MAKING THE INNER MATTER 

Inner states, projects & endeavors

We all have a collection of activities, projects, and things that we deem valuable and worth our time.  It’s easy to see what these things are, as they are the things we spend our time engaged in on a day to day basis.  It’s important to pause for a moment and recognize what exactly it is you spend your time and energy doing as this is what you are prioritizing as most important.  Often times we say that such and such thing matters to us, and yet we spend little to no time and energy focused on it.  We may not even be aware of the mismatch of what we say is important and what we spend our time doing, but when we pause and look at the reflection of our life as a mirror we can’t refute what we see.

We also tend to value the outer more than the inner.  What I mean by this is that we make external projects or activities that produce physical, tangible results superior to internal projects that create more depth and connection inside our inner experience.  The perspective of the outer as productive and worthwhile, and the inner as just a hobby or self-indulgent, keeps inner endeavors having seemingly less value to us in our own eyes.  Even though we might say that inner work matters, we spend minimal time cultivating our ideal inner state because we see it as not as important as the physical creations.

You might be wondering just exactly what inner projects and endeavors are.  Inner projects and endeavors all have to do with cultivating the state of being of where you come from.  There are infinite ways to cultivate our inner state, some of which may be external activities such as exercise, yoga, or coming in for your entrainments, but the focus is on producing or generating the state of being you desire to live as while you interact with your environment.  

Most desirable inner states often have to do with feeling a sense of stability, peace, joy, love and aliveness.  If this isn’t your ordinary state of being than there is inner work to be done and inner projects to initiate in order to find this as your foundation.  So many people desire their resting state of being to be joy and peace and yet they don’t put enough of their value on it.  Rather they value what they can produce and what they perceive needs to be done regardless of their inner state of being.  The result is a lack of presence and real engagement or participation with life.   

TAKE THE RISK 

Prioritize the inner

There may be some perceived risks in valuing the inner.  One of the most common scarcity beliefs that arises is that there is not enough time.  The mind will often create a story that if you focus on the inner than you won’t get all of the outer things done that you either want to or need to.  This can also be looped into the story that you won’t fulfill your purpose, be of enough service or maximize your intention for existing.  Our focus is so predominantly on the physical aspect of our world and the thinking that our service and purpose is only in what we create or produce.  This is a largely accepted perception, particular in spiritual groups and thinking.  It is also largely distorted.  

The way I see it is that where we come from (our inner state of operation) is way more important than anything we can or will ever produce.  I am not discounting the value on the external.  I see tremendous value in unleveling systems, creating new offerings for humanity, and sourcing novel ways to organize life that support others.  Supportive environments and systems matter, and can create a more fun, easeful and enjoyable experience of life.  Yet they will all come and go.  Systems and environments change, but we are what evolves and grows.  Our awareness, our consciousness, our state of being, we take with us inside of every new system and environment that we create.  Despite the obviousness of this, we still think that the production, the doing, and all the things we want to create and manifest matter more than the inner state.  

Where we create from, where do from, where we live from, is an endeavor worth taking the risk of investing our time and energy.  The only true thing lost is the illusion of the story that the external manifestation is most important.  What if you decided to shift your thinking and behavior, and place 90% of your focus on cultivating your inner state of being to be one of joy, peace, and love, and 10% focus on what you are physically creating or doing.  I imagine for most a sense of fear arises if they truly entertain this, as everything they have been placing their focus on crumbles out of view.  It is a death.  A death of placing our value on external manifestations.  A death of projecting our value and worth into things.  

Does it feel risky?  Yes it does.  It’s a giving of your life, your attention, your energy and your focus to your state of being rather than what you think you are creating.  It’s trusting that life will continue to create through you as you align your focus in this way.  It’s prioritizing your state of being over what you think you need to do.  What if you started by creating an inner project?  Perhaps you want to establish self-love.  Create a 12 week program for yourself to uncompromisingly love yourself.  Place this as your top value.  Put whatever into the program you think needs to be included.  Be creative.  Movement, activity and “life” will still occur, but your priority above all else is self-love.  When your program is done, then be done.  Receive that which you desire to be.  You can do this with any inner state quality you wish to cultivate.  The key is you can’t just kind of do this.  You can’t partially make it valuable.  It will take all of you to be on board.  Take the risk.  Test the results.  Experience the magic unfold.  

Dr. Amanda Love, Chiropractor, Network Spinal Analysis & Somato-Respiratory Integration, Boulder, Colorado