How to achieve peace of mind
"Peace of mind that can only be achieved through complacency, knowing that you have taken the effort to do the best you can." - John Holz
I help a friend find their peace of mind (or as I like to put it, their "peaceful rest").
He is a high achiever, ambitious and warm-hearted. He likes to help. And he often feels as though he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I want to give him the best tools I know to really help him establish his peace of mind. I see it more like a journey than a destination. (Or to put it another way: I see it less as a problem to be solved, but more as a dilemma to be overcome).
My goal is to get him to a better place quickly and inspire him to calm down for the rest of his life.
And the nice thing is, he can take his peace of mind with him wherever he goes ... it will always be with him.
What is Peace of Mind?
My dictionary says that peace of mind is "a mental state of calm of calm, a freedom from worry and fear".
Well, that sounds like a worthy pursuit.
It's at the top of inner peace, and I like the way Wikipedia describes it:
"Inner peace refers to a conscious state of mental or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors."
I like to think of peace of mind as "peaceful rest," and I remember one mentor who said, "Brains work better when they're rested and relaxed".
But I really like the way John Wooden thinks about peace of mind. When I first heard John Wooden during an interview, I had noticed the simple rules he lived by that helped him make sense and find happiness. It was the first time I heard someone say that success is "peace of mind".
And his way of achieving it was easy too:
“Do your best where you can”.
What a great way to shape success and prepare to live its potential for a lifetime.
3 quotes that illuminate the power and possibility of peace of mind
I picked 3 specific quotes that I think form the basis of peace of mind:
“Never be in a hurry. Do everything calmly and in a calm mind. Do not lose your peace of mind for anything. Even if your whole world seems troubled. ”- Saint Francis de Sales
“Love and peace of mind protect us. They allow us to overcome the problems that life gives us to survive ... to live now ... to have the courage to face ourselves every day. ”- Bernie Siegel
"Peace of mind is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, not as you see fit." - Wayne Dyer
They are just ideas, but I find quotes that share the wisdom of the centuries and modern sages right in your mental fingertips to be of great power.
I asked him to look for 3 quotes that will help him get a better idea of what peace of mind could mean for him.
3 types of meditation
He already knows meditation, but I wanted to give him a different perspective to evaluate his mediation approaches, to see if there could be a more precise or deeper way to accelerate or intensify his existing efforts.
I have summarized the 3 types of meditation because I know that they change the brain differently and help with different challenges:
Presence - this is about focusing your attention while hiking, paying attention to your breath and feeling inner body sensations.
Affect - this is about strengthening your compassion and empathy (“loving kindness”).
Perspective - This is about observing your own thoughts without judgment, and it will help you improve your ability to understand other people's perspectives.
I suggested that practicing the "Presence" module could be a key to reducing his anxiety.
I figured if he has practiced getting really good at the Presence it will help him refocus his mind if necessary, or re-calibrate his breath or tune into his senses when he hits the ground regain and find its solid foundation.
I was starting to get prophetic and poetic, but I kept myself from seeing all of Dr. To put Seuss on him. I remember a few lines from a poem, I believe by Yoli Ramazzina, that should be read like "Green Eggs and Ham":
"Sun Salutation and Warrior Two"
My blood pumps and flows through
My body is strong, my mind is still
I feel centered, zen and relaxed. "
He does yoga, so I thought he would like the connection between yoga and practicing peace of mind.
I help a friend find their peace of mind (or as I like to put it, their "peaceful rest").
He is a high achiever, ambitious and warm-hearted. He likes to help. And he often feels as though he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I want to give him the best tools I know to really help him establish his peace of mind. I see it more like a journey than a destination. (Or to put it another way: I see it less as a problem to be solved, but more as a dilemma to be overcome).
My goal is to get him to a better place quickly and inspire him to calm down for the rest of his life.
And the nice thing is, he can take his peace of mind with him wherever he goes ... it will always be with him.
What is Peace of Mind?
My dictionary says that peace of mind is "a mental state of calm of calm, a freedom from worry and fear".
Well, that sounds like a worthy pursuit.
It's at the top of inner peace, and I like the way Wikipedia describes it:
"Inner peace refers to a conscious state of mental or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors."
I like to think of peace of mind as "peaceful rest," and I remember one mentor who said, "Brains work better when they're rested and relaxed".
But I really like the way John Wooden thinks about peace of mind. When I first heard John Wooden during an interview, I had noticed the simple rules he lived by that helped him make sense and find happiness. It was the first time I heard someone say that success is "peace of mind".
And his way of achieving it was easy too:
“Do your best where you can”.
What a great way to shape success and prepare to live its potential for a lifetime.
3 quotes that illuminate the power and possibility of peace of mind
I picked 3 specific quotes that I think form the basis of peace of mind:
“Never be in a hurry. Do everything calmly and in a calm mind. Do not lose your peace of mind for anything. Even if your whole world seems troubled. ”- Saint Francis de Sales
“Love and peace of mind protect us. They allow us to overcome the problems that life gives us to survive ... to live now ... to have the courage to face ourselves every day. ”- Bernie Siegel
"Peace of mind is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, not as you see fit." - Wayne Dyer
They are just ideas, but I find quotes that share the wisdom of the centuries and modern sages right in your mental fingertips to be of great power.
I asked him to look for 3 quotes that will help him get a better idea of what peace of mind could mean for him.
3 types of meditation
He already knows meditation, but I wanted to give him a different perspective to evaluate his mediation approaches, to see if there could be a more precise or deeper way to accelerate or intensify his existing efforts.
I have summarized the 3 types of meditation because I know that they change the brain differently and help with different challenges:
Presence - this is about focusing your attention while hiking, paying attention to your breath and feeling inner body sensations.
Affect - this is about strengthening your compassion and empathy (“loving kindness”).
Perspective - This is about observing your own thoughts without judgment, and it will help you improve your ability to understand other people's perspectives.
I suggested that practicing the "Presence" module could be a key to reducing his anxiety.
I figured if he has practiced getting really good at the Presence it will help him refocus his mind if necessary, or re-calibrate his breath or tune into his senses when he hits the ground regain and find its solid foundation.
I was starting to get prophetic and poetic, but I kept myself from seeing all of Dr. To put Seuss on him. I remember a few lines from a poem, I believe by Yoli Ramazzina, that should be read like "Green Eggs and Ham":
"Sun Salutation and Warrior Two"
My blood pumps and flows through
My body is strong, my mind is still
I feel centered, zen and relaxed. "
He does yoga, so I thought he would like the connection between yoga and practicing peace of mind.