Peace

What do you think would bring you peace? Seek you inner peace. Be serious and honest in your pursuit of it. Meditation and/or reflection in a quiet space will help you. I think you know intuitively just how that peace would feel within you. It will feel different from joy or excitement. It may be like the smooth waters of a still lake on a cloudless day. It may be like the white silence after a passing blizzard. It may be like the soothing trickle of a fountain in a shaded courtyard on a hot day.

Photo: Zen Garden

If you are compassionate to yourself, you will work to achieve your personal peace. This is your source of compassion for all others. This is the source of peace for all mankind. Living in your own personal peace opens your mind and heart to others and to your environment. This requires determined practice in a materialistic, overpopulated world with monumental problems.

Daily meditation, yoga and/or aerobic exercise with proper diet, relatively free of caffeine or intoxicants, help greatly. Carving daily spaces in your life for experiencing and relishing your personal peace is essential. These spaces don't have to be too time consuming. Ten minutes a couple of times a day at first will work wonders for you. Just focus on your breathing and meditate in a safe space. Or, take part of your lunch break to walk in a neutral environment away from your work. Meditate on what you see as you walk. Smell the air. Look at the faces around you. Try smiling as you move along. Take occasional deep breaths.

Identifying and pursuing your personal peace is not complicated. It simply takes a commitment to yourself to begin the journey and stay on it. This is the commitment to a personal practice, which defines the intentional, mindful life.