The (My) Guide to Building Your Inner Empire
The Dream You Possess
“The dream we build on the outside is created by our thoughts and desires on the inside.”
Your Dream is what you envision your world as.
It’s what you desire your life experiences to be.
It’s who you see yourself as.
It’s what you feel is right for you before you even experience it.
It’s you, who believes whether you are either deserving or undeserving of that dream.
Hence we are all capable of great feats, but lack the belief in ourselves that we are capable of accomplishing them.
“There is no dry land, there is only fearlessness, which is to be found in the heart. This is the path to freedom.“- Chogyam Trungpa
So how do we get that feeling of belief that we can?
Fearlessness.
Your Empire Is Built
Today isn’t so much a blueprint but a set of ideals.
There are lots of things I know I still want to do experience in life that I haven’t gotten to made a priority.
I, probably like you, have internal stuff that keeps me I haven’t accepted so that I fully see myself experiencing all of my dreams. That’s a work in progress for all of us me and I deal with it as I become conscious of it.
Which is a lot lately.
“We don’t have problems, only self imposed limitations.”
As I become conscious of the internal stuff in my journey, it’s been key for me to give myself full permission to experience the next evolutionary step.
How does one do that?
That’s part of what I want to share with you today.
It’s about working with the foundation you currently have to launch your Inner Empire from.
No matter where you’re at right now.
As You Start Construction
“If mistakes provide the best opportunity for discovery and evolution, why do we go around trying to look so sure of ourselves all the time?”- Elizabeth Lesser
I love that question because it makes you take inventory of where you stand with yourself right now.
How honest are you about you and your life stuff?
We could ask:
- Why don’t we bless our own mess more often?
- Why do we hide our messes from everyone?
- What does this end up doing to the construction of our inner empire?
- Why don’t we share at times as a community what we’re really experiencing so that we can get support from one another in order to live past it?
- Why don’t we come together to work as a team in order to create the lives we truly desire deserve?
If you’re not sure, I’d check out this short clip about the Open Secret from Elizabeth Lesser.
I can tell you why, it’s because we’re I’m still afraid at times.
I’m afraid of being broken open to everyone. To be exposed, naked or seen as weak. I’m afraid to be judged or no one will want to hear my petty crap. I’m supposed to be Mr. Positive.
Fuck all that.
It actually takes a strong person to allow themselves to be exposed to the world with their not so perfect ways. This is true strength.
If you watched the video, I can tell you I know all of that was is true for me in certain moments.
I continue to exercise sharing my own mess in hopes of inspiring others in taking the next or even their first, evolutionary step in their journey. But maybe I’ve had enough of that? Maybe I’m tired of playing in the messy mud for others to feel Ok about finding their own?
Maybe I’ve got some of it wrong? Or I had to get it wrong in order for it to feel right?
A key part of our journey is enjoying each moment we’re in and not holding out our joy as a promise of a future pay off.
This is why people work at jobs do shit they hate. For a future payoff. I know, I’ve done it and I was miserable.
I would hide my mess from the world and put on the smiley face to show I had it all together.
But I didn’t.
I didn’t have it all together, I pretended I did and it robbed me of my energy.
If you want an example of someone who blesses their messes check out someone like Allison Nazarian‘s blog. Here’s an excerpt from one of her posts.
“But, despite the inherent awesomeness of life, sometimes and some days it is all just too much. Or not right. Or really wrong. Or, for many reasons, just a f*cking mess.
That’s how I felt yesterday.
Like a f*cking mess.”
There’s someone who is conscious of the Open Secret even if she’s never seen the video.
She spreads her mess all over the page as real as it gets in all her gore and glory. She’s living her truth out in the open. ALL of it. Good bad and In between. She saying out loud what you and I may be feeling and I can tell you it gives us permission to say and do what we already deep down feel is the truth.
You don’t have to do what she does publicly. (Although unselfishly she does, or maybe selfishly. Either way is Ok)
But you do have to do it in one way shape or form. You either journal it, share it with a coach, a mentor or a close friend or do start up a blog to exercise sharing your own truth. Express your own message to the world in whatever art form you choose!
You don’t need to wait to start your Inner Empire, just be seriously honest with yourself as you do. Allow yourself to be broken open to your personal truth as you’re building. It gives you permission to be more of who you really see yourself as. It allows you to really be open to the possibilities as you take your next step.
We act in ways that are congruent with how we see ourselves, so see yourself as a real person. Not someone that TV, Movies, Magazines, Advertising imply you should see yourself as.
When you can internalize this idea you can feel the 85 lbs of bullshit roll right off your back and you’ll breath a huge sigh of relief.
You don’t have to wait to get everything aligned perfectly before building your Inner Empire. That shit never happens.
“Perfection is futility in a pretty package.”
When you give yourself permission to live out in the open it allows you to not have to hide behind your excuses when they pop up. You just go, “Oh yeah, I knew I may run into you Mr. Excuse but you’ll have to excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
When someone else around you is real, honest and open, you feel more attracted to them don’t you? It feels good to be around them right?
That’s you’re true identity rising up. That’s your soul reaching up for air. That’s your inner empire’s restless nudge.
You can go ahead and be that person right now. You have permission. Not From me, but from within yourself..
Together however, we can support one another in this endeavor.
This can be the power of community.
The Rise of Your Empire
Over the centuries there have been empires built and empires that have fallen. The word Empire derives from the Latin word imperium which stands for absolute authority.
When you hear the word, you may have been conditioned to think of a huge conglomerate of cities, rulers of vast lands or of when Czars ruled the Roman Empire.
You have absolute authority over your inner empire and what goes into it’s construction. Even if that means the authority to surrender.
My friend Nathan Hangen has nailed his dream of building his Digital Empire.
From Nathans Bio:
The digital empire concept was born out of my desire to figure out how I could build a series of businesses that helped me:
- achieve my goals
- enjoy not just one activity, but all of those that I love
- liberate myself from ever needing another job
Nathan got clear on what his outside empire will look like and how he could enjoy the process. Mainly because I’m betting he built his inner empire first. Probably (And I’ll ask him for sure) because he’s done the work over the years brick by inner brick. Some unconsciously and a bunch of it consciously.
His shift like many other entrepreneurs is from getting to giving. From Pain to Power.
To gain, you give and give and give some more. Gaining is a by product of giving value. And a ton of it.
Nathan aligned himself with his values.
One of them I’m betting is Freedom.
The power of living in freedom is more important than the pain of making mistakes. What a kick ass place to be.
When your empowering values align with your actions it’s just not even real work I tell you.
Everything you do seems effortless, whether it’s working on your problem or your power. (One is a lot more fun to work on than the other though)
Writing these words for you to read right now, is effortless. I love providing insight and inspiration and I know it’s valuable to you. Even if you already possess both you can share my message with others and feel good about it.
What the hell is important to you? Stand for it. Say it, do it, start expressing it and experiencing it.
When I say experience it I mean the joy of the journey, the pain of falling down, the determination of getting back up and the feeling of fulfillment that you’re living it all out. ALL OF IT.
Ask any of us that put ourselves on the line and we’ll tell you, it’s the sum of it all that creates the amazing experience of building an empire inside and out. This is how you reclaim your dream.
The inner empire is built by the joys of success and the pain of the mistakes. Truth is, a vast amount of my character up till now has been built on my mistakes but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoying focusing on my power!
Oh yeah, I got lots of that too.
I used to be afraid of making mistakes, as of today I welcome when they happen because I am broken open and welcoming my power.
This the rise of my empire and is yours too.
Growing Your Inner Empire
It may go without being said that growing your inner empire through new learned knowledge can be powerful. But most of the time folks end up with a shelf full of books, CD’s and home study programs that are never opened or really digested at all.
I’m not saying it isn’t important to self help. I’ve certainly read, watched and listened to my fair share and still will but without getting constipated with knowledge.
“We upgrade everything in life, TV’s, stereo’s, cars, houses, cell phones, wardrobes, DVD players…Why not our thoughts?“-Frank AuCoin
But how about when you have a shift from working on your power instead of your problems? You can grow from power instead of just pain. Danielle LaPorte’s comes from an empowering place that I’m sure may have taken her time to get to. But she’s there never the less.
From her post:
“Continually staring down your demons can be an act of avoidance all it’s own.
Recapitulating (to restate the main points) the reasons for your hurts, and isms, and faults can become addictive in and of itself.
Eventually, you have to stop picking a fight with your true nature and decide to seek the joy that underlies it All.”
I dunno about you but I like how that shift feels.
I like knowing I’m building my Inner Empire from a place of power, by acknowledging my gifts. I’ve acknowledged my mess and can clean it up along the way because there will never be a lack of it.
So in the mean time:
- Why not grow your inner empire by taking care of the body that’s housing it?
- Why not grow your inner empire by putting your efforts into work or hobbies that juice you?
- Why not grow your inner empire by writing down exactly what this could mean to you and those around you?
- Why not grow your inner empire by writing out exactly what power of yours you posses and excel at?
- Why not grow your inner empire by surrounding yourself with others who decide to seek the joy that underlies it all too?
You’re not broken. Maybe just not broken open to the idea that playing in your power is possible.
Frankly, I totally fucking dig the idea and will be exploring it thoroughly.
What if you shifted from your problems to your power?
Allow yourself to see what that looks like and how it feels.
Surrender to the idea that you’re Inner Empire is awesome as it is and that from today on you can start where you’re at.
Surrender isn’t a place of weakness. It’s where powerful people hang out. Surrender to the idea. Set aside your traditional routines of thought and this is where magical things can happen.
Make your claim, stand for what’s important to you and move forward with a great feeling of empowerment.
Your Inner Empire starts here.
