One of the principles I learned through my graduate work in spiritual psychology was:
“Outer experience is a reflection of inner reality.”
That idea changed the way I understood my own life.
For years, I thought the problem was the environment.
The job.
The role.
The circumstances.
But when I started adjusting my inner reality, the way I experienced the world began to shift too.
I see this with leaders all the time.
A client may come to me describing chaos.
The team feels dysfunctional.
There is constant pressure.
They want more white space.
Of course, strategy matters.
Sometimes there are practical changes to make.
People may need to be coached, roles may need to shift, and decisions may need to happen.
And there is another part of the work.
What is happening inside?
Where am I judging myself?
Where am I judging others?
Where am I bringing pressure into the situation?
One client did both.
She made the practical leadership changes and worked on her inner world at the same time.
And things calmed down.
She experienced more peace.
Her team shifted with her.
That is why I see leadership as a both-and.
Work on the strategy.
And work on the state you’re bringing to the strategy.
When the inner environment shifts, the outer experience often begins to shift with it.
