Episode Details

Have you heard of or tried cognitive reframing? It’s a powerful tool that can positively shift your mindset about something permanently to change the direction of your life!

The Power of Mentoring

In this episode I interview my friend Jane who has been a mentor in the school system, helping young kids, 4th grade and up. Jane does this kind of volunteer work because she feels it’s a two-way street. While she’s helping children with homework, conversation, and life skills, she enjoys the growing relationship that can last for several years.

Jane says she can see a difference quickly in the children she mentors. For example, she is currently working with Emily. The girl was shy and isolated, making her world very small. She didn’t have many friends and was also struggling with her studies.

At her second meeting, Emily showed her appreciation by giving Jane a gift! Jane had made a difference in this child’s life already by being her friend and showing interest in her. They connected quickly at the heart level.

When the school year ended, Emily had to stay back, but she also switched schools which made a difference. This year things seemed to be going better, but then she got a text from Emily’s mother. Apparently, she’s flunking math. The mom asked if Jane could please talk to her about this.

Reframing Can Be Motivating

Now Jane had to come up with a strategy. She didn’t want to scold or threaten her because that would just go in one ear and out the other. This is what Jane did and why I am telling you this incredible story. It’s all about reframing.

Cognitive reframing is a method that helps you look at a situation in your life completely differently, to change your experience of it. The first step was to ask Emily to make a list of each class and then comment about how she’s doing in it.

Most of her comments were positive, until she got to math, the problem subject. About math, Emily wrote that she doesn’t like the teacher who is mean and boring. All Emily does is yawn and wish the class was over and she said nobody likes the teacher.

Jane told Emily how her mom had asked her to talk this through because she was failing. She also said if she were the teacher, she might flunk her too. Then Jane changed gears and said, “I can’t tell you the answers for the test, but I can tell you, if you listen to me, how to make sure you don’t flunk this class.”

Have you heard about the 7-Minute Shift?

Play the Game

Jane had Em