Nowhere is this demonstrated more dramatically than in today’s practice of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). CBT has been studied and evaluated for decades and the results have been scientifically validated. It works! And the benefits it creates can be long lasting.
However, in realistic terms, if you are going to undertake something as significant as changing your world you have to start with a plan. Without one, there is little chance you will succeed.
If you could change your world what changes would you most like to make?
- Improve self-esteem and/or self image
- Find a long term romantic relationship
- Move to a better neighborhood
- Land a better job
- Feel better about yourself and your life
- Overcome a mental illness like depression or anxiety
- Develop a better relationship with your partner, family, children, friends, neighbors and co-workers
So, where to begin? The most logical starting point is not the changes you would most like to make but rather it is defining the thoughts you are holding onto that are making it difficult – perhaps even impossible – to achieve that change.
Fortunately CBT has a built in strategy which you only need to learn how to apply to your own unique set of circumstances in order to begin to change your world.
There are 10 Fallacious Assumptions that give rise to conditions such as depression. (If you are unfamiliar with these 10 Fallacious Assumptions you can find out more about them here.) Are you experiencing any of these deceptive ideas in your daily thoughts? If so, this is something you can change.
The CognImmune IDEA program can teach you how to overcome and change the distorted thinking that might be creating much of the negativity in your life. (Learn more about the IDEA program here.)
The first step in the CognImmune IDEA strategy is Identifying those Fallacious Assumptions that may be affecting you. An example of this could be that you meet someone new and consider that they might be a good romantic partner. You invite them out for dinner but they politely turn you down. You immediately think that no one will ever want to be involved in a relationship with you. This is a manifestation of the Fallacious Assumption all-or-nothing thinking.
The irony here is that the person you think has rejected you may have had other plans for that evening. Or, perhaps they really didn’t feel any attraction to you. And if that was indeed the case, so what? Surely in a world that contains over 7 billion people there is 1 person somewhere with whom you can form a relationship and build a future. But more on that later.
Once you have identified what needs to be changed you can begin to develop the strategy necessary to make that change.
As you continue to work through the IDEA process you will learn to incorporate this initial step and additional steps that will assist you in changing your distorted thoughts so that you can ultimately change your world.