Hello Dom,
I’ve never heard this question expressed this way before: “how do I get who I am on the inside out?” Interesting way to think of it! I’m giving you a different perspective than the responses above – see if it helps; if not, ignore me 🙂
If you’re starting to get into spirituality (since you mentioned you’re getting into Buddhism) you’re probably starting to hear about the two parts of us – the Human side of us and the Being side of us. The human side of us is the body, mind and form, which is quite immersed in the earthly life, including our friends, food, jobs, relationships, health, etc. But then there’s the Being side of us – the intangible deeper part of us – the soul, or the inner being, that’s all about joy and freedom and lightness.
The reason it’s so hard to bring who you are on the inside out is because the human side of us is so heavy, dense and quite controlled by the society around us. As soon as your sensitive, compassionate inner being gets ridiculed for its joy and compassion, it recedes inside back into its cocoon.
If you want to continue on your spiritual path, you must continue to stay in touch with that compassionate, joyful inner being. Whether you want to express it in words or not doesn’t matter – your friends around you are probably just not ready for that side of you. If they appreciate that side of you, they’ll stick around and stay with you; if not those friendships will dissolve. But don’t be deterred from your path because of their reactions. As you grow into becoming who you really are on the inside, the world around you will change accordingly!
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 