I will never forget a moment in my little old Mazda 1300 car about 30 years ago! I was driving and international speaker around in Syndey as social convenor of a conference. He asked me 'what is it that you most want in life right now?"
To my utter amazement out of my mouth literally 'fell' the words 'inner peace'! I looked around the car in shock and thought 'WHO said that?"! Although at the time it did not consciously trigger any changes in my being, i am sure unconsiously it sent me off on a path to find inner peace.
Over the years since then, I have studied and researched many different topics that have been like jigsaw puzzle pieces I am putting together! The Gospel of Joy, a book I wrote recently, sums it up pretty well for me!
Inner peace comes from many different aspects of our lives. And there are moments of it - so far i have not found a way to be like the Dalai Lama, whom I imagine is full of inner peace all the time! LOL
But when I stop and breathe and enjoy a moment of great beauty or laughter or friendship or love, I find I am peaceful! When i am kind to myself, it's easier to feel peace.
When I eradicate fear, it has a huge impact on my peace levels! Recognizing the fear is the first step for me and I suspect most people! So now, when i feel fear in my gut or somewhere else in my body, I stop and do something to eradicate that fear and peace returns!
Rushing is another bioggie for me! When I am rushing and telling myself I have so little time and so much to do - inner peace flies away!
Enough about me! What about you? What sorts of things make you feel peaceful? Are you conscious of how much fear there is inside you and how it rules many behaviors? Can you observe patterns of thinking and therefore behavior that you have which make you feel stressed, fearful, anxious or rushed?
Set yourself a target today to catch the moments of 'anti peace' - whatever form it takes and at that moment, stop, breathe and see if fear is present. Remembering that fear stands for false evidence appearing real, challenge your thinking (and fear) and see if peace suddenly returns! Life will be easier, more productive and wayyyy more joyful!
QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION What did you discover about yourself as you read this blog?
