If you really want to improve and transform yourself, the first step is to become aware of the weaknesses which may be holding you back and preventing your evolution. You should be aware of your tendencies to hyperfocus on minutiae, your over intellectualization, and your comfort with a constant state of worry.

Ari Fournier has a variety of talents, but it can be difficult for her to concentrate on a single interest. She is ruled by her nervousness and her suggestibility, which can make it difficult for her to use her adaptive abilities to their full advantage and take the time to formulate the solutions to her problems. To be truly effective, she needs to learn to control her jittery mind; otherwise, she may drain her nervous system of energy. If she experiences respiratory problems, like asthma, it will be a signal that the need to change is urgent.

Ari Fournier is fairly organized. He is able to work long and hard to achieve his goals and elaborates fairly rigid strategies to protect himself against any foreseeable obstacles. He is so absorbed in his business that he does not always realize that he tends to be somewhat peremptory with the people around him and that he might do well to soften his tone and be more tactful at times. His friendships seem stifling and superfluous to him, and he is sometimes tormented by inner conflict when he is forced to submit to another’s will. To succeed, work to be less dogmatic. Trust in yourself and other people and flexibility.

To trust yourself better and gain self-assurance, the first thing you must do is learn to say no. Once you are capable of saying no to others, you can say yes to life. You must develop your awareness of all the things you love and feel positive about, as well as all the changes you hope to make in order to enjoy life more. This is the foundation that will support you, the inexhaustible source and center of the transformation of your personality. Infantile anxieties which arose in childhood when you were helpless may be obstacles to your evolution. Sometimes they actually prevent you from daring to confront challenges you would be altogether capable of assuming now! One of the reasons you yield to these childhood fears so readily is that they procure a feeling so familiar to you that, although it is negative, it is a reassuring part of your identity. However, the more often you reinforce this complex by yielding to that feeling, the more unaware you become of your true emotional state. The irrational childhood fears have also reinforced your pessimistic tendencies. It is difficult for you to believe in the sunny side of life because of the pernicious little voice inside you that claims you don’t really deserve all this goodness. This side of you could undermine your vitality and force you to compensate or flee from reality. In doing so, you limit your power to bring about a positive change in yourself or your life. It’s a vicious cycle, and to free yourself, the first step is to free yourself from the fears which prevent you from taking full advantage of life. You can succeed if you arrange a relaxed, positive environment for yourself, establish sincere relations with one or two special people, and, if possible, finds a setting – perhaps a yoga class – in which you can practice relaxation exercises.