When you think of peace, what do you think about? Do you see a pool of still water or a tranquil forest. Do you think of a certain country or a certain person who you think has a very smooth sailing life? Do you think of a crowd of people, happy and enjoying themselves like in a concert? What really does peace feel like? Now bring that closer into your mind… How does peace feel for you? Does it mean a life free from all the trouble, disagreement and strife? Well I hope that’s not it because you’ll never achieve that. Today I’m here to tell you about inner peace. This like all the other Heartfelt journeys is very personal and keeps evolving as you put your mind to it. For me, I hold my peace very close to heart because I have lived in days that I have felt everything slip away and the ground below me disintegrate yet still be required to keep moving forward. You know they say, time waits for no man! and I have come to know it’s true for women too.
Peace is one of those things that when it’s there, no one really pays any attention on how to maintain it, we barely even recognize that it is there. We go about just living enjoying the fruits of a tree we know nothing about. Once we loose it though, it feels like our lives have been turned upside down, it is a mess, we feel weak and defeated wondering what exactly happened. We loose control!
The dictionary defines peace as freedom from disturbance, tranquility. Inner peace however, is a bit more complicated because you can never really be free from disturbance. Inner peace is the deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors that arise in our everyday lives. What this means is that your peace depends entirely on the choices that you make each day; to either protect or loose that tranquility.
So how do we find this seemingly elusive peace? It begins with being brutally honest and true to yourself so that you can look within and begin to see the things that steal your peace. I should mention now that the mere fact that we are human is one of the biggest thieves of our peace. Our need to control the outcomes of situations leaves us feeling disappointed and down. Attachment to things or people could also lead to the same feelings since we have no control over the things that happen around us. So the first step to leaving a peaceful life would probably be to let go of all the things you can not control and focus on what you can. I have also noticed that vices like jealousy and pride work against our quest towards a peaceful life. Be happy for that person who made it before you for we only make it further by standing on the shoulders of those that came before us. Don’t let your ego deny you peace by not letting you see beyond your own faults and weaknesses.
We have to focus on finding peace to find it, what you spend most of your time thinking about is what you become. Practicing mindfulness in what we consume; in food, entertainment or friendships, plays a big role in living a peaceful life. It is important to take time each day to take note of how different experiences made us feel. I know, the food you consume doesn’t seem like it could have any direct effect on your mental peace but it does. If you eat well you have enough energy to carry out all that you need to do, that way, you end the day feeling fulfilled. That way you relax at the end of the day not stressing about how your day could have gone. Peaceful ain’t it? And on the point of letting things go, it’s okay to have a bad day, don’t let it get to you. We try again tomorrow!
Life is an interesting journey and through it we evolve and become better people, sometimes you will outgrow things or even people you once liked, don’t loose your peace trying to hold on to them. Allow yourself to evolve without need to explain yourself. Avoid trying to change others to fit into the new you because they probably won’t and that will end up being a burden on you. It also helps to be assertive with who you are becoming and not swaying with whatever others want you to be. Build a team of good company that allows you, actually encourages you, to be who you want to be, while holding you accountable incase you slip off the plan.
The basic virtues like gratitude go a long way. The more grateful you are the more you realize that even if the day seemed bad there are a couple things that went quite alright and that’s more than enough. I have noticed that your perspective going around your days holds a great power over you. There is always a different way to see things and I encourage you to see the better side and live a hope filled life. Being good in a world where things usually don’t go your way just because you are good may seem counter productive but I must say that it is very important to do and be good. Do this without expecting anything in return and you’ll see the difference. Your desires too must be aligned to your goodness.
Our peace is fragile and I honestly can’t confess to a day that I went around with my peace intact without the creeping in of negative thoughts and “what ifs”. It’s normal to loose it but its your job to train your mind to protect it. It starts by evaluating your thoughts and arresting them before you loose the train into negativity. You need to find what triggers any negativity and build boundaries to protect your “boarders”. It could be against people or experiences but that’s for you to honestly find out and work on. Spending time in nature calms us down and could help clear your mind enough to find the peace you desire. Regular exercise has also been proven to have the same effect. Meditation is just the best to calm your mind and deal with the thoughts that keep popping up, this way you can realize the thieves of your joy and work to protect yourself from them.
Yeah, life doesn’t always go how we want it to go, so let’s just learn to accept that it has the upper hand and work with whatever life throws at us; be it lemons or candy canes. Always remember you are not a finished product and enjoy whoever you are right now. If you wait till you are perfect to be happy, you’ll wait forever. Live each day knowing you have no assurance for the next, so don’t worry too much about the details and let life flow. There’s a little rule I use “if it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend 5 minutes worrying about it”. Most importantly you should know that there are very few things more disconnecting than living a life you weren’t meant to live, so just make sure to stick to your lane.
Peace for me feels like the beats to a chill pop song like Saturday nights by Khalid, flowing slowly and calmly in the background. A predictable sequence of instruments that sooth my mind & body. I think like this mostly because of how much I love music, I think I can describe all my feelings with a song or at least a beat. Now how does peace feel for you? You describe it with whatever feels right and fight to keep it with all you have coz you deserve it as much as I do.
Life in Colour 