If LAURENT really wants to improve and transform himself, the first step is to become aware of the weaknesses which may be holding him back and preventing his evolution:
- His dependency on other people
- His uncertainty
- His indecisiveness
- His sentimentalism
- His weakness for comfort
LAURENT sometimes senses a conflict between his desire for social and professional success and his need for a stable, secure domestic life. He is deeply committed to both ideas, and does not always succeed in reconciling their schedules and demands on him. Sometimes it feels as though he will never be able to find a balance. However, no job promotion will really satisfy him if he has neglected his most intimate needs and desires. Although it sometimes seems easier to him to climb the rungs of the career ladder out there in the real world, if he merely sacrifices his domestic life, he is only trying to fool himself. He should accept the fact that his domestic life is the true basis and foundation of his development. All his career endeavors and success will be even more rewarding if they are supported by a safe, warm personal life.
LAURENT has a pretty gloomy opinion of himself. Until he frees himself from this state of mind, nothing in his life will bring him full satisfaction. To initiate a change in his negative self-image, to trust himself better and gain self-assurance, the first thing he must do is learn to say NO. Once he is capable of saying NO to others, he can say YES to life. He must develop his awareness of all the things he loves and feels positive about, as well as all the changes he hopes to make in order to enjoy life more. This is the foundation that will support him, the inexhaustible source and center of the transformation of his personality. Infantile anxieties which arose in childhood when he was helpless may be obstacles to LAURENT's evolution. Sometimes they actually prevent him from daring to confront challenges he would be altogether capable of assuming now! One of the reasons he yields to these childhood fears so readily is that they procure a feeling so familiar to him that, although it is negative, it is a reassuring part of his identity. However, the more often he reinforces this complex by yielding to that feeling, the more unaware he becomes of his true emotional state. The irrational childhood fears have also reinforced his pessimistic tendencies. It is difficult for him to believe in the sunny side of life because of the pernicious little voice inside him reminding him he really doesn't deserve all this goodness. This side of him undermines his vitality and forces him to compensate or flee from reality. In doing so, he limits his power to bring about a positive change in himself or his life. It's a vicious cycle, and to free himself, the first step for him is to free himself from the fears which prevent him from taking full advantage of life. He can succeed if he arranges a relaxed, positive environment for himself, establishes sincere relations with one or two special people, and, if possible, finds a setting - perhaps a yoga class - in which he can practice relaxation exercises.
For LAURENT, the main goal to aim for, in order to give purpose and meaning to his life, is to manage to be more practical. He must strive to implement his ideals in his daily life, in his relations with the people and objects he encounters every day. He should also try to introduce the abstractions and generalizations which make up his personal philosophy into down-to-earth realities.
