If we want to be as happy as possible, then it would be irrational to hold any belief that tends to push us away from that goal. As an example, consider the first listed irrational belief on the previous page: I must be loved, or at least liked and approved of, by every significant person I meet. If not, I will feel awful and unloveable. If you're interested, a brief discussion of what makes this belief irrational is here. Once we notice we subscribe to such a belief, how can we modify it so that it becomes more rational? All we need do, is transform our demand into a preference. Thus, we might restated the belief as follows: it would be nice if I were loved by everyone. In fact, it would be nice if everyone thought I was absolutely the greatest person in the world... and afforded me all the rights and priveleges pertaining thereto. It's fun to imagine, but it's not very likely to happen. And that's bad enough. Do I really want to take the extra step of making myself miserable because a fantasy isn't realized? Not today, thank you. Too busy. I'm scheduled for a boil implant.

Positive self-talk. In many cases, consistent, rational self-talk, like that illustrated above, is all that is needed to correct irrational beliefs (hint: humor often helps.). Interested? Want to know some specifics? Excellent! There's a ton of information about RET and how to use it to correct irrational beliefs available in many well-stocked bookstores and on the internet. Just google "rational emotive therapy" or "irrational ideas" and you'll have more material than a monkey has flees. If you get stuck, or would simply prefer to work with a guide, rather than alone, you might contact the self-proclaimed guru of email therapy... me! or some other, inferior, therapist.