Inner Journey Outer Destination
There is this clothing brand called Inner Love Outer Glow created by rapper Translee that really struck me. The name itself was fascinating! This notion of inner and outer worlds was new and allowed me to see things in new, different ways.
Inner and Outer: a concept
I appreciated this new lens to view the world and understand my place in it.
I am always trying to decipher the things around me and the feelings I have. I tend to have more of a logical outlook on life and shy away, downplay, or even hide from my emotions. I am also a more of a go-with-the-flow type of person when it comes to goal setting (and even trips), but I felt this wasn’t a good trait to have because progressing and moving forward felt intangible- like I left my success up to chance.
I didn’t want to feel stagnant anymore. I wanted direction so this notion of Inner Love Outer Glow really resonated with me and encouraged me to acknowledge my feelings. It felt like a reminder to have that love of self first and then the radiance will attract what is needed.
I also appreciated this viewpoint because I have discovered the power of the dichotomy. Meaning I understand how pairs (related opposites, or binaries) make a whole and influence how we interpret our reality and communicate. For example a dichotomy is up/ down, black/ white, and female/ male.
More importantly, I found power in creating a dichotomy as opposed to merely using the ones mentioned above. The binaries like black/ white and rich/ poor are limited by the origins in which they were created, namely imperialism and capitalism. Understanding these dichotomies with its colonial origins is helpful to understand how current racial and economic inequalities persist.
Yet to decolonize my understanding of reality in a society embedded in white fragility, I need to create new conditions that uplift and empower instead of depreciate. For me, this means creating dichotomies that reflect my needs and values of peace and prosperity.
I had never thought of this dichotomy of inner/ outer before and its comforting to have this understanding of how my inner-workings (be it mental, emotional, etc) translate and relate to the world outside of myself. This inner/outer dichotomy allows me to interpret my reality in a decolonized manner because it situates power within the individual to create change.
This notion of inner/ outer is also actionable and encourages me to act on my desires as opposed to the typical dichotomies that feel static, arbitrary, which ultimately offer little encouragement and insight of how to grow. I expanded on this inner/ outer dichotomy to provide the direction I so desperately needed- I call it Inner Journey Outer Destination.
Is it about the Journey or Destination?
It’s both! A few days after playing with this binary of inner/outer came the thought, Inner Journey Outer Destination. This hit me like a rock and I needed to pick a part what this actually meant.
After a year of living with this mantra to guide how I move in the world and how I expect things to unfold, I have learned that this idea to go on an Inner Journey of self- love, self-prioritization, self-revelation was to reach milestones of self-discovery. I have become aware of my true desires.
I learned how to set achievable goals in order to get to my desired destination as I realized that I can set actionable items tied to practices of self-reflection.
Reaching an Outer Destination
The first steps of my Inner Journey was understanding my desires to determine whether these desires were my own or misplaced expectations of others that I thought I needed.
Once I was able to claim my true desires, I needed a process to hold myself accountable. I created a planner. This planner uniquely fits my needs of reaching my desired Outer Destination. In the planner each day is dichotomized into Self and Other. That way I can set priorities for my dreams and desires daily in the self column and work tasks or chores in the other column. This allows me to practice self-care by balancing my personal and professional tasks.
This planner was necessary for me to prioritize myself. I used to believe that getting good grades, working overtime, and helping others first was necessary for success. I still believe these are good practices but not if my mental, emotional, and social health are consistently paying the price. I cannot be the best version of myself and be in service to others, if my energy and intentions are constantly being drained and unreplenished by others. If I am unable to protect these priceless necessities of basic well-being, then there is no way I can build out my vision of sustainably working for myself on my own time and in my own authenticity.
All of my hopes and aspirations (and more importantly steps of how to reach them) was pivotal to starting a process of healing and self actualization to get to my desired Outer Destination. Some of us are okay doing the 9-5 hustle (I still am!) that brings forth the realized dream and wealth to others but we all have dreams that are worth our time, energy, and attention too.
The planner and this blog are examples of how I am finding the courage to acknowledge and pursue my desires as I live my Inner Journey Outer Destination.
As I continue this process, my desires and how to reach them become clearer. Dealing with pessimism, unexpected change, and uncertainty becomes more feasible. Continuing on an Inner Journey Outer Destination is nourishing especially when I have tools like the planner that guide me and remind me to prioritize my well-being unapologetically.
If you were to go on an Inner Journey, what Outer Destination would you hope to arrive at?
