Growing up, our house had rooms we barely stepped into. The salon reserved for guests, perfect but stays untouched, well… until guests come. The dining room closed off while meals happened in the kitchen. Spaces that were technically ours… yet rarely lived in.
And you know what I’ve noticed? We do the same inside ourselves. We “live” in one or two inner rooms, the ones that get things done, while the others barely see daylight.
The Work room gets all the attention while Creativity waits for a rare free weekend, Relationships get whatever energy is left, Health gets squeezed between deadlines and Confidence? Sometimes it’s been shut for years. And behind those closed rooms, dust piles up:
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A talent that only appears on “good days.”
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A dream postponed for “when life calms down.”
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A part of us we’ve hidden because life felt too heavy.
So if you’ve been feeling under-expressed or like you’re operating at 40% of yourself…
maybe you inner house is unbalanced.
What helps me, and what shapes so much of my thinking and writing, is returning to three cultural-cum-spiritual concepts: Baraka, Niya, and Himma. I think that at the core of it, every part of our life, be it work, health, love or creativity, needs three things to function well:
1. NIYA or Direction
Your honest why. The compass that points you where you actually want to go.
2. BARAKA or Nourishment
The energy that supports what you want. The things that make life feel lighter instead of heavier.
3. HIMMA or Activation
Your inner fire. The tiny moves that turn intention into movement.
And here’s what I’ve observed, if you miss one, the whole room is off kilter:
Missing Niya → you work hard but feel aimless.
Missing Baraka → you do the right things but end the day empty.
Missing Himma → you know what you want… but can’t begin.
But when all three come together? Things can shift really fast. You know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you create a rhythm that supports you, and your fire carries you forward in small, doable steps.
So I’ve turned the three concepts (or energies) into tools to scan our inner house, notice what’s loud, what’s neglected, and what needs to come back to life.
Try it today!
Choose one part of your life that feels under-used (a room that’s been closed for a while) and ask:
What do I actually want from this part of my life? niya
What nourishes this desire without draining me? baraka
What is one tiny action I can take today? himma
That’s it! It takes three questions… and of course real answers. And to make it even easier to get started, I created a no-hassle fillable form for you to try.
Hope this is helpful and that, in 2026, you will light up many of your inner rooms!
Heartfully,
Ratiba
