Reversal of Fortune - Acting On Our Inner Ideas
by Dr. Edward B. Toupin

I used to consider that all of the talk and opinions of life,
love, and happiness were nothing more than words spewed forth
by those who were running away from their own lives. But, as
in all things, we wake up one day and realize that the
information we've ingested actually holds some weight within
our own lives.

Rubbed the Wrong Way

It's interesting how some opinions or views actually rub us in
awkward ways. It's as if the other party, presenting the
view, is purposefully locating and hitting buttons to make us
wriggle in our seats. We hear such opinions and comments and
find that they stick with us for an extended time. No matter
how hard we try to forget, these ideas and feelings are
somewhere in our minds.

Realize that, the only time that such views are found to be
oppressive, inflammatory, or even slightly irritating is when
we already know such views to be true yet we don't want to
accept them. We have ideas in our minds on how things should
be and we choose which ones suit our path. However, some of
these ideas are pushed to the back because they don't
necessarily suit what we think is right or are not in line
with our path. It is those hidden ideas that are the buttons
and fears that are there to be pushed.

Bury the Hatchet ... and Everything Else

We all have an established "comfort zone" that allows us to
function along the paths that we've chosen. Each path is
unique and uses a library of resources that we've collected
and adapted into our belief systems to reach our life
objectives. These belief systems provide us with the unique
views and methods of movement that we have about our lives,
the world, and our friends and family.

It is interesting that, in our comfort zones, we spend so much
time trying to hide external realizations from ourselves that
we never have the time to truly take a look. We busily bury
new information and ideas because they don't fit within and
threaten our current domain of existence. However, if we're
busily burying these ideas and bits of information and we feel
uncomfortable by the mention of these ideas from others, how
comfortable is this zone anyway?

I Choose ... Door Number 1

Many people feel that they don't have a choice in their life,
love, career, and happiness. Some feel that they just never
make the right choices. But, believing that one has no choice
is a choice in itself. A decision was made to stay in a
particular situation or to live with a given event because it
was safe and comfortable. Although it might not be
comfortable to the spiritual being trying to get out, it is to
the physical and emotional being looking for consistency.

It took years, and a catastrophic motorcycle accident, to
allow me to integrate my long buried views into my life. I
realized that, indeed, I had made the choices I did and they
were not thrust upon me by the Universe. Those hidden ideas
and beliefs, when touched, create an environment for stress
and internal conflict. Those tests that we feel are forced on
us and the occasional difficult times we have are not issued
by the Universe, but are instead devised and implemented by
us, upon us, to bring these hidden ideas and beliefs to the
surface.

What's next?

Realize that, although we have our own belief systems, built
on years of personal growth, our feelings and beliefs
constantly evolve and grow. These hidden ideas and beliefs
and this internal evolution causes us to occasionally feel
stress with ourselves because the new ideas and beliefs coming
to the surface don't fall in line with our existing lives.

Occasionally, we must all clean house and alter our lives and
beliefs to accommodate our growth. In this way, we can
continuously move forward, provide room for future growth, and
make our lives easier. Instead of fearing our internal new
ideas and feelings, take hold of them and see where they
lead. The new direction that evolves is something your brain
has been working on, using your belief system, hopes, and
desires as a basis, and, indeed, the destination might just be
where you wanted to go in the first place!

About the Author

Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is an author, publisher, life-
strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and technical writer
living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he provides
assistance, books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging
from career success through life organization and fulfillment.
Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as
well as his articles covering various life-changing topics!

For more information, and to find out about his upcoming
books, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site
at http://www.toupin.com!