How to Be a Rational, Happy, Productive Human Being
Become solution-oriented., Recognize flaws in your thinking., Question your purposes and goals., Be mindful of emotions., Keep a journal to analyze your thoughts., Adjust your thinking to make it more effective.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Become solution-oriented.
To start thinking rationally, you should start to value coming up with solutions to the problems you encounter all day long.
For example, when you can't find a parking spot, stop your car and think about the layout of the parking lot instead of getting angry.
Instead of reacting to problems, start solving them. -
Step 2: Recognize flaws in your thinking.
A rational human being is one who recognizes their own flaws and tries to achieve balance in their thinking.
If you are on the road to becoming a rational thinker, you probably started out not being very focused on the way your thoughts work.
You need to start seeing your own shortcomings.If you don’t admit to having problems in your thinking, you can’t practice your reasoning skills.
Recognizing flaws in your thought processes shows where you have room to grow.
For example, you should start to notice when you make false assumptions or jump to wrong conclusions.
A false assumption might be, “That person I’ve never met must be stuck up because they didn’t say hello back when I greeted them.” They may have just not heard you. , To recognize flaws in your thinking, you must question why you do things.
You should also analyze your goals in the moment.
Are you doing something because you want a specific result? Is that result selfish? Will it hurt someone else? This type of reasoning will help you recognize your biases and prejudices.You should also start to apply standards to your thoughts.
Strive for accurate, clear, logical thoughts.
This means that you should start to value logical reasoning.
For example, you may start to talk to others about how important it is to reason with yourself.
Another sign you are becoming more rational is recognizing when others fail to follow a logical process.
For instance, you might hear someone say, “That guy is so rude! He didn’t even smile back when I greeted.” Instead of agreeing, you see that this person didn’t think about all the possibilities, such as that the “guy” did not see them. , Another step toward becoming rational is pausing to reflect when you feel negative emotions.Realize that emotions are not necessarily positive or negative; they happen to everyone.
Also remember that, although thoughts and experiences often cause emotions, sometimes emotions happen for no reason at all.
Ask yourself, "Which emotion am I feeling?" And, "Which negative thoughts or experiences have led me to feel this way?"
To assist you in analyzing your thoughts, it is helpful to verbalize them in written form.
Start to keep a journal in which you write your thoughts about situations that you care deeply about.
Detail what you did in these situations.
Later, look at what you wrote and analyze your motives.Make sure that you write only about situations that you have strong emotions about.
Be very specific in detailing both what occurred and what your thoughts were in the situation.
Ask yourself, “What have I learned about myself?” “What would I do differently? What will I do differently if the situation repeats itself?” , Change the way you think in response to the flaws you recognize.
You are now on a journey of constant analysis.
Your task now is to watch how you think and ensure that your actions are not selfish or shortsighted.
Evaluate the way that you think on a regular basis.
When you repeatedly feel negative emotions in spite of an effort to be rational, you may need to try a new approach. -
Step 3: Question your purposes and goals.
-
Step 4: Be mindful of emotions.
-
Step 5: Keep a journal to analyze your thoughts.
-
Step 6: Adjust your thinking to make it more effective.
Detailed Guide
To start thinking rationally, you should start to value coming up with solutions to the problems you encounter all day long.
For example, when you can't find a parking spot, stop your car and think about the layout of the parking lot instead of getting angry.
Instead of reacting to problems, start solving them.
A rational human being is one who recognizes their own flaws and tries to achieve balance in their thinking.
If you are on the road to becoming a rational thinker, you probably started out not being very focused on the way your thoughts work.
You need to start seeing your own shortcomings.If you don’t admit to having problems in your thinking, you can’t practice your reasoning skills.
Recognizing flaws in your thought processes shows where you have room to grow.
For example, you should start to notice when you make false assumptions or jump to wrong conclusions.
A false assumption might be, “That person I’ve never met must be stuck up because they didn’t say hello back when I greeted them.” They may have just not heard you. , To recognize flaws in your thinking, you must question why you do things.
You should also analyze your goals in the moment.
Are you doing something because you want a specific result? Is that result selfish? Will it hurt someone else? This type of reasoning will help you recognize your biases and prejudices.You should also start to apply standards to your thoughts.
Strive for accurate, clear, logical thoughts.
This means that you should start to value logical reasoning.
For example, you may start to talk to others about how important it is to reason with yourself.
Another sign you are becoming more rational is recognizing when others fail to follow a logical process.
For instance, you might hear someone say, “That guy is so rude! He didn’t even smile back when I greeted.” Instead of agreeing, you see that this person didn’t think about all the possibilities, such as that the “guy” did not see them. , Another step toward becoming rational is pausing to reflect when you feel negative emotions.Realize that emotions are not necessarily positive or negative; they happen to everyone.
Also remember that, although thoughts and experiences often cause emotions, sometimes emotions happen for no reason at all.
Ask yourself, "Which emotion am I feeling?" And, "Which negative thoughts or experiences have led me to feel this way?"
To assist you in analyzing your thoughts, it is helpful to verbalize them in written form.
Start to keep a journal in which you write your thoughts about situations that you care deeply about.
Detail what you did in these situations.
Later, look at what you wrote and analyze your motives.Make sure that you write only about situations that you have strong emotions about.
Be very specific in detailing both what occurred and what your thoughts were in the situation.
Ask yourself, “What have I learned about myself?” “What would I do differently? What will I do differently if the situation repeats itself?” , Change the way you think in response to the flaws you recognize.
You are now on a journey of constant analysis.
Your task now is to watch how you think and ensure that your actions are not selfish or shortsighted.
Evaluate the way that you think on a regular basis.
When you repeatedly feel negative emotions in spite of an effort to be rational, you may need to try a new approach.
About the Author
Robert Ross
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: