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Losing Autonomy

To some extent, we all rely on feedback from the world and people around us to learn and grow. The reactions and responses enable us to see where we are going and make course corrections.

But if we come to rely on external sources of validation too much, we can end up expecting everything we need to come to us from outside, even our core nature.

In this case, the reciprocal relationship between the inner and outer worlds has become unbalanced. And if what we come to depend on is not the genuine support of our own nature and what resonates with that, then it will fail.

Keeping the right balance between what we need from outside and what is within requires that we value our independence, our principles, and what we know in our bones.

Our essential self can never rest securely on external circumstances.