Why The Inner Life Matters

The inner life is the core from which we move into the world. Without a strong foundation, we will be blown like a leaf in the wind - disconnected, exposed and vulnerable to decay.

Cultivating your inner life is a process of anchoring yourself in something stable and protective. It is an interior space where the self is able to thrive and to which you can return for protection and peace.

Hurdles to Beginning

The demands of the moment:

Many younger leaders ignore this project for the?immediate needs of the moment. But the process of interior growth is not pitted against those important challenges. They actually work together.

An assumption of selfishness:

The other obstacle to growing a strong inner core is the view that attention to this work is?selfishness. This is a particularly modern problem and quite ironic given the propensity toward consumption and unhealthy forms of self attention that our culture promotes. Cultivating the inner life has historically been seen as the starting point of the journey of life.

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. (Rumi,?1207-1273)

People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls. (Karl Jung,?1875-1961)

How to Begin

Confidence, calmness, centered emotions, attention to others all stem from a well tended inner life. Don’t worry; it's not complex. Starting is simply about becoming curious about yourself.

? Take 3 long, slow deep breaths

? Listen to what comes to mind - not a to do, but a thought or impression.

? Jot it down and go about your day

? When you have a few moments (in line, in traffic, in the shower) return to that thought and mull it over

? At the end of the day, collect those strands and enter it as a simple sentence in your daily planner.

These are the bricks with which you build awareness of your life. Keep it simple; attend to this small habit to form the foundation. Take time doing this and you will grow. Your inner world will begin to be a place of core strength from which you move into the world with calm assurance and confidence.

For me, I process when I paint. In my recent work I've been pondering a thought that came to me in the process I describe above. The idea was that perhaps the things causing me problem were actually places where beauty was breaking in. As I painted with this in mind, I began to see that the rips and wrinkles are the intriguing pieces of a work - of life - of me. This has given me boldness to approach past wounds and present challenges with curiosity, rather than with the judgement or shame that I’d previously employed.

Summary:

A strong inner core is cultivated with curiosity and gentleness over time.