Today I was visiting with a friend about some recent observations I had made about my life and my related thoughts and feelings. The response that I received from my friend was that they were unable to relate because they weren’t inward focused. She went on to describe how she has instead led a life of outward focus, serving others, rather than focusing on herself. It seemed to me, because of the contrast between inward focus and a life of service to others, that perhaps she thought that inward focus is synonymous with selfishness. The conversation moved forward and I was unable to learn more about whether I interpreted her correctly or not, but it did give me cause to think more about the nature of inward focus.
A life that is inward focused is not necessarily selfish in nature. It all depends upon the nature of the introspection, of course.
Here are a few facts about me:
I am an introvert by nature. As such,
I have a long history of spending time in my own head analyzing and questioning and making sense of my world.
I asked a lot of questions as a kid, not accepting the status quo, and never really outgrew it.
Journaling has seen me through adolescence, grief, college coursework, and other challenging life transitions
When I discovered Transcendentalism in high school life started making a little more sense to me.
When I discovered the great classical philosophers in college, I felt like I had come home somehow.
I completed both undergrad and graduate studies in social work, where we diligently practiced self-exploration, and then wrote about it. “Competent social workers need to acquire a high level of awareness of who they are. Until social workers develop self-awareness of their own needs, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, including their personal problems and their areas of vulnerability, they will be unable to respond to their clients with objectivity.” (well-stated in Choices by Bob Shebib)
I am a minimalist. Minimalism is about cutting away the excesses so as to aspire to a life of intention and purpose in all things.
In truth, I hardly know how to be any other way. I was born with my temperament, my soul responds innately to some philosophies over others, and my environment actively shaped me to hone my skills of self-assessment, self-awareness and intent.
Being inward focused is just me being me as authentic as I know how to be. Caring about others is another authentic part of being me, and I do it in a lot of different ways. I make it a practice to speak all good things that come in to my head. If I like you or appreciate your work I tell you. If you’re a stranger and your shoes are awesome, I tell you that too. It’s a way to make small differences with people all day long. That’s one example. There are many ways I care for individuals as well as the global community.
One way I care for the global community is by sharing my story. I believe so much in the power of personal storytelling, creating community, and living an intentional life. This blog is a place for me to write for anyone who cares to stop by. In daily life I share my life with the people that I am in relationship with. By being friends first, and listening and loving, I am able to share my life in word and in witness because it is who I am. One cannot know me without knowing who I am.
There is a day of celebration on the Jewish calendar in which children go out to play with bows and arrows. An important life lesson is taught through this custom. “To use a bow and arrow effectively, the shooter must first pull the bow towards himself. Once the bow is pulled as far back as possible, the arrow can be released with significant force and hopefully meets the target quickly and accurately.” Effectively touching the world requires us to move inward so as to achieve our full potential to influence others.
The life that I am living could not have been possible without plenty of introspection, self-evaluation, questioning and intentionality.