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Hello, and welcome back. In this episode, I have a question for you. And that question is, have you told your inner story? This is going to be the accountability episode as I thought about a couple really important things. First of all, we are somewhere around 40 episodes, which is really cool, really exciting. But we've put a lot of content out there. And I hope you've listened to all of the episodes. But at a minimum, I certainly hope that you have listened to the first two episodes, which lay the foundation, share the context, and help you understand why we're doing that.
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But with saying that, hopefully you've been following along and listening to them all or most of them, and you've heard us talk about this subject of your inner story. The other two things I hope is that you've taken the time to take the True Self assessment at the10disciplines.com to get a sense of how you've scored and how free your True Self really is. And then the last thing I hope is that you have read Shine at least once and you understand the content. And with all of that said, this is where you've heard about inner story. You've been tapped on the shoulder a few times. And so, like I said, this is the accountability episode.
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And with that, I'll ask the question again. Have you told your inner story? And what I know is that there are some number of you out there that have not. And I'm hoping this is the wake-up call, the tap on the shoulder, the kick in the ass, whatever you want to call it, to finally do that because it is so incredibly powerful. And so, the Shed and Shine podcast is about helping you to free your True Self, maximize your energy, your impact, and your inner peace. And a vital part of that process is mastering your inner world. And a part of mastering your inner world is learning, understanding and sharing your inner story, not to have a pity party or to broadcast it to the world, or to have people feel sorry for you. The only reason we urge you to tell your inner story is to release it, is to free it, is to free you, to free your True Self.
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And like I said, this episode is about accountability. So, assuming you did read Shine, you did take the True Self assessment, you've at least listened to the first two episodes, and you haven't, I then have to ask, what is stopping you? And I'm going to pause for about five seconds just to have you think about the answer to that question. What is stopping you? I want to create a breakthrough for you today. Let's first recap what your inner story is. I want to create a little context for you here because it's not your outer world story. And a lot of times people get that confused. It's not about the situations, the events or the experiences. It's not about the things that actually happened.
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Like for me, the sex abuse when I was young and moving nine times by the time I was 10, being bullied all of those years, to name a few. Those were the situations. Those were the events. Those weren't the trauma. Those weren't the inner story. That wasn't what was going on on the inside. For others, it might be things like physical abuse, abandonment, or failure. These are all things that happened. Your inner story is what went on on the inside when these experiences happen, how you felt, what you're hanging onto, how it is still showing up in your life, what's going on under the surface. I always like to think about it as like the tectonic plates shifting below the surface. What's going on underneath on the inside?
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And so, for me, what I discovered when I looked at those experiences and those situations, what went on on the inside and what it caused throughout my entire life was that I always felt lonely and unsafe. I was always having to prove to myself and others that I was okay. I didn't feel people's love. I was not present. I was unconscious. I felt I was never enough. I was self-critical. I feared failure. I feared judgment. I felt so much shame. So, those were the things going on on the inside. And for others it might be fearing people will leave, not letting people in, or they just don't feel worthy. The reality is for most of us, something happened to us typically at a young age, but not always, and we held onto it and it is no longer serving us.
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A great book to read is The Body Keeps the Score, to really help understand the science of how our body holds onto these things. But bottom line is, it's time to release it. And when you do, the peace that follows that release is indescribable. You will feel lighter, you will feel freer, you will feel clean and clear. You will release yourselves from the shackles, from the prison, from the structure that your ego created to protect you. Now, when I say tell your inner story, I'm not saying to the entire world like I am. I am called to do this. It is not comfortable telling the world, so you don't have to do that unless somehow you are called to. And if so, then so be it.
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What I'm simply saying is tell it to the one person you love, and trust, and who loves and trusts you again to release it. And you'll see that they won't run away. And in fact, they'll love you even more because you are simply human. Now, if you're still not comfortable after all of my prodding and this accountability session, it might be for a good reason. So, I would suggest two things. Number one, if you want to put your toe in the water and try this on, it can be just as effective to write yourself a letter. Write at the top of the letter, "My inner story," and just start writing. That might be a great way to open the floodgates.
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And number two, this might be too heavy to do on your own. And if the emotions and the pain are too strong and too much to handle on your own, if so, please seek counseling. Get help, because here's what I know, your body wants to release it, and your ego is hanging on and trying to protect you from ever feeling that pain again. And then when you have finally told your inner story, the real test is when you can tell your inner story with no sensation in your body. There's literally no emotional reaction or sensation in your body whatsoever, because you have finally released it. That's the sign that you are finally free.
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Now, an important disclaimer. I am not a licensed therapist or a clinical psychologist. I am just sharing my personal experience that has greatly benefited me and many others. And I pray, I hope, dream, I wish it will do the same for you. Now, hopefully, I've motivated you to tell your inner story. And assuming I have, please take time right now and write your inner story. Take advantage of this opportunity while it's fresh. And I urge you to just start writing, starting with thinking of the experiences in your life that were painful, traumatic, embarrassing, hurtful, things that have strong emotions around them. And you can hit pause on this and just start writing, write what comes to mind.
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And once you've listed them, then I want you to think about how they made you feel, and how those feelings are showing up today and affecting your life. Describe what's going on on the inside. And so, for me, I was able to correlate each experience to those feelings and sensations, and then how they were showing up in my life. The sex abuse led to shame where I always felt unworthy, and I was always trying to be more to keep from feeling less. And so, you'll be able to see these ties, and these gates, and these linkages to what's really going on under the surface.
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And again, I'll close with this: Please seek help if it's too much. I worked with someone, a therapist that took me through each one of those experiences in great detail, which really helped me to understand it on a much deeper level. And so, you just have to decide the right process that works best for you. And I'll say it again. I urge you to please take the time right now and just start writing.
(10:44):
Thank you for listening in today. We truly appreciate you taking the time to spend with us. And please tune in for the next episode. Until then, if you'd like to see where you are on your True Self journey, go to shedandshinepodcast.com, to take the True Self assessment and receive personalized guidance. If you're all ready to begin your inner world journey with Rob and myself, please join us for the next round of The 10 Disciplines group coaching program. We wish you all the best in freeing your True Self. Stay focused and much love.
