Page 30 - SB-Too Birds
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WORKSHEET
Cosmos talks about the Buzzards thinking that they were too noble for the task they were assigned. By seeing yourself as special you give yourself permission to accept your Stinking Thinking and frequently, as in this case, that can lead to Thumbs Down behaviors.
When we are asked to do something that is difficult, boring or scary, some of us resort to the type of justification illustrated by the buzzards. We have a tendency to project unacceptable motivations to the task givers and see them as mean, unjust or foolish. In the first question, Cosmos asks about the motivation of the Congress.
You want the children to recognize that the assignment as clean-up bird was an appropriate decision. An answer such as, “No, they were not trying to be mean. They were just saying that this was about the only thing they could do and that was the truth,” is an example of accepting reality. We may not be appropriate for the job or position we wish to have and the decision not to give us that position, if based on Good Thinking, is the correct decision and we should accept it.
Telling ourselves that we are Too smart or Too important or Too special is a way of not evaluating the validity of the other’s decision. We do not have to look at ourselves, our abilities and motivations to see if we are realistic in our self-evaluation. This in turn limits our ability and willingness to change our behaviors.
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