Many first time challengers in the body for life transformation contest are puzzled by the term “inner transformation.” The scores that the judges use seem to give a great deal of value to a competitor’s inner transformation, so it certainly behooves you to understand exactly what is meant by that term.

Many people think that achieving a good inner transformation is all about raising one’s self esteem. Well, that is an indirect benefit of a good inner transformation, but it really isn’t what it is all about. What it is really about is achieving an entirely new way of prioritizing and directing your life. It’s all about actions rather than just feelings. If you feel good about yourself, but all you do is spend your time pleasing yourself, what good does that do anyone? But, if you spend your time adding value to others’ lives, not because you desire to make a bunch of money doing it or to get a measure of fame from doing it, then you have achieved an inner transformation worthy of a champion.

The word champion originally applied to someone appointed by the king to defend, protect and assist others and to place his life and future at risk while doing it. It applied to someone whose life literally represented true love in action. These were knights in shining armor, literally! So, a true champion’s inner transformation will result in a life of service to others without expectation of anything in return. This is a continual way of living out Bill Phillips’ term that he calls the “universal law of reciprocation. The remaining question, though, is how does this happen?

Well, first of all you must start your inner transformation just like you do your physical one, by measuring where you are inwardly. In other words, taking an inventory of your mindsets, of your fears, of your guilty feelings and secrets, of your resentments—of anything at all that will hold you back from success. To take this inventory, you’ll need a quiet place and an hour or two to truly look inward at yourself, and to truly be honest with yourself about where you are.

Think about people who have wronged you over the course of your life—and assess the feelings you have as you think about them. If your feelings are moving or painful, you have work to do—you have some forgiveness to do! Then, think about secrets you have kept about things you have done, or lies you have led for a long time. Kept secrets and lies both produce the same thing in you—guilt and shame. The key to this first phase is to make sure you have all the inner stumbling blocks down on paper and firmly in mind.

What next? Let’s start with the guilt and shame we mentioned above, that comes from the lies you have led or the secrets you have kept. Here, you have two things you need to do, confession and restitution. Confession of what you have done needs to be done with a trusted person who cannot be harmed by what you tell them, and who will keep your confidence. Restitution needs to be done as directly as possible. It can be done anonymously, and should be in some circumstances. But, if you harmed another who is still around, making direct restitution and asking for forgiveness from them can create a really powerful moment for the both of you. Be cautious, but don’t be cowardly—we’re trying to rid you of fear here, remember?

If forgiveness is required, first forgive others and then get to forgiving yourself. My personal opinion is that self-forgiveness is really required far more rarely than forgiveness of others. Active forgiveness requires praying for the person who wronged you, and treating them just like they are truly forgiven. Don’t open yourself up for more hurt, so don’t get cozy again with an ex or someone you used to be in a relationship with, but make absolutely certain that you no longer think or say anything derogatory about that person. If you wish to tell them you’ve forgiven them, you may. But, don’t expect anyone to be overwhelmed by that. Most people just don’t own up to what they’ve done to others—and some are even unaware of the fact that they deeply hurt you.

The combination of an excellent inner transformation and an effective outer transformation will truly attract people to you, and the opportunities to do good without expecting anything in return will be right in front of your face. If all you get is an effective outer transformation, you will truly have short-changed the most important person in your life—YOU!