How Do You Find Inner Peace?

When I was in college, I told a few of my best girlfriends that one of my biggest goals was to find inner peace. They all looked at me, smiled and sweetly said, “Reena, that usually takes people years and years to achieve.” Obviously they were right, but my idealistic and ambitious self has been on a quest to find it ever since. 😉

What does it mean to be at peace exactly? Well, in my opinion, it means you’re in a mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy place and are happy with your present, accepting of your past and excited about your future. You’re comfortable in your own skin, accept your strengths as well as your weaknesses and have a good mix of optimism and realism, with a healthy dose of idealism sprinkled in (for all the dreamers out there like me). I think many people, including myself, feel this way at various stages of life and during big milestones such as graduations, weddings, the birth of a new baby, buying a new home, landing a new job, etc. However, to me, the key is striving to feel this way on an ongoing basis and if you find yourself getting off track, having the desire, experience, wisdom, strength and faith to get back on.

So how does one achieve this, you ask? Well, based on my life experiences, the many books and articles I’ve read on the topic and wise people I’ve spoken to over the years, I would say it involves the following:

• Doing everything in your power to help others and have a positive impact in the world
• Knowing what’s in your control and what’s not
• Accepting things you don’t have the power to change
• Forgiving yourself and others for any mistakes made in the past and learning from them
• Seeing the best in yourself and in others
• Loving yourself completely so you can love others wholeheartedly
• Having faith in something bigger than yourself
• Treasuring and nurturing the most important relationships in your life
• Letting go of people and things that are unhealthy for you
• Flowing with life and understanding everything happens for a reason
• Working hard and striving for what you want, but trusting in whatever the outcome may be
• Being grateful for everything you have
• Pursuing your passions and believing in yourself and your destiny
• Never giving up on what you truly believe in and having hope
• Living life with integrity and grace

I know it’s not always easy to do these things, because let’s face it, we’re all human and life can be complicated at times. We’re also currently living in a world filled with natural disasters, political turbulence and technological advances that move life at lightening speed. However, the more you practice these things, the closer you’ll be to finding inner peace. I try my best to practice these things every day and while I’ll admit it requires constant effort, I believe it’s well worth it in the end. The more we can each find peace individually, the more we can strive to find peace as a nation and world.

That’s it for today, Passion Fit Crew. I wish you all peace, today and always!

XOXO,
Reena