The Choice That Defines Us By Aura Imbarus, Ph.D.

The Choice That Defines Us

By Aura Imbarus, Ph.D.

Even when the world is calm or ridden by an Armageddon, people always have a choice in all the things they do.

Like Oscar Wilde once said, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. So, no matter how hard things are or easy for that matter, some of us are going to look for imperfections, while others will admire the bright side of the street”.

So what makes it so hard for some to see the pluses instead of minuses?

Let’s take a look at your upbringing. If you, as a child, have been constantly told that lack is omnipresent and evil is omnipotent, well, in that case your mind was programmed to look for the missing tile.

Let’s take a look at your milieu. Some people in certain countries, like in former Eastern European Block have been exposed to dictatorships, so fear has been drilled in them and apocalyptic moments have become the norm. The outside environment has dictated the inner behavior.

Let’s look at religions. Some of them are more Zen like Hinduism and Buddhism, while others focus on guilt and revenge.

Let’s take a look at cultures. Some are more upbeat and optimistic, while others are cold, distant and apocalyptic.

But, in the end, no matter where you grew up, no matter what social strata, culture, or religion you belong or have embraced, it us coming down to YOU to take the reins and stir them in the right direction.

You always have the choice to feel great or miserable, to be grounded or aloof, to be surrounded by positive people or Debbie Downer types.

Choices are, after all, the fabric of your character and like Aristotle said, “you are what you repeatedly do”.

Bio - Dr. AURA IMBARUS

Dr. Aura Imbarus is an awarded educator, freelance journalist, motivational speaker, and author of the critically acclaimed Amazon best-seller and Pulitzer Prize entry, Out of the Transylvania Night: A Story of Tyranny, Freedom, Love and Identity (Bettie Youngs Books, 2010), a memoir detailing her life in Romania during the Communist regime, and an upcoming self-help book, Conversations with the Past: A Journey Home (Rainbow Ridge Books, Sept 2020). She was featured on NBC, ABC, CNBC, Good Morning San Diego, Forbes Romania, etc.

She is also the president and founder of See Beyond Media, a company focusing on adolescents’ challenges in the 21st century, having as its launching platform See Beyond Magazine (www.seebeyondmag.com) and of Raw and Real with Leo and Aura podcast, where on a light and humorous tone she is examining and dissecting social issues. Dr. Imbarus is a licensed clinical hypnotherapist, having trained with Dr. Brian Weiss and Dr. Wanita Holmes.

She sits on the Advisory Board of CA Ballet, is a member of Royal Society of St. George, SACC – Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce; she is also one of the founding members of RACC – Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce, CA.

In her free time she is taking ballroom dancing. She loves car racing, skiing, yoga, sailing and traveling.