Inside Out
David Freund

Saturday, I was working on some projects in the yard, trying to catch up on things that needed to be done after a very wet spring. Something I love about working on projects like this is that it gives me several hours to listen to audiobooks and podcasts. As I was listening to the Ed Mylett podcast, Ed made a statement that was so profound I had to stop what I was doing and make a note on my phone. The statement was this: “Live from the inside out, not the outside in.” Such a powerful thought!

You need to determine the person you desire to be. By spending the time to discover your WHY, you lay the foundation for the person you want to become. External forces will always influence us. We live in a world that is often chaotic and out of control, but when we live our lives from the inside out, the constant in life becomes who we choose to be and why we believe we’re here.

As I continued listening, Ed’s guest made another powerful statement: “The relentless pursuit of who you want to be is who you are.” What an incredible perspective! So often, we think the person we want to become is somewhere far off in the distance, when in reality, as we begin living out our purpose — our WHY — we’re already becoming that person. It’s not something we need to wait for, and it’s not something far away. It’s something very present with us right now. That is the value of living from the inside out.

I’m also in the process of working my way through The 5 Types of Wealth by Dr. Henry Cloud. I’m sure I’ll share more about that in the future. For now, something that has impacted me most is this question: What is my desired future? Have I really taken the time to sit down and think that through?

Dr. Cloud uses the example of the human body preparing to walk across a room. The brain assesses the objective, calculates the distance, engages the body, and continually monitors progress until the destination is reached. So simple, yet so brilliant. What is your desired future? And what do you need to engage to get there?

Now allow me to tie this all together. When I take the time to understand why I’m here and what my desired future is, I can begin building a plan to live that out. When I lead from the inside out, it’s not something I have to wait for someday. It becomes something very present — something I can live out right now.

What excites me most about all of this is the realization that the life we desire isn’t someday off in the distance waiting for us to arrive. It begins the moment we choose to live with intention, purpose, and clarity about who we are called to be. When we stop allowing the outside world to define us and instead begin leading from the inside out, everything changes. Our decisions change. Our priorities change. Our relationships change. Even our challenges begin to look different because they’re no longer defining us — they’re simply refining us.

So perhaps the real question is this: Are we drifting through life reacting to everything around us, or are we intentionally becoming the person we were created to be? Because the relentless pursuit of who you want to be is not a future version of yourself…it’s who you’re becoming right now. I find this both incredibly freeing and exciting.