Where Is Peace and How Can I Get Some by Joan Kappes

Guest Post: Where Is Peace and How Can I Get Some by Joan Kappes
Artwork by Gena Livings
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All of us want to experience peace; our observations show that the demand is high. As for the supply, some people appear to be overflowing with it and others seem to continually run dry. Some are peace-filled even when the world is crumbling all around them and others, who you’d think would be brimming with it, experience nothing.

It is clear that accumulation of ‘stuff’ is not a recipe for experiencing peace. Life circumstances do not guarantee peace either, nor do status or financial abundance.

We search and look and acquire ‘out there’, while at the same time knowing that deep down, peace is there – somewhere.
Did I say ‘deep down’? As it turns out, that’s exactly where peace lives and moves and has its being. Authentic peace is an “inside job”!
Following are some “givens” I have discovered about peace:

♥Peace flows from the inside – out. Life circumstances, financial abundance, status, the accumulation of stuff etc. are not the causes of peace (they may augment it, but are not the cause of it, nor the reason for not experiencing it)
♥Peace is experienced in the present moment – in the ‘Now’
♥Peace springs from the depths of each person. What gives peace and how it is expressed is unique
♥A peaceful person focuses on experiencing peace and settles for nothing less
♥A peaceful person sees with the eyes of abundance, gratitude, beauty, joy, and Love
♥Peace is a way of “being”
♥A peace-filled person recognizes who they really are – One who is worthy, valuable, Loved and part of the Divine peace who dwells within
I have discovered that being open to experiencing the above is part of the journey of l-i-v-i-n-g my life! It is an adventure filled with ups, downs, discoveries, letting go, leaping, and oh yes, a lot of laughter! Each choice I make towards peace leads me deeper into living as ‘Me’ (and I really like this way of living)!
Following are some practical tips I use to experience and expand peace in my life:
♥Decide, then commit to “being” peace-full
♥Be aware of what gives you peace (from the inside-out). Make a list. Purposefully put yourself in circumstances that foster your peace
♥Hang around peaceful and joyful people – observe, ask them how they live-it, let them ‘rub off’ on you
♥Play with animals and children
♥Get outside! Allow yourself to see, hear, feel, and touch nature
♥Turn off the TV and stop reading the newspaper (or social media news) for 30 days. This will help you refocus on inward peace (try it – really!)
♥Make a gratitude list. Commit to adding 10 new items each day. Make a point to genuinely “feel” the gratitude as you write and re-read the list
♥Tone down your “mind chatter”. Often our minds and our thoughts are too active leaving little room for “the heart”. Gift yourself at least 15 minutes of quiet time (listening to soft music, meditation, silence, etc.) each day
♥Ask yourself: What fosters my peace? Do that
♥Perform random acts of kindness. This is a great one for stirring up your peace within!
♥Practice being ‘ok’ with where you are. This mantra is very helpful: “In this moment, I am fine. In this moment, I am…………”
♥Practice self-acceptance and love (the best tip of all!): Make a list of at least 10 things you like about yourself and commit to adding at least 2 new aspects each day. Experience the feeling of gratitude for who You are.

These exercises, when consistently acted upon, will unleash the unending supply of what we’ve all been desiring – a life of Authentic peace and joy!
This is your journey, your adventure to the real You, the peace-full You!
Relax.
You have enough time to experience more peace than you ever imagined possible.

Peace is with you,
Joan

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About Joan: Joan Kappes is a lover of life and adventure, living each day with joy and intention. Joan is a certified Life Coach, specializing in uncovering limiting beliefs and the effective use of the Law of Attraction. She is also an author, talk show host, retreat designer and creator of the interactive coaching site, ‘Come to the Edge Today!’ Over the years she has worn many hats: Mom, Wife, Friend, Traveler, Life Coach, Youth Counselor, Business Owner, Entrepreneur. Woven into her journeys, and especially today, she remains committed to helping people remember, rediscover, and reclaim who they really are so they can live their life of joy. Her motto: “The destination is great, but it’s the journey we came for…it’s the joy-filled journey that IS life!” www.cometotheedgetoday.com joankappes@gmail.com