As someone who enjoys checking off items from the task list and marking off accomplishments in a planner, I have found myself in need of a serious shift in mindset. After years of measuring my worth, my value, based on what I do, I now find myself in a place that doing all the things is no longer an option. Not because I don’t want to but rather because I physically and emotionally can’t.
This is not a journey I face alone. More and more, I find others who unexpectedly find themselves limited due to physical health issues, life stage, family situations, or recognition of a need to slow down for the sake of their mental health. The reality is we live in a world that often demands more than we have to give, and we are getting physically and emotionally worn out.
Over and over, in my reading of books, social media posts, blogs, and in listening to podcasts, this idea of slowing down and focusing on the internal work keeps showing up. More than likely because that is what my heart desires, a slower, more soulful way of living. Lately, these ideas have led me to reflect on the idea that life is less about our external accomplishments and more about internal progress.
As someone who believes that we all can make a difference and change the world, leading a more internal work-driven life can feel counterintuitive. Yet, what if impact is less about what we do and more about who we are becoming?
The world tells us that what we do matters, and it can matter; I do not want to discount accomplishments in life; they should be celebrated. Yet maybe, just maybe how we do it or who we are in our doing, is actually what is changing the world. Perhaps changing the world starts with changing ourselves from the inside out?
To make a difference, we have to be different. We have to move gently against the standards the world sets. Seeing the world as it is but also seeing the world as it can be. We have to act better, love better and respond better to all that the world throws at us. And let’s face it, none of that happens because we do more; it happens because we do the internal work of understanding who we are and who we are becoming. We recognize that we are deeply loved and were created for beautiful things. We understand that loving and serving others brings more fulfillment to our lives than out running or out doing others.
@joy.marker
What if changing the world starts with the internal work that begins in us—investing in the time and effort to do the deep inner work so that the outflow of our internal work impacts those we encounter for the better?
Resources for a slower, more internal work-driven life:
Books to Read:
Podcasts to Listen to:
A Drink With A Friend, Tsh Oxenreider and Seth Haines: Slower and Farther
Being Known Podcast, Curt Thompson, M.D.
