We live in a world full of uncertainty. Change is happening and with change comes chaos. The old is letting go and the new has not yet taken form. There is a constant flow of changes.
All the while, some things do stay the same. We are human beings living in physical bodies. We have habits of mind and deed, souls that color our emotions, and mental/spiritual capacities.
Everything that happens outside of our physical bodies, we have little control over, but we can impact it by choosing our inner experience. That’s where it begins.
Have you ever noticed that when you go into the world with a smile on your face, the whole world seems to smile back at you? Our influence on the external environment is initiated inside of us. We connect with our personal power to create what we want, and it spreads.
That means, learning to create an internal environment of what we truly want is a very important skill.
It is easy to do when things are going our way, but it is difficult when the gap between the vision of what we want and what is happening is wide.
During times like this, we can get triggered and end up trying to fix or blame others, reacting by trying to control things, or just emoting in a way that inflates the upset rather than calming our souls. Although the world is oriented in an external or materialistic way and we may have habitual ways of handling stress that put the focus outside of ourselves, we can learn new ways.
There are times that are dark and hard, and we may not always know how to go forward. Many people try to show us the way, to offer us something we may need. It’s true that there are times when we need a coach, a book, or a program to help us find our way. But it’s up to us to decide and sometimes the external voice is quite loud and persistent.
It is important to remember that before we take action, we need to connect within. Any tug from the outside to do something that does not align with our inner calling is not going to work. Ask me, I have signed up for many programs that have not gotten me where I want to go, usually because they brought me somewhere that I didn’t really want to go in the first place. It’s as if I climbed the ladder but it was up against the wrong building.
Someone convinced me that it was the way forward and I responded to the outward urging without inward alignment. Even if the suggested action would be effective for many people, if it is not right for me, it will create inner conflict instead of alignment. Before taking the right steps, we need to align.
So, how do we solve the problem of external referencing rather than internal referencing? From an early age, we learn to listen to authorities outside of ourselves, when the authority that knows the way forward lives within us. How do we make the shift?
The first thing to acknowledge is that the answers lie within.
Secondly, we need to learn how to connect within. Start a practice of quiet listening. Ask a question, let it go and then pay attention to what comes to you.
When you hear an answer, consider acting. One form of action is to create a plan and write it down.
Each day, ask what is one small step I can take toward implementing this plan?
When you experience results moving toward your goal, celebrate it. When you don’t, consider if there is something else you need to do first, sometimes it is to elevate your mood and thinking, without expectations of what will happen when.
A good way to elevate your mood is to practice gratitude. Look around and you will find things to be grateful for. The chair that is holding you, the window you are looking out of, the food in the refrigerator and so on. Appreciating what you already have is the best way to multiply it.
Recite uplifting verses. One that I find calming and uplifting is a Navajo blessing.
Now I walk in beauty.
Beauty is before me.
Beauty is behind me.
Above and below me.
It is finished in beauty.
When we bring our inner emotions and thoughts into alignment with our aspirations, we are halfway there. Many people think it works in the opposite way. For example, thinking that when I achieve this (fill in the blank), I will be happy, when actually being happy leads to achieving what we want.
The internal climate is key. Anyone who is truly successful has learned to master it. Can you find sunshine on a cloudy day? If you can, you will always have access to sunshine.
Today, the weather is dreary, but I am filling my soul with positive emotions that put me on the path to right action. I align with success in order to achieve it.
And that’s how it is to live from the inside out, allowing the magic of manifestation to do its thing.
