Written by Jen Hamilton, Conscious-Life Coach
Jen Hamilton is a renowned Conscious-Life Coach specialising in clinical hypnotherapy, past life regression therapy, NLP, and empowerment events. As a number one best-selling author, the host of the enLIFEned podcast, she inspires others to achieve liberation, fulfillment, and pleasure through deep inner transformation and awakening.
If you’re in the personal development arena in some way, you would have heard the term ‘inner work.’ Inner work is the process of diving deep into your subconscious mind to uncover and heal the patterns, beliefs, shadows and emotional wounds that shape your current reality. It allows you to recognize the deep inner parts of yourself that control the way you function emotionally, psychologically and spiritually and offers the chance to take responsibility for your inner world. However, could all this inner work be blocking your progress from moving forward with your life and keeping you stagnant? Has inner work become your comfort zone and sabotaged your growth? Could inner work be a catalyst for dysfunction in the little universe of you?
There is so much personal power to be found when recognizing how past experiences and conditioning influence your thoughts, your behaviors, your relationships and your outlook on life and when you choose to consciously transform them you create a life of authenticity, freedom, inner peace and alignment with your true self. Doing the inner work is a gateway to deeper self-awareness, growth and lasting change if you’re prepared to turn the spotlight on yourself and look at how you function, look at what is and isn’t working for you and shift your mindset to look at the direction you want to go, as opposed to trying to move away from where you don’t want to be.
The concept of inner work has evolved through different traditions and disciplines and is often associated with the work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who emphasized the importance of exploring the unconscious mind, integrating the shadow self and striving towards individuation which is the process of becoming one’s true self. He encouraged deep introspection and self-exploration as a key component of what we now call inner work. This emphasis of self-awareness and personal growth has gained popularity as a term in the personal and spiritual development and self-help movements.
The great thing about inner work is that you don’t always need to see a coach or therapist to lead you through the journey of exploring the inner self, there are hundreds if not thousands of books on the shelves and resources online that will support your journey of growth. Whether it's your relationships you want to improve, your mindset towards discipline, creating new habits, breaking limiting beliefs, building self-acceptance, enhancing mental health or cultivating purpose and alignment with your true desires and values – it all requires a level of inner work to take you on that pathway to deeper awareness. It requires a level of vulnerability with self which can feel uncomfortable at times, however, the rewards can far outweigh the discomfort.
Imagine being in a stressful or emotionally challenging situation and having the tools to see the situation for what it is objectively, and the tools to move through it with ease, or being faced with anxiety or inner turmoil and knowing how to foster mindfulness, presence and emotional resilience so that it didn’t send you into a downward spiral. It's all possible when you turn inwards and get to know yourself on a deeper level and ultimately learn to love yourself wholeheartedly.
For most people, doing the inner work is the greatest gift they can give themselves, however, there is a chance that doing the inner work can stall your progress and keep you feeling safe in your comfort zone. If you’ve found that you’re a pretty self-aware and emotionally intelligent person but don’t seem to be moving forward with creating all that you desire, it’s because you’ve got a case of introspection and missed the lesson on duality!
We know that there are two sides to a coin, and in order to create balance we can turn to the spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical teaching of the Law of Duality (or the principle of duality). It suggests that everything in the universe exists in opposite or complementary pairs – light and dark, good and bad, masculine and feminine, positive and negative, life and death etc. This duality provides balance and is essential for the natural flow and harmony of existence. Most often in personal and spiritual development, the Law of Duality teaches that we must embrace both sides of our nature – our light and shadow – to achieve wholeness. Through the process of inner work, we are able to integrate these dual aspects to find balance and growth, but the very nature of duality invites us to ask the question, ‘What about the duality and balance of inner work?’
The answer lies simply in its opposite – outer work! Without outer work, we risk becoming consumed by self-reflection, caught in a cycle of endless introspection without real-world application. While inner work profoundly helps us uncover our true selves, heals emotional wounds and challenges limiting beliefs, it must be balanced with action, embodiment and forward momentum! Outer work is the physical manifestation of the insights gained from inner work and it's where you can take what you’ve learned and apply it to your situations, relationships and goals.
To truly step out of our comfort zone, embody our newfound awareness and align our actions with our values, we must engage in the outer work. This creates tangible change and progress and allows us to see the fruits of our inner transformation in the external world. Without doing the outer work, inner work remains incomplete and the growth we seek stays theoretical rather than experiential.
5 ways to balance inner and outer work
1. Align goals with inner values
Write down everything you wish to experience in life and break it down into bite-size goals that are enjoyable and sustainable to reach. When setting your goals, ensure they reflect the personal insights and values you’ve discovered about yourself through inner work. This way, your outer achievements are in harmony with your inner growth, and you’ll find it easier to reach your goals with ease. Don’t forget to celebrate your wins when you achieve your goals too!
2. Create a vision board
Vision boards are all the rage around the start of a new year, but you don’t have to wait for any particular date to get inspired and create imagery of what you want to experience in this wild and precious life. Find images that align with your vision of what you are creating in your outer world and pop them where you can see them, and notice how you feel when you look at them.
3. Map out inspired actionable steps
It’s all well and good to feel great on the inside, but if you’re only focusing on the inner world, the outer world won't change much. In order to create change, it starts inside the mind then the body must follow through. Identify the key areas you want to change then break down step-by-step tangible actions to move you forward.
4. Create accountability
Whether it's with a coach, a friend, your partner or a colleague, having accountability will propel you forward faster toward your desired outcome. Remind yourself often that you’re on a journey of growth and a huge part of being true to yourself is doing what you say you’re going to do.
5. Challenge yourself
Growth doesn’t happen inside the comfort zone so getting uncomfortable often is a great way to ensure you don’t get stagnant or low on enthusiasm. Turn the dial up and get creative on ways you can challenge yourself and you may just be pleasantly surprised when you discover new strengths and capabilities you didn’t know you had.
Whilst inner work will transform your life, internalising your growth without action will have you stuck in a cycle of introspection, without seeing tangible results in the world around you. To truly transform, you must take inspired action that aligns with the insights you've gained. By moving from contemplation to implementation, you bring your inner growth to life, creating real shifts in your circumstances, relationships, and experiences. It’s the combination of inner work and outward action that leads to lasting transformation and visible progress.
When you feel stuck from ruminating internally and working on your mindset, ask yourself the question: “What am I going to do about this?”. The answer isn’t more inner work either! The answer will lie in creating tangible change through inspired action and through doing this, you’ll become unstoppable!
If you’re unsure where to start, getting clear on your values and mapping out your life by design is a great way to bring awareness to both your inner and outer world. Bridging the gap between inner work and outer work doesn’t have to be complicated at all, and my free ‘Visualise Your Values’ workbook can support you in discovering what you truly desire in your life and creating inspired action to bring it to life. This can be found on my website.
If you need support with accountability, working through challenges in your inner or outer world, or want to deep dive further into personal growth or spiritual development, feel free to contact me through my website for an obligation-free conversation.
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Read more from Jen Hamilton
Jen Hamilton, Conscious-Life Coach
Jen Hamilton is a conscious life coach, clinical hypnotherapist, and women’s empowerment mentor dedicated to empowering people to awaken their inner alchemy. Her mission is to help people discover their inner world so their outer world reflects their true selves. Jen's work combines science-driven techniques and spirituality, creating a powerful synergy that initiates deep transformation, fostering self-love, and guiding people to a purpose-driven life filled with fulfilment and growth.
