The Search for Inner Peace

When people were asked to rate what’s most important for them to have in their lives, inner peace scored as one of the highest ranking goals. Yet, for many, it’s difficult to achieve inner peace consistently.

There are moments when we feel its presence and the all-inclusive calm it brings. Yet, in the next moment it can suddenly disappear.

A loss, a fear, an unexpected event can wrench that peace from us and shift us into a different mental, emotional and energetic place. Now is the time to anchor it into our awareness, our hearts and our being.

To be at peace is a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace despite whatever upheavals or discord play around us. And lately, we have to admit that there’s a lot that can be disarming and worrisome.

Without inner peace, we may constantly feel bombarded by the stresses of life, falling victim to the ebb and flow of daily existence. When we are steadied and grounded in our feelings of ease and calm, we respond to the world, the people around us and to our own inner terrain with that same peaceful energy. How do we achieve it?

Three A’s of Inner Peace:
Inner peace is about living in acceptance, alignment and altruism.

1. Acceptance:
Being at peace contributes to our overall health. One measure of health is reflected in our attitude about ourselves and others.

Accept you in all dimensions of your darkness and light, embracing your imperfections and your unique gifts at the same time.

Accept the process of your own evolution and awakening and be patient and loving with yourself as you catch up with your idealized image.

Acceptance includes shining a loving light on those areas of self we desire to improve or transform. We do this without self-judgment and with gentle awareness that it’s time to shift. We learn the techniques and skills necessary to navigate us.

2. Alignment:
Inner peace is present when we strive to align our values, beliefs and truths with our actions and our words. We strive to attain this, not always perfectly, yet we're mindful of our goal. Staying on the course of our soul and our inner truths is fulfilling and strengthens our character.

3. Altruism:
Our inner peace is ultimately linked to that of others and to the understanding of our interconnectedness and oneness.
Indifference to others, to their feelings and to their plight is counterproductive to our human condition and to the creation of global and inner harmony. It creates discord within us and brings up symptoms of anger, fear, jealousy and envy.

When we give back, we increase the loving natural flow within us and around us, and we feel more at ease. We shift from being self-consumed with our own problems, wants and worries to recognize and tend to the needs of others. It changes how we feel; giving feels rewarding to us as well as to the recipient.

Acceptance, alignment and altruism can open your heart to receive inner peace and to extend that inner peace to others.