Sunday, May 30, 2010

Peace of Mind


"peace.  it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.  it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." (unknown)

Peace of mind is the absence of mental stress or anxiety.  I quite admire those who are able to live their lives in a peaceful state (please identify yourselves!).  I was researching 'inner peace" and I found a brief article on Wikipedia that was really good. I agree that "peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness".  Then I started looking up "inner peace" and found an article by a great author, Susan Jeffers.  Her article is called, Nine Ways to Find Peace of Mind.  Here is her advice, summarized:

1.  Un-set your heart.  This means let go of how you want it all to be.  Let go of control.

2.  Create a "wondering" life instead of a "hoping" life.  Replace those thoughts of "I hope" with "I wonder".

3.  Choose the path of trust.  Believe that no matter what happens in your life or in this world, you will have the inner strength to create something good from it all.

4.  Increase your inner sense of power.  Believe that whatever happens to you or in this world, you will be able to handle it.

5.  Collect Heroes. These are people who have overcome adversity in their lives and created good in the world.  Example:  Christopher Reeves, Michael J. Fox.  Learn from them.  Let them lead by example.

6.  Focus on the learning.  You can learn from and find strength from anything that happens to you.

7.  Embrace the thought, "It's all happening perfectly".  Look for the good in any situation that life hands us.

8.  Focus on the blessings.  Find the beauty and wonder in those things we generally take for granted (ie. a shower or a great meal).

9.  Get involved.  Keep repeating to yourself: "My life has meaning and I will do whatever I can to make this a better world."  Volunteer or help others.

Powerful words of wisdom and great reinforcement for someone who is pursuing inner peace and happiness.  Sometimes it's difficult to focus on the positive, but it certainly helps when we can.  In my opinion, it can be done with some effort and reminders.

Have a peaceful day!

~Angela

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