Self Talk #132: Building Your Foundation of Self—What is Inner Work?

Asking yourself deeper questions opens up new ways of being in the world. It brings in a breath of fresh air. It makes life more joyful. The real trick to life is not to be in the know, but to be in the mystery.
—Fred Alan Wolf

You asked for more solo episodes, so here we go!

For the next few episodes, I'll share a deep inner work process called the Foundation of Self. In short:

When you have a strong foundation of self, you can manage life’s challenges with grace. You have the stability to know who you are, what you want, and your calling in this life. You stop doubting yourself and seeking external validation. You begin to see that your life is an essential part of the whole of existence and that all life around you is family. 

Today's talk is a brief introduction to inner work—and how your individual life plays a vital role in the well-being of all around you.

Have a question? Comment? Email me at rachel@selftalkpodcast.com.

xo RA

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Episode Breakdown

1. 0:00:35 Introduction to Foundation of Self
2. 0:01:02 Defining Inner Work
3. 0:01:38 Example Scenario: Dinner Party and Self-Doubt
4. 0:02:36 Benefits of a Strong Foundation of Self
5. 0:03:48 The Significance of Individual Energy
6. 0:04:59 Quantum Physics and Personal Impact on Reality
7. 0:05:30 Conclusion and Preview of Next Episode

(Courtesy of Otter.ai)

Write Your Self Open is a revolution in self-development that blends guided meditation, journaling, and supportive group discussion led by holistic psychotherapist Rachel Astarte.

It's all the benefits of personal transformation + community-building without the constraints of talk therapy.
Join anytime. No previous meditation or writing experience necessary.

http://writeyourselfopen.com

Got a question about your self?
Send it to me at rachel@selftalkpodcast.com and it may be featured on a future episode. 

Transcript

Rachel Astarte: 0:00

Asking yourself deeper questions opens up new ways of being in the world. It brings in a breath of fresh air. It makes life more joyful. The real trick to life is to not be in the know, but to be in the mystery." —Fred Allen Wolfe.

Rachel Astarte: 0:20

Welcome to Self Talk. I'm Rachel Astarte. Thank you for being here.

Rachel Astarte: 0:40

For the next few episodes, I'd like to introduce you to a process of deep inner work called the Foundation of Self. Those of you who have worked with me before in class or in session know what that is, but some of you may not. So, let's talk about why having a strong foundation of self is important and how we can achieve it.

Rachel Astarte: 1:02

First of all, what is inner work?

Rachel Astarte: 1:06

It's the process of getting to know your true self, not just for the benefit of yourself, but for the benefit of all beings. Inner work is about learning your patterns of thinking, of feeling, behaving and believing, of feeling, behaving and believing. Knowing yourself fully allows you to make better decisions for your life, which in turn, benefits the world around you, because we're all connected.

Rachel Astarte: 1:37

I'll give you an example. Let's say you're at a dinner party, and someone you've just met gives you a backhanded compliment about your outfit, something like I wish I had the courage to wear such bold colors. Now, if you haven't done inner work, you might become self-conscious about what you're wearing, and those thoughts may trigger memories of past experiences when you've been judged by how you look. As a result, you may withdraw from the conversation, you may even find an excuse to leave the party early, and even though you've left the party, those feelings of self-doubt come home with you and ruin your evening. Maybe they even ruin the next day and ruin your evening. Maybe they even ruin the next day. Perhaps they even cause you to keep yourself small at work and miss out on a promotion or any number of other effects that you definitely don't want.

Rachel Astarte: 2:36

When you have a strong foundation of self, you can manage life's challenges like this one with grace. You have the ability to know who you are, what you want, what your calling is in this life, and you stop doubting yourself and seeking external validation. You see that your life is an essential part of the whole of existence and that all life around you is family. In the case of that party guest, rather than considering whether you meet their expectations of what colors are bold or not bold or whatever, you go inward and you consult yourself, you confirm that those colors make you feel good, which is why you chose them in the first place. Further, you might even find compassion for the guest who may not be as confident in their clothing choices as you are. That compassion that you're experiencing comes from remembering that we are all family, so that's part of the foundation of self.

Rachel Astarte: 5:03

So why all this focus on the self? I mean, we can feel pretty insignificant. "iven the scope and size of the cosmos. What's my little life? In the grand scheme of things? Simple Quantum physics has shown us that everything is energy.

Rachel Astarte: 5:22

And because everything is energy, your individual life— your energy— contributes to collective consciousness and the quantum field. That's how powerful you are. Albert Einstein said, "Everything is energy, and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want, and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy, this is physics.

Rachel Astarte: 5:53

And that quote you heard at the beginning of the episode about being in the mystery comes from theoretical physicist Fred Allen Wolfe. He talks about our interaction with the quantum field in this way: "ou are changing reality simply by observing it In the real world of quantum mechanics. Ultimately and fundamentally, we affect the universe whenever we observe it or anything in it.

Rachel Astarte: 6:23

Now do you see how powerful you are? You shape reality.

Rachel Astarte: 6:29

In upcoming episodes, we're going to talk more about how to do your bit for the universe, beginning with your very essential self. Self

Rachel Astarte: 6:37

Next time we'll cover non-judgment, which is the lifeblood of foundation of self-work.

Rachel Astarte: 6:44

Until then, be gentle with yourself.

Rachel Astarte: 6:46

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