Throughout life we make judgment calls based on choices. We ought to be able to choose the right way, however that isn’t always the case. Coming to terms with how we should feel to live in peace is down to us individually, but here are seven ideas worth considering:
1. Get to know yourself.
Firstly, we need to develop insight into our self: the things that work well for us, those we may find difficult and the reasons why this may be. This means understanding our personal history: experiences and events that have shaped the way we feel, think and behave.
2. Accept who you are and believe in yourself.
To be able to live in peace with our self requires that we accept who we are, without negative judgment. In that way self-criticism and defeatist attitudes like “I have failed” or “I am a lost cause” will turn into “I have done the best I can and will continue to do the best I can”. Realistic and fair expectations of our self help create a positive mindset for personal development. That in turn makes it possible to start believing in our self; even liking our self!
3. Feel empowered and take your place in the world.
To be able to live in peace also requires an attitude that does not perceive others, society and the world first and foremost as a threat. While there may be real, justified and even unjustified problems that can impact us, we should not face the world from a default position of a victim. This will leave us feeling disempowered and resentful. The reality is, we can exercise a lot of power peacefully.
4. Face up to difficult realities about yourself and your life.
It is understandable to delay facing up to difficult questions or to deny their existence. However, sadly such tactics do rarely help improve matters. Instead, they can make things a lot harder.
5. Embrace positive coping mechanisms.
We all need ways to deal well with the range of problems we experience in our life time. Some can have short- or long-term effects on our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing – on our ability to live in peace.
6. Nurture your attitude of living in peace.
Living in peace is an ability we should not take for granted. It is an ongoing process that requires nurturing and maintenance. New experiences and difficulties can challenge and disturb the foundation of peace and harmony we have created.
7. A personal crisis can help you reinforce your commitment to living in peace.
At moments of personal crisis living in peace can feel impossible and even inappropriate – a place we can no longer reach. But it is exactly in those moments that reconnecting with our ability to live in peace is most important. This might require time, focus and determination, but most of all, it requires trust in our self and in the process.
Thing about these areas for improvement, and make sure you are contributing to your wellbeing.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
#Learn from Karin Sieger
Vocabulary builder:
Insight (n) = vision, understanding, awareness, intuition, perception, acumen, comprehension
Defeatist (adj) = pessimistic, negative, fatalistic, spineless, (ant) optimistic
Empowered (v) = authorized, allowed, sanctioned, permitted, vested, invested, endowed, enabled, (ant) forbade, forbidden, disempowered
Coping (v) = managing, handling, surviving, deal with, hack it, get by, (ant) failing, crumbling
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