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Inner Peace
Are you content and at inner peace? Or are you insecure and filled with worry? Imagine your life with more inner peace. Imagine it as fully as you can. Would you feel better about yourself and your life? Your answer may be a resounding yes, but it's not always clear how to obtain this inner peace. How do we gain inner peace when things are seemingly not going our way? Many famous saints, sages, prophets and philosophers like Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammed, the Dalai Lama and countless others have all called us to the experience of peace within our selves. Yet few of us have found the treasure they all point to. DEFINING INNER PEACE It might help to understand what inner peace is and isn't. Inner peace is not a state obtained where finally everything about our self, our life, and our world is perfect. Inner peace is not found at the end of a goal. Instead, it is an internal sense of calm in which we receive all life's experiences. It is the ability to handle situations and conflicts, in life and in ourselves, with acceptance, empathy, and creativity. Inner peace can also be defined as having a calmness and general freedom from anxiety. Inner peace is about connection: to self, to nature (earth), to a higher self, and to others. And in my experience, those connections occur in that order. If you do not experience inner peace with any aspect of your current life - whether it be with your body, occupation, partner, home, etc. - you will not have inner peace by merely losing weight, changing your job or partner, or moving. Inner peace doesn't come from the outside. If you aren't peaceful with your life situation now, moving may be, at best, a temporary band-aid. There's an old adage which applies here: "Wherever you go, there you are." If you don't love your body now, you won't love it later. If you don't experience joy now, you won't find it magically waiting for you at the end of your goal. Inner peace isn't given to you because you've worked hard enough, attained your goal, achieved the perfect body, or been a "good" little boy or girl. Inner peace is something you decide that you are worthy of. Not something you must earn. Rather a decision you make because you decide your are deserving. Or you decide you are not deserving, but you will have this inner peace anyway. Doesn't matter which, just as long as you make the decision. So achieving inner peace has to do with re-discovering the greater truth of who we are. And like it or not, working through emotions and problems is the only path to meaning, fulfillment and spiritual growth. WHAT IS THE PATH? There is no one path to inner peace. Despite promises, no one can give you inner peace. The path does not lie outside of you or with another person. Inner peace is a state that we can all experience - if we are willing to be with ourselves and give up our self-hatred. Inner peace is gained when we decide that who we are is worthy of being empowered and expressed on earth. Each of us will find inner peace in our own way. It may be achieved as a gift from a higher being, or a strength within ourselves, or through the loving guidance of another who wishes to share a higher state of being. What you search for is inside of you and the journey must be into yourself. And each of us will find our own ways to return to this state of calmness, perfection and strength. A starting point is to make a decision to allow yourself a quiet place to escape to. It doesn't have to be a big space. Just some place that is yours alone. Next, set aside some time to go to that place each day. Even if it's only for a few minutes. Bring your spiritual, personal, and creative energy into the space by adding flowers, rocks, candles, incense, images of your favorite deities, or pictures of loved ones. Personalize it with anything that symbolizes love and peace. What to do while you are in your sacred space? There is no right or wrong thing to do here. The simple act of creating your own space and allowing time for yourself will create miracles. You may choose to sit quietly with yourself. Accepting relaxation may be the beginnings of self-worth. Listening to your inner thoughts may be the beginnings of self-esteem. Take a few minutes to stop the business of the day. Quiet the chatter of the mind long enough to hear the whispers of the soul. Some people may find the road to inner peace through prayer. You might play around with the letting go of all of your thoughts. Let go of your hopes and desires. Let go of your fears and your perceptions of failure. Let go of everything except the sense of being love and being connected to love. You may wish to connect with Self and Universe, and recognize what is truly important to the individual Self. For others, meditation may hold the key, while still others may find the bridge to inner peace through the process of journaling. Peace is obtained little by little. Gradually, it becomes a subtle undercurrent that runs through each moment of your life. I do not know who has originally said the following words, but they seem appropriate to end this column: "Fear knocked at the door. SIGNS OF A GROWING INNER PEACE Some signs and symptoms of growing Inner Peace: Choosing to think thoughts that bring inner peace (rather than worry). Deciding (regularly) to fill the physical body with relaxation and love and fun...(no matter what the perceived problem or weight or limitation). Reading and thinking inspiring and empowering thoughts. Filling life with silence, beautiful music, flowers. Trusting our own inner self more than anything or anyone outside ourselves. Choosing to open to creative empowered solutions...instead of black and white, right or wrong. Taking back one's own power...recognizing that the source of happiness lies inside...and the cause of one's problems is inside (not outside). Recognizing that love is created within...not something given or taken away by others. Loving is a state of being. Remembering & feeling gratitude in all things and situations. Deciding to relax and enjoy the moment...even those that are scary, anxious, nervous, etc. Connecting regularly to self, nature, "God", and others. Allowing things to happen rather than to control and make them happen. Not as easily pulled into the dramas of those around you,nor taken into their emotional upheavals. Balance in the enjoyment of life and the creative activity of life. Copyright 2005, Dr. Annette Colby, all rights reserved. Dr. Annette Colby, RD "Opening Creative Portals to Success" For free inspirational newsletter, articles & info visit:http://www.LovingMiracles.com
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Help News pick Stadium's greatest moment (New York Daily News) The News is marking the countdown to the final game at The House That Ruth Built by reflecting on Yankee Stadium's greatest moments - and we're asking you - the reader - to help us pick out the best of the best. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (> required at line 14, column 29) in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/happiness/magpierss/rss_fetch.inc on line 238 Site: Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/happiness/inc/ads-body.inc on line 52 MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for happiness 'Harvest Moon' sows little happiness at 10 (USA Today) Originally launched on the Super Nintendo, the "Harvest Moon" series of video games is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of "Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness" for the Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, unless you have extreme patience, you will not experience much happiness with this software title that suffers from difficult controls and tedious game play. Gretchen Rubin: Balanced Life: Happiness Project: Dig deep. (HuffingtonPost) I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit.... Taller people have the edge when it comes to happiness (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Taller people are happier on average than shorter people, with each extra inch in height giving as much satisfaction as a four percent increase in income, according to a U.S. study. The price of happiness? £365 a year I'd say (Times Online) In Birmingham once, I was given a peek inside a majestic Victorian bank that had been closed for years. It's probably a dodgy nightclub now. In which case, its new punters may be a little startled by the stern admonishments emblazoned on its marble walls. ?Thrift radiates happiness? one declared. Pursuit of Happiness (The Moscow Times) The upcoming theater season is guaranteed to be full of the usual thrills, spills and creative performances. John Freedman reports. Ben Lewis proposes that jokes had a role in the end of the U.S.S.R. Famous Comedian's Cousin Says Happiness is Half Genetic (PRWeb) Rima Rudner, first cousin of top standup Rita Rudner, says the reason some people are happier and more fulfilled than others is at least 50% in their genes. "This does not necessarily mean that a woman who wears size 4 jeans is happier than one who wears size 16 jeans," says Rudner, author and happiness coach. "It means that happiness can be as hard to achieve for a genetically unhappy person ... Happiness and Wellbeing at Work Conference (Australian Policy Online) Follows the success of last year's conference including seminars and workshops facilitated by some of Australia's leading experts on psychology, leadership and workplace relations, The aim of this conference is for our expert speakers to provide strategies that will allow the mindful leader to create solutions for generating increased productivity through the dominant value of employee ... Happiness is a daily special at Island Soul Caribbean Cuisine (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) A visit to Island Soul will put a smile on your face thanks to its friendly servers and a menu that plays like a greatest hits of the Caribbean. When happiness means more than money (The Kansas City Star) Midcareer job changers may be the nation's best hope to fill an estimated 1.5 million teaching vacancies expected in the next 10 years.But $50,000 a year may be the magic number to entice most of them to the profession. The science of happiness (Los Angeles Times) Being happy has always seemed like a good idea. But now science, with research to back it up, can finally show us how to get there. True or false: Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (> required at line 14, column 29) in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/happiness/magpierss/rss_fetch.inc on line 238 Site: Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/happiness/inc/rss.php on line 26 |
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