The Inner Game
Edition 17: “Your outer world reflects the state of your inner world.” -Robin Sharma
As a stay-at-home mom working on side projects, I felt “too busy” to take on anything else like a self-improvement book.
My attitude changed one evening as I placed my latest parenting read back onto the bookshelf in my office. Robin Sharma’s book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, caught my eye. I’d wanted to read it for months. But I always pushed it aside in order to read more about parenting.
That night I took a long look at Sharma’s book, picked it up, and began to read. I devoured it. Many great insights came from this book. But the one that stood out the most is this: “Your outer world reflects the state of your inner world.”
It makes a lot of sense.
However, life has become particularly busy during the past year as a first-time parent who’s on the entrepreneurial path. Investing in myself had fallen to the wayside.
This book was the wake-up call I needed.
“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make,” Sharma writes. “It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” Fully investing in myself is what I need as a parent-entrepreneur.
The Investment
Before baby, I was hugely into self-improvement. I regularly read a lot about the topic. And, most important, I put ideas into practice: I visualized, meditated, and exercised daily. I also planned meticulously.
Once Hayden was born, some of these things came to a halt. “I just don’t have the time,” I told myself. I continued to exercise and plan. However, I stopped reading self-improvement books in order to read everything about parenting and learning. I stopped visualizing. I stopped meditating.
I didn’t realize how much I missed these things—and how much they benefited me—until Sharma’s book reminded me of them and inspired me to restart these habits.
I figure that life will continue to be busy six months from now, a year from now, and several years from now. So right now is the best time to make a change. That’s what I’ve done.
Now I spend a few minutes visualizing before I start my day. It’s only for a few minutes, but the impact was noticeable immediately. It helps me start my day with energy and intent.
In fact, I find this practice essential now that I’m a parent who’s working on side projects. Balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship can be challenging at times, and it’s easy to get lost in the daily minutiae. Taking time to step back and visualize my future self helps me remember the big picture.
I’m also diversifying my reading.
After reading Sharma’s book, I began listening to the audiobook Live Life in Crescendo while I exercise on my stationary bike.
On Saturdays, I'm working through Ray Dalio's Principles journal, instead of working on my current side project, while Hayden naps. So far, this journal is proving to be an enlightening experience. It’s given me clarity and insights about myself; it’s also provided a useful paradigm for setting goals.
One practice hasn’t tipped the scale. Rather, the culmination of several practices has made the difference for me. Each time I exercise, visualize, journal, plan, or read a self-improvement book, I invest in a different part of myself. Together, these practices impact my overall being and the outcomes I want out of life.
Just Do It
There’s not a “right time” to invest in yourself. Just start.
Working on your inner game doesn't have to take a lot of time. Exercise for 15 minutes and listen to an audiobook on how to improve yourself. Visualize for five minutes when you get up. Curl up with your journal and reflect on the day. Take a few minutes and plan your week ahead.
These small investments are all you need to reap the benefits, which, for me, have been many. I feel more centered, aligned, and balanced as a person. I also feel far more energized and inspired. Above all, I feel like I’m a better person. As I help myself, I am getting better at helping others—both as a parent and entrepreneur.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
–Chinese Proverb
Thank you for reading! Feel free to reply to this email and let me know what you think.
-Amy