Inside & Outside

Do you spend more time inside or outside? What's the right balance for you? You might have thought about this before, maybe not so consciously. But consider it - and consider what balance is right for you.

When I talk about INSIDE and OUTSIDE - I mean it in a few ways I will delve into, but the main basis here is that too much of things being 'inside' can be harmful, as can be too much of things being 'outside' - and thus the central point is a balance. One might consider themselves an introvert, or an extrovert, or an ambivert, and I believe that these people will consider themselves these identities based on where they are balanced best. But things are not merely 'one' or 'the other,' they are a scale, and we must keep balance in mind to continue to grow.

YOUR PLACE

INSIDE; You can feel comfortable, have some time to yourself. Your closest people you choose to live with, if you so feel. This is where you get to take a break away from all the chaos of outside life, where you rest in your bed. Where you get time to really reflect on your thoughts. All your belongings are there, safely (I hope) kept where you left them. You might even feel that financially you are saving money and finding creative and affordable ways to entertain yourself, the more time you spend inside. It's where you can work on your passions and hobbies - the things just for you.

And yet, if we are always just inside - we miss out on a lot. We aren't taking any risks, so we do not grow. We don't get nutrients from the sunlight. It is also doubtful that we are going to meet new people, at least not in any authentic, real life setting. We cannot simply be inside our place. The world outside begs for us to be explored. For us to step out of our comfort zone. And we know that if need be, there's always somewhere to come back to.

OUTSIDE; You can feel the fresh air, you can find new places, you can meet out with people you like or meet new ones - it is exciting, and if you are an 'outgoing' person then you really feel in your element. This is where we use our energy, and make adventurous experiences.

However, too much time outside we may find that we don't get enough time to really think. We are wanting to make the most of our time, but at what point are we wasting it? We don't want to burn out. We don't want to stay in the sun too long and sunburn, or stay out too late and not get a good rest. These things are a balance, and though you have eaten food and have energy ready to burn for being out here, at some point you must recharge too. And your bank account needs to recharge too, who knows how much you've spent by being outside - as soon as you're out there, everybody is advertising to you, they all want your money, and if you want some kind of new adventure, you're likely going to spend some money in some way or another.

YOUR WORLD

When it comes to your mind, it doesn't matter where you are physically. Your mind is there with you. But there we see two aspects of our reality - there is an INSIDE world, and an OUTSIDE world.

Consider the Inside world - your thoughts, your memories you have, your ideas, your dreams. And it's very affected by the outside world, but it also is constantly constructing new things and sometimes going far outside of anything that's consciously been happening to you in your actual life. It's a mystery, but a beautiful one. And each of us have one going on inside. You give too much priority to your own, you might miss the ones that are around you and sharing profound and wonderful things before your eyes in the Outside world.

You want to be able to be outside of your head enough where you can observe and perceive correctly. After all, for all you know you get one life - and when we experience it in the outside world it just feels so real. There's a sense of reality, a mutual one, that we are all attached to and that brings us on a journey of experiences. Without it, the Inside world may be purely insanity, or perhaps just boring and plain. We are inspired by things within. But we also take action, especially our best actions, through the thoughts and decisions we come to within our Inside world. Leaving it neglected may allow things to ruminate in a negative way, or leave us with pure impulses instead of wondering why we made the decisions we did and trying to learn from them.

A balanced life includes enough attention to both what is within, and what is around us. And it means appreciating the comforts we have, but also allowing ourselves to explore what else is undiscovered.

If this is all obvious to you, then fair enough. I've thought it in different iterations before, but I believe it's an interesting way to think about life, and personally how my 'balance' works with these things for me changes. But I know that too much of either can be unhealthy, and I usually can perceive how much of both I am really needing.

Thanks for reading - If you got anything out of this, feel free to share it, or even send a tip (but I won't mind if you don't) and I hope you can embrace this idea or get something out of it.