Innie & Outie

       One of the things that’s been out of balance with me recently is the amount of energy and time I spend going inward versus the amount of energy and time I spend taking outward action. When I spend too much of my juice delving into what’s going on inside of me, I lose perspective, and I become out of sync.
       The myth I have all too often bought into is that the only way to address what’s going on inside of me is to spend time there. In other words, being introspective, inner directed, dissecting my behavior, and working on what’s going on within. I can be guilty of looking too hard and too long on the inside.
       With most people, it’s the opposite. They are constantly in action and don’t spend much time within themselves, looking at what’s going on inside and digging deep, examining their feelings and their behavior. The world is actually built that way. Thus, we are much more likely to be unconscious than conscious. Much more predetermined to look for the answers outside versus inside. Deep self awareness is not highly valued or rewarded, so it’s often looked upon as a frivolous pursuit.
       To be either too outwardly directed or too inwardly directed leads us to down the same parallel path, but in opposite directions. To neglect either leaves us out of sync. With ourselves. With our lives.
       What I’m coming to is the need for balance. For months, I was doing inner work and outer work. I was looking inside and doing outside. I was in action, and I was staying in touch with what was happening inside. Right before Christmas, I started getting away from that. And I started showing up differently in my life. So my life started showing up differently to me. Too much introspection and not enough action. That’s the trap I can fall into.
       When I spend too much time on my insides, my behavior changes, but not for the better. Writing is a great example. Writing is at once an internal journey and an external action. If I spend too much time thinking and digging and feeling and focusing on what’s going on inside, but neglect the action of actually writing, that’s no good. Similarly, if all I do is write, without coming from within, without knowing what’s in my own heart, without being connected to what’s happening inside of me, then my writing isn’t very good. No matter what I’m writing about.
       I can apply this to the rest of my life. The balance of inner work and outer action creates true forward motion. Not only that, but it moves me down a path not possible if I do too much of either. There is no “perfect balance”. But the conscious pursuit of striving for balance is what gets me where I want to go.
       A great analogy is that of an airplane on route to it’s destination. In any one given moment, the airplane may be on or off course. But it’s constantly making little adjustments, so that it’s always moving in the right direction and gets to where it’s supposed to. Compare the computer guidance system of the plane to our insides, and the flight of the plane as human action. One without the other does not lead the plane, or ourselves, where we want to go. A top notch guidance system without a plane doesn’t do much. And a plane without a guidance system ends up flying, yes, but all over the place. People are the same.
       When I am functioning on all cylinders I’m doing both simultaneously, and I’m striking a balance in my life overall. I am connected to my insides and at the same time, taking action. I am involved in conscious action and behavior, versus unconscious action and behavior.
       If I can apply what I know about keeping fit to the rest of my life, I can go anywhere I want. Being fit means taking care of my insides and taking action on the outside. It means proper nutrition, commitment and positive attitude (inner work), and working out diligently and consistently (outer work). If I did one without the other, I would not achieve what I want, which is a body that feels as good as it looks.
       My whole life can be like that if I balance my insides with my outsides.


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