Mastering my peace, daily.
Mastering my peace, daily. Finding your peace (your true peace), is not an easy road. It’s taken me nearly 30 years to be comfortable in my skin, in my spirit, in my thoughts, without any self judgement, and yet, it’s still a learning and growing process. In order for me to feel and do my best everyday, I need to do the 4 things listed below. Now, everyday isn’t perfect but I’ve learned if I continue to work on my mind, body, and soul, it brings out the better parts of me. We all are different beings, what works for me may not work for you. I’ve found that doing these 4 things daily, truly makes me happier and more present. When we are present, we aren’t stressed or depressed about the memories of the past or anxious about what will happen tomorrow. We simply can just be.
1. Spend more time in nature.
When I was a little girl, I was in pretty outdoorsy. I was in girl scouts for about 6ish years, grew up going on fishing trips with my step-dad, and took family vacations to Yosemite and Bass Lake annually. Somewhere in my adult life, I disconnected from nature. I think a big part of that was living in the city where all you see are buildings and cars. When I moved to Pasadena, CA where there are lots of trees and beautiful scenery, I found that connection that I didn’t even know I was craving. Being able to breathe in fresh air, watching the leaves dance in the air, being able to look up and actually see the stars, automatically increases your mood. Theres so much science behind spending time in nature. It alleviates stress, anxiety, and depression. In return, nature brings a feeling of serenity, peace, and calm. Being in nature inspires creativity, and you can (and will) develop a deeper sense of spirituality. Going on a walk or simply sitting under a tree gives you a chance to clear your mind and can even be used as a type of meditation. It helps us live in the present moment. Overall, being in nature increases happiness. Isn’t that what we are all striving for? Go outside, be happy.
2. Meditate daily
People tend to assume that meditating is the act of sitting in silence until your brain stops thinking. This is why people say they can’t meditate or it’s too hard. We’re humans with active brains. Ou brains never stop thinking, even in our sleep. My definition of meditation is being in tune with one self. Yes, often times I sit crossed leg with my eyes shut and palms facing up, but that’s not the only way to meditate. I use journaling as an active meditation. Lately, I’ve been setting the timer for 11 minutes and writing for 11 uninterrupted minutes. It's a way to get a brain dump out on paper. You’ll be surprised what comes up. I also go on walks without my phone so I’m not tempted to check the gram or take pictures of the flowers. I also use yoga as a type of meditation. For me, yoga is a way to connect my mind to body to spirit. Do some sort of meditation, daily. Only you know what works best for you. The only way to learn is to do it.
3. Learn new things/ Follow your curiosity
We get so caught up in our day to day life and our current circumstances that we often forget that we are all students here on Earth. Everything in the past has taught us a lesson. Everything in the present is teaching us for our future. Don’t ever stop learning. Take the time to learn new things. What are your interest? What makes you feel excited? If money and time were no concern, what would you be doing? For example, no surprise that a passion of mine is yoga. When I started my yoga journey, it was mainly a way to workout. But that interest keep going deeper and deeper and that’s how I ended up taking my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I learned that yoga is SO much more than postures. This opened my eyes to a new way of living, a new way of thinking, a new way of being. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads you.
4. More soul, less ego
In January 2019, I got laid off from my corporate job. It was a huge surprise but an eye opening experience nonetheless. During this transition, I was listening to a lot of Oprah, I love her. One day in my car, I started listening to her podcast, SuperSoul Conversations. She interviews authors, spiritual leaders, and celebrities alike. In a specific episode, she was interviewing Eckhart Tolle, the author of a book called “A New Earth.” They dove into the book and had weekly discussions, chapter by chapter. I think this is the time my “awakening” began. The concept of the ego is what really caught my attention. I’ve always assumed that having a big ego is being cocky or overly confident, and even selfish. After listening to this podcast weekly, I learned a new way of seeing the ego. Eckhart describes the ego as a dysfunctional relationship with the present moment. Ego is no more than identification with forms- physical forms, thought forms, and emotional forms. “The ego tends to equate having with Being: I have, therefore I am. And the more I have, the more I am.” It’s not about what we have, but more about who we truly are. I really believe that social media sometimes makes us feel less than. We compare ourselves to others because what they have and what we don’t have. We find lack in ourselves because we do not have an X amount of followers, or don’t own the million dollar home, or don’t have the business model as someone else. In reality, those are just symbols- cars, houses, followers, money, etc. Things can not bring you happiness. Happiness comes from deep within. When we come from a place of Beingness, we are more inclined to make decisions and have thought patterns that come from our soul, rather than our ego. More soul, less ego. Saving this book for our Book Club- coming soon.
What does mastering your peace look like? What daily rituals do you have in place to find and protect your peace?
