Twelve Most Irrational Ideas

Jan 272008

Ideas which create self-defeating behavior

	Way of Being	Your “At Effect” Programming
1	Emotionally Dependent	The idea that we must have love and approval from all the people we find significant. Placing undue importance on what other people think of us.
2	The Perfectionist	The idea that our personal worth is determined by our performance and achievement. We must always prove competent and flawless in order to be considered of value as a human being.
3	The Blamer	The idea that when people act obnoxiously and unfairly toward us, they are Wrong and we should judge them and blame them.
4	The Catastrophizer	The idea that when things don’t go our way, or when we’re frustrated, treated unfairly, or rejected, that we must view things as awful, terrible, horrible and a catastrophe.
5	Helpless	The idea that emotional misery comes from external pressures and causes outsides ourselves.
6	The Worrier	The idea that if something seems dangerous, fearsome, or threatening we naturally preoccupy ourselves with it, and should be anxious about it.
7	A Cop-Out	The idea that life is easier if you avoid difficulties and challenges; that it is smart to leave responsibilities and self-discipline to others.
8	Stuck in the Past	The idea that our past determines our present; that our past remains all-important, and because something once strongly influenced our lives, it still determines our thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the present.
9	Trapped in SHOULD	The idea that people and things should turn out better than they do, and that we have a right to feel cheated and upset when people and things are not the way we believe or want them to be.
10	A Drop-Out	The idea that the greatest happiness follows from the path of least resistance; that we can achieve maximum satisfaction by passively and uncommittedly “enjoying ourselves.”
11	The God Delusion	The idea that we absolutely need something other or stronger or greater than ourselves on which to rely.
12	Lack of Control	The idea that we have virtually no control over our emotions and that we cannot help feeling disturbed about things.