Developing Inner Peace

By Linney Elder Isn't inner peace what we all strive for? So why is it often so very hard to achieve? Well, perhaps because we forget that the peace we seek is inside us, not outside. We have been conditioned to believe that we have to have a certain type of house, in a certain suburb, with a certain car in the drive, and certain furniture – oh and don't forget the swimming pool out back. Great, wonderful, these are all lovely material possessions to enjoy and fill our lives with. But there is always a trade-off. Once we acquire these material possessions, do they bring us peace? It's more likely that they bring us a huge amount of debt, credit card bills and keep us in a 9 to 5 job that we probably don't enjoy, but can't afford to leave either. Where's the peace in that? Developing inner peace requires that we begin with our Self. We have to love and approve of our Self, just as we are – warts and all. Not worry about the opinions of other people. Following the crowd and latest trends in fashion etc. is not going to bring us true inner peace. It may bring a certain amount of pleasure, but it's usually short lived. How often do we stop rushing around doing meaningless things long enough to watch a beautiful sunrise, enjoy the waves crashing on the beach, or the feel of sand under our feet? Listen to the wind in the trees, or just enjoy the feel of the sun on our faces? How often do we take the time out to notice the myriad changing colours in the sky at sunset, or the cloud formations on a stormy day? How often do we give our full attention to our loved ones? How often do we smile at a complete stranger in passing? How often do we spontaneous compliment, or hug, another person? How often do we take the time to do something just for ourselves, just because it's something that gives us pleasure? How often do we make time to do something creative, to express our inner feelings and emotions? Like most people, we are far too busy rushing to get things done, get to places, to meetings, to the grocery store before it closes – or home in time to watch our favourite soapy, so we can forget the real world for a few precious minutes and just escape into a fantasy place. Sadly, when the soapy episode finishes, we usually drag ourselves right back onto the crazy roundabout of life once again. Imagine for a moment how different our lives would be without TV to distract us 24/7. How much slower our pace of life might be without electricity, without cars, without rushing to get to and from the office every day. Imagine how much more quality time we could spend with our loved ones. There was a time, not so long ago, when humans lived like that. Some choose to live that simpler way still, and many are choosing to revert to that kind of uncomplicated lifestyle - more connected with the earth and nature, improving their quality of life. Now, I am not suggesting that this is for everyone, nor should we all chuck up everything we've worked so hard to acquire. There is nothing wrong with enjoying material possessions. The trick is to find balance between the material world and your inner spiritual world. Harmony and peace exist inside us and can be accessed anywhere, at any time, at no cost. How wonderful is that! We all love a FREE gift…. We should each take time out every day to still our minds. Simply sit in silence allowing our whole physical being to relax, just breathe in-out, releasing any tension in our body or minds, nothing more. Just BE. We should learn to enjoy the perfect moment that we are in right NOW – consciously aware of the small things, the little pleasures we so often take for granted or simply don't notice in our hectic lives. Learn to develop an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude for all the many blessings we have – the people in our lives, the good health we enjoy, whatever funds we have - however meagre, our homes, the beautiful place we live. I am sure we can each create a very long list of things we're personally grateful for. The Universe in its infinite wisdom always provides what we need, when we need it. If we adopt this gentler attitude, being grateful for what we already have, and learn to share the abundance that the Universe provides, there is no need for constantly striving to acquire more in an effort to create happiness and peace in our lives. We also need to let go of the belief that someone else is going to create the happiness for us. They can't. No one can "make" us happy; the happiness comes from deep inside us. We should not put the burden on another person, it's not fair. When we learn to love ourselves first and be happy with who we are, as we are, then we will attract happy people into our lives. The power is inside us! The happiness and peace are already there – inside us! All we need to do is accept it and go into that quiet place on a regular basis. Learn to breathe deeply to release anxiety in our minds and bodies. Learn to love ourselves unconditionally and just say "thank you" for all that we have in our life.