Amid the chaos of life, there are people who give off a feeling of peace and calm, no matter the circumstances. Do you know someone like that? I always wonder how they manage to stay grounded in a world that rarely promotes a feeling of peace. This week’s Simple Living Sunday theme is finding peace. Let’s work on it together!
There is peace even in the storm.
Vincent van Gogh
Three simple pleasures and highlights
Last week’s simple living theme was gratitude. With that in mind, I made an extra effort to journal my thoughts every day. Here are three highlights of the week:
- We had a major snowstorm here on Monday—the biggest single day snowfall in this area in about 15 years. I was grateful to be working from home so I could stay safe and warm.
- On Tuesday evening, we had our first jam session of the year. It felt so good to get together with the band and sing the songs I’ve been working on for the last few weeks.
- There’s a beautiful black cat who has been visiting us regularly over the last few weeks. We’re not sure who owns him but he seems to like hanging out in our back garden. I love black cats so I always smile when I see him.
So despite a few challenges at work, it turned out to be a good week overall. Let’s see what this week brings.
This week’s simple living focus: Finding peace
One Christmas when my daughter Colleen was about six or seven years old, she asked Santa for world peace. A few weeks after Christmas we were watching the news and she commented “That doesn’t look like world peace.” I don’t remember the exact answer I gave her. It recall it was something like the only path to world peace is for everyone to change their behaviour, and even Santa can’t control people’s actions.
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix
Years later, I often think of that conversation with my daughter in light of the current state of humanity. The more I contemplate finding peace, the more I realize that it’s something that has to come from within. Much as we’d like to, we can’t change what’s going on in the outside world.
Peace can become a lens through which you see the world. Be it. Live it. Radiate it out. Peace is an inside job.
Wayne Dyer
So if we can’t change the world, what can we do? A good place to start is focusing on transforming our own little corner of the planet to make it more peaceful. That’s exactly what I had in mind when I made simple living my personal focus for this year—a more tranquil and less stressful existence.
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Three things to do this week
More tranquility and less stress? Sound wonderful, so here’s my plan for this week to make my world just a little more peaceful.
Spend time in quiet every day
If we’re serious about finding peace, we have to make time in our day to be quiet and still. It doesn’t need to be a long time—just five or ten minutes of calm and tranquility can set the tone for the rest of the day.
I’m an early riser so I’m always up long before anyone else in our house. That quiet time is when I do my best thinking and writing.
This week, instead of jumping right in to the day’s activities, I’ll take five or ten minutes to enjoy the peace and stillness of the morning. Five minutes just to breathe, reflect and be grateful. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?
Stay in the moment
Worry is something that can rob us of our peace. What do we worry about? It’s rarely about what’s happening right now. We worry about what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow.
Remember those people I mentioned earlier who always give off a feeling of peace and calm. What’s their secret? I think they’ve figured out that they key to finding peace is staying in the moment. They know we can’t undo what happened yesterday, and we definitely can’t control what will happen tomorrow.
This week, when worries start to creep into my head, I’ll remind myself those worries are stealing today’s peace.
Pause before reacting
It’s easy to get sucked into the drama and complaining that’s all around us. I’m often quick to react when something goes wrong. Left unchecked, that initial reaction can quickly spiral into anger and frustration.
There’s an old saying that you should count to ten before losing your temper, and it’s very sage advice.
Bear with me for a quick exercise. Close your eyes and count slowly to ten. Before you open your eyes, make a mental note of how you feel. Did that feel like more than ten seconds? Did you feel calmer when you opened your eyes? Ten seconds is just long enough to clear your mind and take the edge off that irritant.
This week, I’m going to make a conscious effort to slow down and pause before reacting to the little—and big—obstacles that come my way. Unlike the previous point about staying in the moment, this pause is about not letting day-to-day annoyances steal my peace.
These small changes may not turn me into one of those people who exude peace and tranquility, but I hope they will get me just a little bit closer.
How do you maintain your inner peace? Tell me your thoughts below.
Peace really does need to come from within and when we finally find it or feel it, it’s best to radiate it as you mentioned. The state of the world (in all eras of history) has been, at times, troubling but knowing we can model what we hope to see in the world hopefully we make the difference.
Gosh – that snow storm buried my back and front yard! LOL we’re still dealing with the snow… where can we put it!?! lol
I think it helps to accept that we can only control our own behaviour. That alone promotes a feeling of peace!
Yes, We need a truck to take away the snow…and it has snowed here pretty much every day since the big storm. Is it spring yet? LOL
I’m going to try the 10-second pause when I feel stressed. A lovely post.
Thanks Rachel. I’ve written a reminder on a sticky note on my desk that says “PEACE – PAUSE”. Hopefully it will remind me.
Colleen’s so cute in wishing for world peace. And yes, seeing chaos on tv wasn’t very peaceful… not at all… You’ve explained the reality of it, that’s the only explanation she needed…
It is difficult to pause before reacting but I have recently learned how (though from a hard and extremely humiliating way)… we certainly lose when we lose it!
Right. Losing it isn’t helpful at all. I wrote “Peace” and “Pause” on a sticky note on my desk to remind me. Something else I heard was to do quick mindfulness exercises after a stressful meeting. There are lots of tips…it’s remembering to do them in the moment that’s the problem.
Inner peace? Running! Lots of running, especially lately. Ha ha.
I’m not a runner but I can see how it would help. Walking outdoors does the same thing for me.
Just disconnecting from the house and the kids and the job and focusing on something separate is enough.
Finding peace and keeping that feeling is a skill that I have been working on. It was never an issue before, but ever since my sister cut me out, I find myself randomly thinking of a mean comment she made or how much she avoids me. It makes me sad and can lead to a spiral of negative thinking. I have been working on stopping my thoughts, reassuring myself that I did everything I could to repair our relationship, and then I refocus. Sometimes that is going outside and enjoying a beautiful day, watching my kids play, or taking a moment to sit and be still.
I’m going to try closing my eyes and counting to ten next time. Spending time rehashing the past or stressing about the future is no way to live.
Aww. I’m sorry to hear about your sister Suzanne. It is hard to understand why things like that happen sometimes. It sounds like you’re doing a good job trying to refocus. Counting to ten is something I will practise this week…especially at work. LOL
It is difficult to understand but dwelling on it and feeling bad about it hasn’t gotten me anywhere. Thanks for the reminder to seek peace and stay in the moment.
Early, early mornings are my favorites. I try to read, meditate, and write–all while having “couch time” with my cat, Isidore. It’s been a pleasure to work from home for many reasons, but more time for couch time is on the top of the list. I’m going to get up extra early to continue my routine when I head back to the office in a week. Great post!
Aww. That sounds wonderful. Just hearing a cat purr, immediately makes you feel more peaceful. I really miss that!
Such a thoughtful post about peace. Finding peace seems hard especially when the today’s world and what’s all happening every day.
Honesty, I can’t answer this, but one thing I’m doing for past 3 years is morning meditation. It’s all that I have for Finding peace even a bit of it.
Good to hear your week spent well.
Have a great week ahead.
Thanks Ritish. I think meditation, or even just quiet time when we shut out the world’s distractions, is a great first step. It is a difficult thing in today’s world.
You have a wonderful week too!
That’s right, Michelle.
It’s a great start to find peace and away from any distractions.
Great plan for the week. I’m enjoying your series. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Monty. I find these little weekly themes keep me grounded and focused.