Inside Out vs. Outside In
Working From the Inside Out
Barbara’s progress, from eliminating her toxicity to setting effective boundaries and enforcing them, once again illustrates the importance of doing things in the right sequence. Since she had already cleared her toxicity, she didn’t really have to think about setting boundaries or de- veloping strategies to enforce them. She just did what she had to do in the normal course of her daily life without realizing until later what it was she had really done. Barbara didn’t fret or agonize over taking action. She didn’t force anything. She didn’t have to read a bunch of self-help books, or try to manage a difficult situation. She didn’t try to control or manipulate every facet of her life. She just acted from the inside out, allowing her intuition to lead her into action.
Working From the Outside In
Most people haven’t cleared their toxicity in the way that Barbara has, and so they are stuck trying to cope with ongoing, persistent problems, rather than transforming the landscape of their subconscious and being in a position of wholeness in their lives. Without that transformation, the average person’s only remedy is to try to force his conscious will on his unconscious toxicity and its governing beliefs. This is working from the outside in. When we try to impose our conscious will on an unhealed subconscious, our chances of success are minimal. In most cases, working from the outside in is really a prescription for frustration and failure.