[form] LEARNING ABOUT RATIONAL EMOTIVE PHILOSOPHY Each letter of the word L - E - A - R - N stands for an RET idea. These ideas together make up the general philosophy of problem solving using rational emotive methods. Your Name please: [text,r_name,30] Email: [text,r_email,30] LESSON 2 Expanding on the - L - of LEARN L = Living fully and balancing your long and short-term goals. ===================================================================== Short-term goals are often pleasurable right away - immediately, right now, today - like eating, loafing, or TV-watching. But later? Hm. not so good. Eating can make you unhealthy and fat. Loafing doesn't get your work done. TV-watching isn't too creative. Short-term gains can easily lead to long-term pains. Watch it. Check out the consequences of quick and easy pleasures. To make yourself happy without evil results means to look at the long and the short of what you choose to do. Sure, by all means maximise your pleasures - but not, also, your future disadvantages. If you focus mainly on short-term goals and immediate pleasure, you will often harm yourself by overindulging in some addictive behaviour like procrastination. Like alcohol or substance abuse. Like reckless gambling... Shall you, then, focus only on long-term goals? Yes, if you want a safe but dull life. Even then, you won't be too safe, because death, illness, war, and economic distress - for you, for me, for all of us - still occur. Save too much happiness for tomorrow and you may not live to enjoy it. REBT suggests that you find a balance that allows you to be happy today - and tomorrow. Not either/or. Both/and. Compare the pleasures of the moment with the likely pleasures - and pains! - of the future. Will you often compromise? In a word, yes. To balance your short and long terms goals, try making the long ones consist of several short ones. After achieving each short-term goal, you can give yourself some immediate reward. Even the biggest job can be broken down into smaller ones and then be made easier and more satisfying to do. Imagine that your goal is to walk a thousand miles. Thinking about taking a thousand mile walk makes it seem impossible and may create feelings of hopelessness and a sense of being overwhelmed. You may conclude. "It is impossible to walk a thousand miles!" You will probably feel even worse if you think "I MUST walk a thousand miles!" while knowing that you are not able to do so. On the other hand, taking several one mile walks seems possible and does not encourage self-defeating thoughts and feelings. Eventually, your one mile walks can add up to a thousand miles. REBT helps you develop realistic goals and to find the energy to meet them. Moreover, it shows you how to accept yourself even if you fall short of your goals. Because you choose your goals, but you are not your success or failure to accomplish them. ==================================================================== ASSIGNMENT List several of your long-term goals [textarea,long-term goals,6,80] Take ONE of your long-term goals and break it down into smaller achievable steps The Goal Write out the long term goal you're going to work on. [text,the long term goal,80] The Achievable steps Now break down your long term goal into your achieveable steps that will bring it to pass One [text,step 01,60] Two [text,step 02,60] Three [text,step 03,60] Four [text,step 04,60] Five [text,step 05,60] Six [text,step 06,60] Seven [text,step 07,60] Eight [text,step 08,60] Nine [text,step 09,60] Ten [text,step 10,60] =============================================================== Questions or Comments? [textarea,questions or comments,3,70] [checkbox,send copy,checked] TO DO your next steps you'll need to receive a copy of your work here. Uncheck it if you have printed off a hardcopy for yourself. [submit,SEND this Entry][reset,Start Over again] [/form]