I am not a super woo-woo kind of person, but I take my learnings where I find them and life has certainly thrown some lessons at me in the past few years. One such lesson is, can we live without inner peace?
Inner peace is the polar opposite of extreme stress. You don’t know it’s missing from your body until you regain total control of it again. Even small stressors in your life can disrupt the calmness and goodness associated with having inner peace.
Inner peace begins when you choose not to allow other person or event to control your emotions
Most people don’t know they’re missing it because modern life if full of stress.
How would it be to act like a kid again? No responsibility, no pressure, no expectations. Everyone starts out with an abundance of inner peace. Kids, even though they show every emotion on their face and through their actions let it all go physically and yet they are true masters of their domain. When a child throws a TANTRUM there is little you can do to stop it, I’ve heard it said “that kid is out of control”, but actually they are more in control than you or I, as they hold their own council and reasoning inside and only cease when they are good and ready. They have no understanding of peer pressure or social expectations that as we mature we place on ourselves. They are at peace once they’ve let it all go. Adults are the ones who feel the turmoil.
There is a secret to finding and maintaining your inner peace once maturity hits. Life seems to be one big frustration. ROAD RAGE, technology rage….KIDS, parents…..decisions made by others that you have no control over. These are just some of the modern frustrations we face.
I let expectation lead me for a very long time and it stole my inner peace, my inner goddess. Work expectations were the worst, I dressed I as was expected to dress even if it didn’t suit me, I wore my hair as a woman of my age should, even though I wanted long luscious locks. I wore my closed in shoes everyday as was required, even though my feet were longing to be barefoot (maybe I kicked my shoes off under the table once or twice in rebellion) but I know my feet were meant to be in wide open spaces, they’re big for a reason.
We are all tested by opportunity.
How did I go about re-finding my inner peace?
Here are my seven areas that I needed to take on to achieve my goal:
- FOCUS on the good in life…what is right for me, not what is expected or demanded. Take time every morning to relax and set your goals for the day.
- CONTROL, a very wise mentor gave me the confidence to SAY NO and not feel guilty. It’s not as easy as it sounds but there are ways to justify maintaining CONTROL of your emotions. Being a people pleaser can get you into all sorts of situations you don’t want to be in. How you spend your time should be your decision and your decision only.
- COMPASSION, Learn to let people be themselves…don’t be judgemental or take on their woes. Ensure you are happy with your choices and own them. Others who are unhappy will always try to bring you down but staying strong will allow compassion to be at the fore.
- VISUALISATION. If you want to be at peace, visualise it. If you want the outcome of a situation, see it in your mind first and allow it to happen.
- AFFIRMATION. Give yourself permission to shine and be authentic. Take positive influence where ever you find it. Write it down as a reminder.
- ACCEPTANCE. Accept yourself for who you are, all your faults and flaws are what make you unique and beautiful (or handsome as the case may be.)
- GRATITUDE. Everyday share you gratitude with the world, put it out there and let everyone know what makes your life so great. It will allow you to focus on the good and encourage others to do so too.
After all that, I can’t and don’t want to live without inner peace. The trick is taking these seven areas and weaving them into your everyday life.
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