Inform Yourself

Ah the struggle. Certainly we have all, at one time or another experienced “the struggle”. Regardless of age, race, sex, religion or socio-economic status, everyone has experienced “the struggle”. Like good and bad angels on either shoulder pulling us in opposite directions, we are torn. Many people will, without much thought, move on with their lives. Others however, like me, and perhaps yourself, take it deeper. We take it deeper because we feel something different. It is more than just simple thoughts and actions. This “struggle” or “conflict” is rocking us to the core of who we are and for what we stand, our beliefs. It is rocking us to the core because the struggle is a conflict between various aspects of ourselves. These aspects are often times referred to as “parts” or “components of our lives”.

So what exactly is a part or component of our life? Part is the name given to the various components of your life. These components can be either internal or external. Some examples of a part are your significant other, your career, your spiritual self, your friends, your family, etc. In these examples, your significant other is most certainly external to yourself while your spiritual self is internal. You are made up of an infinite number of parts. Parts may also be either conscious or from your sub-conscious mind. So now you know why we can have infinite number of parts. What part of us does the struggle attach itself? Any part and for some, every part! If attached to many parts, the struggle can become overwhelming.

What is your sub-conscious mind? It is that part of your brain that allows you to breathe without thinking about it. Your diaphragm moves up and down forcing air into and out of your lungs. Your mind is on “auto-pilot” when you breathe. Your mind is also on “auto-pilot” when doing common tasks such as placing a key into a door lock. Rarely, if ever, do you have to tell yourself how to put the key in the lock, you just do it.

The most amazing thing about parts is that they are all unique and most importantly, they are you! You define your parts or components and what they mean to you, in your life. You have an infinite number of parts. People have never, ever, run out of parts of themselves.

The emotions that we feel are either more or less useful for us, in our lives, as we see it, or would like it to be. These emotions are our deepest feelings and emotions. “The struggle” begins when the emotions we have tied to each part of ourselves start to conflict with one another.

Those of you dealing with or have dealt with “the struggle” know exactly what I am talking about! The amazing thing about “the struggle” is that it is different and unique for everyone. We all experience different levels of conflict, emotions, behaviors, and most importantly, parts of your life that it is affecting. “The Struggle” becomes very intense when you experience it in multiple parts of yourself at one time. The more “parts” affected, the more intense the struggle. WOW! It is no wonder then why this is so overwhelming and why you are reading this book for assistance in overcoming it.

How do you know if you are dealing with “the struggle”? There are a number of different indicators that tells you know if you are dealing with “the struggle”. You are dealing with “the struggle” if a single part wants two different things for you and you are torn which way to go or what to feel. You are dealing with “the struggle” if you are being pulled by two different parts either in action or emotion. You are dealing with “the struggle” if you feel torn between any two parts of yourself. In every instance, you are the sole person involved. “The struggle” is an internal one. “The struggle” is never external, although external forces may influence it. If you are not at complete and total peace with yourself, you are, in some way, dealing with “the struggle”.

Here is my example:

When I was younger I did not know anything about “the struggle”. However, I felt in many ways that I was different than my friends and family. I was not sure what it was but I knew I was different. I did not concern myself if this difference was right, wrong, good or bad. I just knew what I felt and that it made me different, or more usefully, unique. At this age I did not focus or concentrate on this at all. Years later, during the height of my professional career, I was experiencing much success as part owner of an Information Technology company. We had started and grown the organization from the ground up and received many awards. The awards ranged from community involvement, customer satisfaction, and recognition as one of the fastest growing organizations in the Northeast Ohio region. As I stood in my office one day, it hit me. The thoughts from my youth came racing back into the forefront of my mind, from my sub-conscious to my conscious mind. As much success as I was experiencing, as many awards as we had won, for me, something was missing. Again, I felt different. I should have been ecstatic but something was not quite right. I was not sure what it was or how to discover it! However I was certainly “struggling” with it. My struggle and ultimately, my journey, have led me through much research, learning, and ultimately discovering “My Blissful Life”.

So what is “your struggle”? Be honest with yourself. The journey you are about to embark upon is purely for yourself. It is okay to focus on yourself. Most of us spend most of our time focused on others. This is how we were raised and learned from society. Finally, here is an opportunity to focus on you in discovering and defining “Your Blissful Life”. Once discovered, “Your Blissful Life” will impact every part of your life enabling you to live the life you desire!

Define/name all of your parts that are most important to you right now.

What is “your struggle”?

What parts of you are being affected?