The Reality Behind Inner Work
I have asked myself many times before starting a page dedicated to self-improvement and inner work, “Why would I ever want to teach this?” It can be such a drag. You are enthusiastic when someone explains the universal science of generating abundance. But when you do the work and go inside to clear up the blocks within, it’s like a screaming maze of hell—far more blackness of negative inner conditioning than you ever thought you would have to face. No wonder we repress.
We are so resilient as human beings. We trudge on even when we don’t have any guarantees that it will work out. Something is driving us. It must be what Viktor Frankl wrote about and referred to as “The Will to Meaning.” When we decide to work something out within, we face that hell—and face it again and again.
From Chaos to Release
Eventually, what was chaotic becomes simple. The letting-go process flows naturally. All of that inner block releases, and it’s done. For good.
We never have to deal with that one again—unless, of course, we recondition ourselves to have it again. But having gone through it once, who would do that? It’s replaced by wisdom. We don’t want to go through it again. But we are actually grateful that we got to face it and transcend it.
Why We Keep Going
We’re going to do this work no matter what. No matter what we have to face. Because what is the alternative?
We might have fits, sure. But we always come back to the feeling of, “If I could transcend this issue, how great would things be?” And man-oh-man, the payoff when that actually happens. After all the resisting, all the hell, all the blocks, and all the frustration of facing that black inner side, it finally lets go.
And we are free.
The Illusion of Being Finished
We feel so free in that moment that sometimes we even think that all our troubles are over.
But then comes the next round. Oh well—it was nice while it lasted. Now back to work. And the next thing feels more impossible than the last. When will this freaking end? I’m not sure.
But what I do know is that at some point, you stop lamenting the next round and simply see it as the normal question of, “What’s next?”
What Stability Actually Looks Like
Your life is in order now. You know you can achieve things in the world that you couldn’t before. Your needs are met. Your relationships are good. Your health is good—or at least improving. You feel confident in your career and have the freedom to move.
Congratulations. You have let go of a ton of inner mess to get here. And it’s stable. It isn’t going anywhere.
Identity and Momentum
I remember a long time ago when I first started being a gym guy and got in great shape for the first time. It was such an exciting feat. But it dawned on me that “I don’t want to be one of those gym guys.” I wanted to be in shape—but not have the identity of someone who only worked out and otherwise didn’t have a life, or at least that’s how I saw it at the time. This mindset hurt my continued progress. I ended up losing the momentum of feeling great and being in great shape.
What I now realize is that taking on the identity of being a gym guy was one of the best ways to love fitness and stay in great shape. That realization came from understanding that identifying with one thing does not cut you off from everything else.
Doing inner work as the fulcrum of my life is the best decision I have ever made. I can think of all the trials and hell that were faced along the way. But I can also look at myself over a decade ago and feel great empathy for that guy who couldn’t get his life together.
It wasn’t going out there and “kicking ass” that changed me for the better in all areas of my life. It was sitting down in a chair, putting on a sleep mask and headphones, listening to something that would guide me—and then facing the inner hell that was keeping me stuck.
After that material becomes loosened, you don’t need to force yourself to go out there and “kick ass” in life. You have momentum behind you from the renewed energy that was previously usurped by negative programming. That energy is now at your command.
There’s always effort involved. But if that effort feels like too much, it simply means you sit down and go within again—until the effort feels just right.
You can do, let go, and achieve.
I’ve come to find that “Why wouldn’t I teach inner work?” Everyone is seeking what it provides, including me.