Self Improvement Ideas: The Search For Inner Peace

I have no doubt that there are many people out there who are searching for ways of improving their overall quality of life. We have no divine right to be happy of course but on the other hand we should not just sit back and accept second best. I am the type of person who basically just wants to be happy, I have no desire to become mega rich, but what I am looking for, and at the moment have achieved, is an inner peace.

When looking into ways and ideas of improving my life, I ask myself a series of questions:

What areas of my life am I not happy with?

What can I do to improve my life?

Am I happy with my current role of employment?

Am I happy with my current financial situation?

Am I happy in the relationship that I have with my girlfriend?

How could my life become easier and more stress-free?

These are just a few of many questions that I ask myself and I have listed them purely as an example.

In the past, I would always become quite stressed at around the start of the year. This was because I have a son who has a birthday in November, then of course in December is the celebration of Christmas. These two events would leave me with a bit of a financial headache as I have to admit that I tend to spoil my family and go a bit overboard on the spending.

I did not want to reduce the amount that I spent on their presents or on the social aspect of Christmas or my sons birthday and instead started to look for a solution to this financial stress which as previously stated would occur in January.

What I eventually decided that I would do, which now seems just like common sense, was to save as much as I could every month. I would have a certain figure in mind that I wanted to save, as I was aware that I needed to live and have some fun throughout the year as well. By the time November came around on the next year, I had rather a nice amount of money in the bank, which basically made both events even more enjoyable than previous years. This was because I had an inner peace of mind. When January came around I was fine as I had no debts or financial worries. This form of saving is something that I now do every year.

With each and every question I ask myself, I always attempt to find a solution similar to the way I did in the above example. If my girlfriend is annoying me for whatever reason I try and talk to her. I tell her what the issues are and also ask if there is anything that I am doing that annoys her. This is done in a very light hearted manner, so as to not cause more damage etc.

I have now reached a stage of my life where I am quite content with what I have. I am able to sleep soundly at night and am very much looking forward to the future. I have achieved an inner peace and now just have to work hard to make it stay that way. Life at times is a battle and the negative part of my brain tries hard to ruin me. I am determined to stay strong and focused to ensure that I ignore this negative voice and that I continue to listen to the positive side of my brain.

If you are one of these people who are not happy or content with your life at the moment, I am sure that by asking yourself a series of questions and then trying to find your own solutions, that you will also be able to find your own inner peace.

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Are You Worried? 4 Steps to Peace of Mind

A friend has this quotation on his office wall: "I know worry works because nothing I worry about ever happens."

I think I must believe that, because I worry a lot -- and about the most insignificant things. I worry about the big things, of course, like health, relationships, and finances. But I'm also liable to fret about anything and everything that finds its way into my consciousness.

Because I spend so much time on worry, I've decided to embrace it with a personal research project. Maybe you'd like to join me.

Here are two avenues I'm exploring:

1) I practice catching myself at it. "Hey, I'm worrying again." During a recent morning swim, I caught myself worrying 10 times during one lap! I'm not kidding. On rare days when I don't have anything to worry about, I find something. What I've learned is that worry is a mental habit. I can change habits; I've done it before. There's hope.

2) My second approach is to practice presence. By this I mean stopping my thoughts. In my workshops, I ring a bell to help participants practice centering. The quieter we are, the longer we hear the bell. There's a lovely moment when we all listen . . . until the ring is barely audible . . . then just a memory. I relish that moment of quiet before my thoughts re-engage. There is no future or past, just Now. No worrying thoughts -- no thoughts at all. It's a peaceful place, which is why I stretch the moment. I want to strengthen the connection to something greater than my worries.

3) When I told my good friend Rosie about my worry project, she told me about her approach, which is to do one of three things: decide to address the issue right then; if you can't do anything about it at the moment, give yourself a time to address it later; or decide that it is not important and let it go. In other words, act on it, file it or throw it away.

4) Finally, one of Rosie's favorite worry stoppers (and mine) is to sing. Connect with your self, your creativity, and the place where everything really is okay.

Awareness and acknowledgment are the keys to changing our habits. Morihei Ueshiba, who founded aikido and spoke of it as the Art of Peace, said we must "always practice the Art of Peace in a vibrant and joyful manner." Perhaps my research project on worry will help me to lighten up, smile, and live each day in such a way.

Are you worrying? Stop your thoughts for a moment. Listen to the sounds around you, pay attention, and be present to this key moment. And smile . . . for no reason. You may find that's the best reason of all.

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