What are the “Inner and Outer” journeys?

This subject is an important, central focus of my work as an Integrative Holistic Coach. Asking yourself the right questions will get you closer and closer to solving many of your life’s problems.

In this post, I will explain what it means, and how you can get started on this journey of self discovery and empowerment.

Follow your Inner Journey

What I mean by “follow your inner journey” is that we must listen to our inner guidance. 

We have to try to not let what’s going on in the outer journey override the inner journey to a point where we start to lose sight of who we really are, and what we really want.

Have you ever known someone who seemed to have a really wonderful life, yet they were often complaining and worrying about the things they don’t have? 

Or maybe, they didn’t like what they saw when they looked in the mirror, even though they appeared to be the ideal picture of health and fitness?

You might also have known someone who was always complaining about be bored, even though they seemed to have a lot of fun things to do.

(The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence!)

Just because the world places a heavy importance on something, like financial success, a nice car, an attractive outer appearance, etc., doesn’t mean it will truly make you happy.

We work so hard to appeal to the outside world, that we lose sight of ourselves.

If we don’t listen to our inner self and only let the outside world guide us to where we really want to be, we’ll never truly be satisfied with life. This is often the main root source of depression. The inner self is sending us signals through subconscious thoughts and emotions.

It’s saying, “I’m not happy because you’re not giving me a voice.”

But we tend to get so wrapped up in our outer journey, that we forget that the inner journey even exists. 

The inner journey, or our inner truth, will always get our attention, somehow.

The Importance of Balance

We must be able to strike a balance between the two worlds. We can’t only live our inner journey and neglect the outer one.

Sometimes, individuals will be so upset that they had been ignoring their inner journey for so long, that they try to do the exact opposite! 

The thing is, once you’ve started listening to your inner guidance, and paying attention to what you really want, you can start to reflect that in your outer journey!

Your outer journey should be empowering. 

Sometimes we have to compromise between our inner guidance and the demands of the outside world. For the most part, you should feel a deep sense of peace when your outer journey is properly aligned with your inner journey.

We have to follow our inner guidance in order for us to continue moving forward on the outer journey.

How to start listening to your inner guidance:

You can start listening to your inner guidance with meditation and with the practice of mindfulness. 

When you meditate, take deep breaths to relax yourself, and practice quieting your mind of the “mental chatter”. The unnecessary, ongoing mental chatter is almost always a direct influence of the noise from the outside world, and not your own inner voice.

The chaotic mental chatter is nothing more than echoes of all the outer noise. 

Practice releasing this chatter (“breathe it out” when you meditate) without feeling guilty for letting it in. There is no room here for judgement. Meditate like this for at least 10 minutes every day. 

When 10 minutes feels easy, keep going. 

Work your way up to meditating for 20 minutes every day, and pretty soon, you’ll find it much easier to pay attention to your inner voice. You will be able to easily distinguish between the “echoes” and your own inner guidance.

You are your inner guidance, and only you know what’s best for you. Follow your inner guide, so you can get back on track with your outer journey.

Interested in learning more? I can guide you along the path to get back to your true life’s journey!