Making Peace

I believe one of the many things that we have all learned over the last number of years is that there is very little that we actually control.

Last week I wrote about my struggle with being a control freak and following what is unfolding.

I have a friend who refers to it as the "illusion of control".

When we look at the global events all around us, the turmoil that seems to enter our lives, and the hectic pace that our society is addicted to, it can seem almost impossible to find any level of peace.

However, despite the perceived chaos, we can find peace and I have found that peace begins with awareness.

I recently found this quote by Thich Nhat Hanh, who is a spiritual leader and peace activist:

"Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life…, our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive."

Awareness of how we are feeling, how our bodies are responding, what we are giving our minds to, and where we are spending our time all play into our response to stress.

A few things I have done to help quiet my mind, raise my awareness, and find peace:

• I have deleted my news apps from my phone and turned off the alerts for my emails and all applications.
• I have limited the time I spend on social media.
• When I wake up in the morning, I spend some time in the quiet taking notice of my thoughts, praying, and taking a mental note of what and how I am feeling.
• I often drive in silence and take notice of my thoughts.
• I take mental breaks throughout my workday - I will go for a walk, spend time looking out my office window and make time to sit in silence so I can think with no noise or mental clutter.

I encourage you to find things that will enable you to find your peace despite what may be all around you.

I encourage you to be mindful, and in so doing to be truly alive!

Tell me how it is going and what you do to find your peace as we can all learn from each other.

On the journey with you,

Carlos

P.S. We will be kicking off a new Life Design Cohort on June 7th. If you are interested, you can find more details here.