Almost certainly you wish to live in a more peaceful world. I know I do, however I sometimes feel too insignificant to accomplish the change that will take us to the place we long for. So why not start with ourselves as individuals? 

We can create peace if we live in peace. I’m aware that this is a simple but not easy task. However, there are several practices that help me in this journey. Certainly one of them is practicing mindfulness. However, personally I find it relatively easy to feel peaceful when I am away from the world, quiet in my own space. The question is: How do I translate the benefits of that quiet time into my daily life?

Morning Intention
When I get up every day I make the intention of having small conscious acts that make me feel at peace. For example, I try asking myself frequently: does what I am saying, listening, reading, or writing make me more peaceful? Does it promote peace to those around me? If that is not the case I purposely  redirect my attention.

Pause and Breath
For example, as a school principal, on multiple occasions I found myself in situations where enraged parents screamed, made threats and sometimes got physical in reaction to consequences imposed on their child as a result of their behavior. Instinctively I would feel my heart pumping rapidly and would enter into a “fight”, “flight”, or “freeze” mode. 

But, when I was able to instead choose to pause and take a deep breath, I consciously asked myself: what is the personal need that this individual is trying to satisfy with this attitude? What is the underlying cause of this reaction? Is it shame, fear, frustration?, the results were almost magical. I was able to feel compassion and the parents were able to listen better. Eventually they realize the nature of the consequence and therefore are more likely to accept them. I then felt peace in my heart and the parents left my office feeling better.

Pick your Battles
Another example of what works for me is to choose my battles, when I find myself disagreeing with someone and getting annoyed by it, I would ask myself: would you rather be right, or be happy? With almost no exception I choose to be happy.

Rule of 5×5
There is a statement I saw from mindfulness teacher and activist Shelly Tygielski. She called it the 5×5 rule and goes like this: If it’s not going to matter in 5 years don’t spend more than 5 minutes upset by it. Since then I use it every time I find myself frustrated about small things.

Certainly this is a practice and as such it’s not perfect. There are successful moments and some not as much. The key is not to beat ourselves up when that happens but instead make peace with it  and consciously, with kindness, get back on.

If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to reply to this post.