HOW TO DO THE INNER WORK + 4 STEPS TO GET IN THE FLOW
If you were to ask me what have been the things that have made the biggest impact in my life and my business in the shortest amount of time. I would say without a doubt: learning how to do inner work and understanding how to get in the flow.
I have studied, practiced and embodied these two activities consistently and I can say with certainty that they will be a part of my days for the rest of my life.
When I practice them with consistency, life flows and things just work. When I don’t, there is a vast shift in my energy and my world that is noticeable and quite frankly not the most enjoyable.
If you feel empty, unhappy, unfulfilled and at a still-stand in your life, unsure where to go, what to do and just overwhelmed at the idea of figuring it out, this blog is for you.
I will share with you 2 things that once you incorporate them in your life, you will feel a drastic change. The beautiful thing is that it doesn’t require a lot of time but it does require courage.
Let’s start with inner work. Inner work is such an interesting concept. You hear of spiritual teachers, monks and recognized figures of doing ‘inner work’ and how much it has changed their life. What I thought would be the beginning of 2018: energized, newly-wed and focused on a relatively new business was the total opposite.
I was unclear, overwhelmed and felt zero motivation to focus on my coaching and energy healing business: SV Empowerment, LLC. What-was-going-on? It was a chilly winter in NYC and all I wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch Netflix. After a couple of weeks of doing this, I grew more anxious and stressed, what if I never feel motivated to grow my business and myself? Panic set in.
I had binge-listening to Abraham Hicks for weeks and everything she said was extremely calming and full of hope. So at the time, I still didn’t feel like out-putting and creating, I decided to try something new and different. I decided to try it Abraham’s way which is all about doing less and achieving more. Yup, that was up my alley since I was already spending my days in my PJs.
The inner work begun. Doing the inner work is just like eating a plate of nachos. Chip by chip, you start uncovering what’s under the surface. More cheese and guacamole = YES PLEASE!
Inner work is looking at whatever main challenge/problem you are experiencing and is dragging you down the most and doing what it takes to heal the wound and rise up. That is it!
When you first begin this process, it might feel hard and overwhelming but I promise you (if not guarantee you!) that this will change your life. During this process, you learn to trust yourself because ultimately you understand that whatever challenges you are facing are never as big, complicated and impossible to solve as we make them out to be.
Ready to uncover what’s in your plate of nachos? Here are 4 steps to start doing your own inner work.
Pin point what is the one thing that you feel dragged down the most in your life. This can be your job, your relationship, your desire to find a partner, etc.
Once you decide what the top challenge (aka: the main drag) then pin point what about that thing is challenging you the most.
For example: If it’s your job, then ask yourself: what about my job is dragging me down the most: Is it my manager, my responsibilities, my coworkers or the culture of the company?
Time to 'eat another chip' -- Once you have clarity on the main problem, then dig a bit further on why is that so frustrating for you? Let’s say it’s the culture of the company where you work. Is it because the values of the company versus your values are so different? Dig a little further on why you're annoyed about the particular issue.
Lastly, you have a choice to make and this is where you take your POWER BACK!
For example, using the example above, the choice to make would be: Do I stay or do I go? You can choose if the culture of the company is so awful that you simply cannot work there or you might realize that even though your values are different than the company where you work, you are still willing to work there knowing that the values are different.
As you can see from the steps above, this is something we can all do. It does require a bit of time but mostly courage.
Because the inner work is exactly that, having the courage to look at yourself, taking responsibility for your actions and doing whatever it takes to find your alignment and live a joyful life.
It’s easier to complain about your job, vent about your awful co-workers but what about you? How are you showing up on a daily basis to your job? Are you also complaining, pointing at everything that is wrong? It all counts.
Doing the inner work is about looking yourself in the mirror and acknowledging that to some extent you are also responsible for whatever you are experiencing.
Now let’s shift gears and talk about getting in the flow, getting in the vortex (as Abraham Hicks calls it) I love this part but when I first begun my practice, this part was a bit challenging.
Reason being, in our culture, we praise hustle and hard work and getting in the flow, my friends is the exact opposite. Getting in the flow is doing whatever it takes to get into our alignment and feel great in the moment.
This can mean anything from sleeping in, reading a book, cooking a meal, writing an article, going for a run. ANYTHING, I mean ANYTHING that at that moment rises your energy. No guilt, just fun. It’s as simple as that.
Being in the flow, it's choosing to focus on the feeling of feeling good and then asking yourself “What do I need to do to feel this way?”
This starts from the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed. I know it might seem harder to do this if you have a corporate job but then I challenge you to find moments in the day when you feel good. Going on a break during lunch, listening to your favorite podcast in between meetings. You have time to find 5 minutes pockets to feel good and overtime you cultivate those feelings instead of the other feelings that have been dragging you down.
So what do you say…are you ready to enjoy your 'plate of nachos' and then get in the flow?
Want more? Check out the latest Zen Mondays where I talk this very topic, get a bit more in depth on ways to get in the flow when you have a specific goal in mind. How to create that reality by getting in the flow. I finish with a deeply relaxing meditation that allows you to feel protected during whatever challenge you might be experiencing.
I’d love to hear from you, your journey and ways that I can support you to follow your joy. Email me at empower@stephanievirchaux.com & let me know!
Wishing you a wonderful week! Continue following your joy always & in all ways!
