Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive distortions are ways that our own minds convince us of things which are not really true;  things we say, whether aloud or inside our heads, in order to reinforce negative or incorrect thinking.
"I am a lousy salesperson;"  "I'm not very artistic;"  "I sing terribly;" are all examples of cognitive distortions, of which there seems to be ten or fifteen which are more common.

a.) Fallacy of Fairness:  Feeling resentful when we think we know what is "fair," and other people won't agree with us.  "It's more fair to spread the wealth around."  "The 'rich' should pay their fair share!"
b.)  Blaming:  Holding others responsible for one's own feelings or pains.  "Stop making me feel bad about myself!"  "I inherited this economy!"  "The Japanese tsunami/Republicans/Arab spring/European crises/Wall Street is why the recovery is dragging!"
c.)  Shoulds:  "Oil companies should give up their tax breaks."  "Congress should be more willing to compromise on raising taxes."  "We should develop more Green Jobs."
d.)  Always Right:  "I had several plans to turn the economy around."  "The Republican plan will cause 50 million Americans to lose their health insurance."  "This is the day the oceans stopped their rise..."

Just to name a few.  You can Google (or Bing) "Cognitive Distortions" for yourself.  It's an eye-opener to see ourselves on the list.