Jung calls it projection, physics calls it objective interference, and Maharishi calls it self-referral, but no matter what name you want to give it, it all boils down to the same thing; how we see our world is a reflection of what’s going on inside and what’s inside has a direct influence on the quality of our lives. The truth is our inner and outer lives reflect one another and when we look inside, what’s going on in our outer lives comes into clearer view.

In the end it always comes down to us. We may talk as if we are figuring other people and their problems out, but really it’s all about our inner transformations and the problems we are solving for ourselves. It’s just that it’s easier to see what someone else is up to rather than what we are up to. But looking more closely at the choices we are making in our daily lives can help us navigate what’s got us stuck or stymied. Then what’s going on in our lives is like a mirror and we get to choose whether we turn away or look directly into it.

Are we hostile or empathetic, do we embrace or reject, do we cling or let go? All of the answers to these questions tell the state of our inner life, and what’s going on within us directly impacts whether we’ll negotiate our current life situations with grace or grief. So now might be a good time to stop compartmentalizing, or thinking that what we don’t like about our lives doesn’t have anything to do with us, and that changing things from the outside in is ever going to work. When we take ownership of our choices, dare to dig a little deeper within, and follow where we’re lead, we will be on our way to seeing a truer picture of where we’re really at. Then we can make clear decisions about where we want to go.

Change in our outer experience happens automatically when we begin shifting our inner awareness. We can begin by not playing the victim or blaming what we can’t or won’t do on another. Ultimately we are the ones who create the quality of our own lives and a life we love comes much quicker when we realize we’re not dependent on some illusive, mysterious, unobtainable other, or an outer force beyond our control. Really we are the mysterious force.

And how do we understand what’s happening around us at a deeper level? We show up in our own lives and pay attention to what’s going on. Not just what’s happening on the surface, but how who we are and what is happening in our lives is a two-way street. We connect these opposites of inner and outer and bring them together to create an authentic life that doesn’t hinge on what kind of job we have, what car we drive, or how much money we make. This life has everything to do with the bare bones of what matters most to us and whether what we’re living resonates with us.

But there’s no coming into greater alignment if we can’t see where we need to take responsibility for how we live our own lives. It starts by seeing that what’s going on outside of us has its roots inside of us. These connections come when we are quiet enough to listen. So take the time to walk in the woods, meditate, journal, read, dream, or be. Just begin at your beginning and come back around with an open mind. What comes is a new way of seeing your life and all that you are, one insight at a time.

At the very center of all that is happening inside and out is our steadfast self waiting to be seen.

kb