Inner peace, isn't that what we would all like to experience consistently as we make our way through all that life offers us? The good news is that it is much easier to achieve than many of our outer (material or physical) goals. The bad news is that simple is not always easy! Achieving inner peace is not easy because it means replacing old habits with new ones, and that requires dedicated effort. But the benefits are absolutely worth it.
Inner peace allows you to live your life with a sense of happiness, fulfilment and satisfaction that is not disturbed or affected by outside events. How do you get it? By living your life your own way, not the way others think you should.
By not worrying about what others think of you - we all judge others (both positively and negatively) based on our own values, but if we try to live our lives in a way that honours someone else's values rather than our own, we will always have a little niggling discomfort deep inside.
Inner peace
To experience it, we must also be able to forgive and let go of guilt. Forgive yourself and forgive others. Feeling guilty about past actions will not change them and will not make anyone feel better (you or the person you hurt). Do what you can to put things right, resolve to do better in the future and move on.
Similarly, letting go of rage or resentment trigger a surprising sense of inner peace. Think about it - how does holding onto these negative emotions help you? And do you think they hurt those against whom you insult them more than they hurt you? Not at all. They are your emotions and you are the only person they can harm.
Of course, it can be very difficult to forgive someone who has hurt you, but what I have come to realise is that most people do not set out to harm others, and those who do are deeply unhappy themselves. The motivation behind their action was most likely some kind of fear or old heartbreak rather than intentionally wanting to cause pain or hurt. And conceived in that context, it is easier to let go and experience inner peace.
And with a little practice in forgiving, you will find that you even get less irritated or angry with people in the future. If you can shake things off and not take things personally (it's really about them, and not about you at all), you will have a greater sense of inner peace. Our happiness is determined by how we think about the events in our lives, rather than by the events themselves. The suffering is not in the facts themselves but in our perception of the facts. Take charge of your thoughts and you take charge of your emotions. This is mediumship with two feet on the ground.
To achieve inner peace, you also have to let go of worries. Hmm, another tricky one! Worrying is similar to guilt. Worrying about what may or may not happen is completely unproductive and destroys your ability to fully enjoy the present moment. A great shame that, since the present moment is all we really have.
So, how do we learn to let go of worry, guilt and anger? Well, the first thing is to become aware of what we are thinking when we feel worried, guilty or angry. Notice what is going on in your inner dialogue and recognise that it is your thoughts about the external event that are causing you to feel the way you feel, not the event itself. Then reframe your thoughts to put what is happening around you in a more positive light. When you find yourself thinking the old thought, banish it immediately and replace it with the new one. This is a journey to find deeper and deeper inner peace experience.
Also inner peace has a mirror function: “No one can create negativity or stress in you. It is always old cargo from a traumatic experience once that meditating and relaxing do not help. However, a medium online or a clairvoyant give you temporary or partial peace. Only you can do that based on how you process your world.” -Doctor Wayne Dyer. It will take practice, but with patience and perseverance, you will develop a lighter inner dialogue that will create a sense of well-being and inner peace promotes, and the world will feel like a much better place to live in!