The Healthy Management of Reality - Stanford University

External reality encompasses:- The structure of day-to-day time. Our days are made up of a limitednumber of hours. It is what we do during these hours that determines our objectivereality. Actively shaping the nature of how we spend our time results in theshaping of our life itself. (Chapter 11).- The structure of the space that we inhabit. The places we live in determineto a large extent the kinds of behaviors that are possible for us. Our environmentconstantly influences our behavior, and our behavior, in turn, reshapes ourenvironment. Moreover, we have some control over which environments we willenter and how long we will stay in them. Over time, these day-to-day choices willdetermine the nature of our activities. (Chapter 12).- The nature of our social environment. The people with whom we shareour life provide much of what is enjoyable about living. They also help shape ourthinking and what we do. Their encouragement increases the chances we will dosomething again. Their criticism makes us think twice about repeating an action.Creating a social network that supports the life style we want to lead can be one ofthe most important projects we undertake. Having such a network in place fiveyears hence would be a great use of time. (Chapter 13).- How rewarding life is. The daily rewards and hassles we encounter shapeour view of life and the things we do. Unless we notice what we are beingrewarded and punished for, we are at the mercy of chance and of others' influence.Learning to build in self-rewards, or placing ourselves in places where we will berewarded for those things we find worthwhile, will create the type of person webecome. (Chapter 8).HMOR.July2005.Muñoz.doc 53