{*Did you know you can write on Elephant? Here’s how—big changes: How to Write & Make Money or at least Be of Benefit on Elephant. ~ Waylon}
We don’t always take inner work seriously.
We are either too busy to care or we simply don’t know where to start. Either way, inner work sometimes seems too complicated.
What is inner work? How do I get there? How can it help me? I have asked myself these questions many times, and even though it has taken me a long time to grasp its importance, there are a few things that have motivated me to commit.
As a start, we need to understand what inner work is about if we wish to lead a happier, more peaceful life. Without truly acknowledging the essence of inner work, we can’t appropriately relate to ourselves and those around us.
The term inner work is pretty self-explanatory; it’s an inside job. It’s the work we personally do when we want to grow and gain insight into our behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs.
“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
Since we have little control over our most life situations, we are likely to be triggered by others or unpleasant events. However, when we do the necessary inner work, we stop trying to change others or the difficult situations in our life that seem to be set in stone. Instead, we work on altering our own fixed ideas, habits, and behaviors to match our reality.
Inner work is about understanding that real happiness comes from within. So we nurture who we are from the inside and take command of our thoughts and emotions.
And, unlike what we might think, our inner work doesn’t stop somewhere. It’s full of revelations and perceptions. It’s full of ups and downs. It’s not linear, but it’s always constant. Although many of us acknowledge the importance of doing the inner work, not all of us know where to start so we can genuinely transform our life.
Mastering inner work and committing to it takes time and effort. We might even swing between old patterns and new ones for a while before we can truly release our emotional baggage.
From my own experience, there are two things that have motivated me to walk that path and stay on it:
1. Maintaining a healthy relationship with others.
2. Maintaining a healthy relationship with myself.
When we haven’t done our inner work, the relationship we have with ourselves and others take a hit, as they’re deeply interconnected. I have realized that if I can’t master my own actions and reactions, I can’t blame others or judge them for who they are. I can’t expect other people to cooperate when I keep reliving the same life, making the same choices, and overreacting all the time.
The fact that we need to maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves and the world should motivate us to look within every single day. We can read self-help books, practice meditation, take courses, travel, go on retreats, or try therapy. Any teaching that can help us to face our fears and wounds and be brave enough to heal them will be great.
When we grow psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, we stop letting our ego rule our life. Our ego wants us to stay in the dark. So when we decide to heal, our unconscious patterns may rise to the surface, leaving our ego stranded.
Ask yourself today, for how long am I going to let my ego and wounds control my life? If we truly care about the connection we have with the world, we automatically prioritize our well-being and mental health.
Be brave, be vulnerable, and commit to your inner work.
Invest in you. It’s the best investment you can make.
~
author: Elyane Youssef
Image: Vladimir Konoplev/Pexels
This account does not have permission to comment on Elephant Journal.
Contact support with questions.