These tendencies can show up as pessimism, self-doubt, or catastrophic thinking, which distorts our perception of the world. When confronted with a challenge, for example, one maymp v instantly assume, "I will fail," rather than taking into account the likelihood of success or the opportunity to gain knowledge. Negative thoughts are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Such pessimistic ideas have the potential to become self-fulfilling prophecies, in which our actions & results are determined by our perceptions of our own abilities and selves.