Sure, some of my clients are aware that they are on a spiritual journey, while others aren’t even aware of what that is. But the bottom line is that all of them are searching for the same thing: happiness.

For those on a spiritual journey, happiness means being loved and loving unconditionally, having a wonderful partner, perfect health, doing work that is meaningful and financially very rewarding, being a part of a wonderful family and having lots of friends. Oh, and traveling the world.

For those not aware of what a “spiritual journey ” is, happiness means being loved and loving unconditionally, having a wonderful partner, perfect health, doing work that is meaningful and financially very rewarding, being a part of a wonderful family and having lots of friends. Oh, and traveling the world.

Ok, so I can’t fool you. You figured it out. Everyone basically wants the same thing: to be happy. Actually, it’s all a spiritual journey, what is different is whether we are searching for happiness consciously or unconsciously. Are we searching on the inside or the outside? In other words, what is different is the level of awareness we bring to the spiritual journey. There you have it—the secret is out!

We are all guided in our search for happiness through an inner yearning to connect with something greater, something more–out there–than meets the eye. And here is where this journey takes a very different turn—a fork in the road, if you will. The person who is consciously on a spiritual journey is aware that their destination is inside. The others, well, they are wandering on the outside. (By the way, everyone wanders on the outside, until they don’t.)

Many “spiritual” teachings, for lack of a better word, have made the inside some type of a secret club, that is reserved to only a few “special” ones. And that worked, well, ‘til it didn’t. Thanks to the internet, books, movies, documentaries and stories told and retold from one generation to another, the mystery of the inside is now becoming more accessible. But still, very few have a clear understanding of the inside. I am determined to crack this thing wide open so that everyone can get in.

Here’s how I see this journey for the “innies” and the “outies”. Imagine your life as a circle. And everything you want, clothes, cars, lovers, houses, vacations, education, jobs, money, etc., are all on the outside. Outside is, truly, where all “things” are. This is obvious. However, where things get a little screwy, is that the older “outies” have taught the new born “innies” who by the way, came out already happy, that if they want to be really happy, grownup happy, that is, they must acquire a whole bunch of the things that exist on the outside, along with the approval of the “outies”, then—and only then—will they get to be really happy humans.

So as you can imagine, over a lifetime of being outward bound, we lost our conscious awareness of the fact that, not only did we already come in happy, but if we really want to be happy all we have to do is stop looking outside, and simply feel within to access the joy that is our birthright.

Sounds simple, right? Well, here’s where this get complicated. Because the older ones have been practicing feeling “happy” with the things they have acquired, and talking to other who validate this, they have come to really believe that acquiring is the way to happiness. So they’ve been, for thousands of years, acquiring and accumulating in order to feel happy. But the challenge comes when some of their stuff gets taken away, or it’s lost or used up, and the feelings of happiness disappear. Then, to avoid feeling unhappy, they made up more stuff, and called them clever names like drugs, alcohol, shopping and rock ‘n’ roll. And all these things got all jumbled up, and before long, the outies became dependent on this stuff. The outies became so focused on these things that, over time, the majority forgot to look inside.

When a few brave ones who knew better (which was quite different from the norm) looked inside, they were punished, tortured, crucified, or shamed as liars and heretics. You see these brave innies discovered that they didn’t need “stuff” to be happy. They were already happy and stuff was fun to have and play with, but not necessary to feel happy. Well, as you can imagine, the sellers of stuff, and those who taxed this stuff, didn’t like this one bit.

Fortunately, there have been many innies who have lived wonderful, happy lives; many had lots of stuff, and because they were not attached or defined by their stuff, they became popular and we bought their books or went to their workshops in hopes of learning how to be an innie.

And the thing that separates the innes from the outies is the awareness that becoming an outie was all made up to begin with. But since way more books, movies and monuments are dedicated to the made-up story, that we need stuff from the outside to be happy, it can be really hard to convince people to stop believing the made-up story, and start believing the truth: that everything that makes us happy is already within us. The outside stuff, when you are happy from within, is the icing on the cake.

So, if you are an outie, you are tired and stressed out most of the time from chasing after stuff you need to be happy, or from holding on to what you’ve got, because you believe the story that without it, you’ll be unhappy. In essence, you live in a state of drama and confusion.

If you are an innie, you are relaxed and cool as a cucumber, because you don’t chase or hold on to anything. You know that you are joy personified; you are fulfilled and satisfied, so nothing needs to be added on to you, let alone stuff that is by its own nature, impermanent.

Go ahead, determine who you are. At ease and at peace like an innie, or tense and stressed out like an outie? Oh, I forgot to tell you that there is nothing wrong with either way of being; it’s just that one is more fun and way easier than the other. Either way, you are magnificent just the way you are!