Dear Friend,
How's it going? Have a good day? Hope it wasn't too shabby.
So, I was thinking. You know that question you asked me earlier this week, about life and the purpose of it all? Well, I've sort of been thinking, and came up with something. Ya wanna hear?
Cool, so check it.
What’s the purpose of life? On days like today, when I’m in the comfort of my own home, sipping hot herbal tea and listening to classical music (pretty sweet deal, right), I think the purpose of life it is to be happy.
As your therapist friend, the one real truth I learned is that its one’s own mental makeup that is the most influential factor in working toward this goal, the goal of being happy. To change anything outside ourselves, whether it be our jobs or our relationships with others, we must first and foremost create change within ourselves. #Innerpeace
While browsing through Pinterest (one of my absolute favourite things to do), I came across this mind-blowing quote:
Ego says- “Once everything falls into place, I will find peace.”
Spirit says- “Find peace and everything will fall into place.”
Awesome right? And so fitting.
So is inner peace the key? I think so. In a state of inner tranquility and acceptance, I feel we can face anything! We can face difficulties with calm and reason, while keeping our inner happiness.
How do we do this you ask? How does one create and maintain this inner peace? Us psych "dudettes" tend to say things like:
1. Be mindful. The practice of mindfulness involves, "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment." So it’s about being present and taking in the world one breath at a time.
2. Meditate. It works, I promise!
3. Remove your ego and replace it with empathy i.e. putting yourself in another person’s shoes and really seeing things from their perspective, and truly feeling what they are feeling.
You know that Buddha you got on your desk your mom gave you? Well, the guy's legit. His lessons on love, kindness, and tolerance, and the theory that all things are relative are pretty profound. Those teachings and other techniques for calming the mind, are all sources for that inner peace.
So go get 'em tiger!
Sincerely yours,
Sa
