How To Stay Peaceful

Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be. Wayne W. Dyer, self-help author and motivational speaker

Pipes in newer buildings shouldn’t burst in the middle of the night at the end of summer, hurricanes shouldn’t threaten people, homes, and livelihoods, people shouldn’t have to suffer with disease, daughters shouldn’t have to mourn their mothers, a critical natural resource shouldn’t be burning. But these things are happening to you, me, and others.

I’m writing this from a Residence Inn while our condo is drying out after a flood. While here, I’m keeping an eye on the weather as a hurricane approaches the state where I live most of the year. This is the reality of my life at the moment. I’ve had worse days, to be sure, and I’ve had better. I’m not thinking, “why me?” because I know bad things happen to all of us. I don’t believe that I “should” have a smooth life. I’m grateful for the days when the sailing is smooth and I accept the facts as they present themselves. As Dyer says, peace comes when we process life as it is. I’m working on staying peaceful.

Affirmation: I process life as it is.

Coaching question: If the “shoulds” are sabotaging your peace, what do you need to do to retrain your thinking to accept, or learn to peacefully live with, the inevitable difficulties of life?