Living in peace

Underneath All Meaningless and Unhelpful Thoughts

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Ordinary thinking has its place in daily affairs. However, if you let your thoughts guide you unconsciously, they will mislead you often. Verify this fact for yourself by paying attention to your thoughts throughout the day and noticing when they are misleading or causing you to suffer. Once you have observed them for any length of time, I know you will agree; if you ignore them, they will always convince you that they are truthful and correct, even the rambling that occurs quietly in the background, which is what you want to notice.

The key is not to try and stop the thoughts; this is impossible and will only lead to more anxiety, frustration, and suffering. You only need to notice them and then let them go. It sounds simple to do but requires commitment and persistence. Notice when they have distracted you once again and let them go. Do this for the rest of your life as best you can, whenever you can. You will notice the peace you have been seeking was there all along because that is your natural state of being underneath all the meaningless and unhelpful thoughts.

Becoming Free From Unsolicited Thoughts

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Unsolicited thoughts are not your friend. You must notice this undesirable habit of automatically identifying with your thoughts. They should be observed and questioned by bringing awareness to them; then, they will lose their power over you. One question you can ask yourself is, do I know this to be one-hundred percent true?

You are not your thoughts, and when you identify with them, they rise to power and begin to control your disposition and the direction of your life. No thought can pull you into a story without your consent. The more you bring awareness to them, the less power they have, and eventually, you will be grounded in the present moment again.

Note: Do not try to stop your thoughts; this will only keep you trapped. Many of you have wanted to do this during meditation and failed. The aware and awake do not identify or attach to thoughts. Then they do not hang around. They float by like a cloud in the sky instead of turning into a storm.

How much time do you spend on the what-ifs of life that never happen? How different would your life be if your unsolicited thoughts did not drag you away from the present moment? How much more energy would you have to be present with what faces you now? Know that where your attention goes, your energy follows. How can you create or manifest what you want when your energy is depleted or is directed toward the very thing that you do not want in your life?

The first step is to use your awareness to notice the automatic and endless flow of these unsolicited thoughts. No one can do this for you. You must be willing to begin to pay attention, step out of the stories your mind tells you through these thoughts. Become the observer, and watch what is happening. Your mind may say, how do I do that? And I say that you already know how to do it, so trust that you do. Any thought that says you cannot do this, or you do not know how is observed, isn’t it?

Few dare to do this, so know that you are among a courageous few if you do. Be kind and gentle to yourself when you slip, and you will falter from time to time, particularly in the beginning. However, if you stay with it, things will only continue to improve in your life.

Please do not take my word for it. I want you to have a direct experience that this works, that is the only way you will know the truth of what I speak and use it. So, try it out if you dare. What have you got to lose except a few thousand or so of unsolicited thoughts per day?

I Think… Living in a More Peaceful World

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Our greatest enemy is not who we think it is; it is our lack of understanding and awareness about ourselves and who we really are, it is always easier to look out there and blame someone else.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we were more concerned about others than our own selfish desires.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we honored the chosen path of those we do not understand.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if our greed did not exceed our love for nature.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we loved diversity more than sameness.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if our energy was used to uplift those around us and not to control or tear them down.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we did not believe we were better than those who are different from us or suffering.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we lived in love more than fear.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we recognized that the oneness of our world and our connection to those around us is more important than creating separation, building walls or looking for reasons to distance ourselves from others no matter who they are.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we spent as much time understanding ourselves as we did complaining about what others do that we do not like or understand.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if we led with our hearts instead of our heads and wallets.

I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if those in power always put everyone else’s highest good before their own.

We will never inhabit a peaceful world, mind or body if we do not bring awareness to our thoughts and actions. We must learn to let go of the past and stop continually trying to hold onto beliefs and ideas that were created by our conditioning. Understand that you cannot see this conditioning without bringing awareness to your thoughts and actions, and this will only happen through paying attention.

What can you do today to make this a more peaceful world to live in? Remember, the world will never be more peaceful than it is now if we all do not take responsibility for our own inner peace. Because when we become more peaceful, the people around us and the world become more peaceful.

What action can you take today to let go of the past, become more peaceful, and bring more joy, compassion, empathy, and love instead of anger, worry, fear and hate into the world?

 

Seeing the Actions of Others Differently

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Why is it as adults we have no patience, endurance, steadfastness or love for other adults when they take actions or say things that we do not like? Yet usually, we can find these qualities for children when they are being difficult in abundance. Why does every action by an adult have to be perceived as they should know better or they should not act that way? If they knew better, wouldn’t they do better? Perhaps we need to see them as the child and treat them with some understanding. If we did, maybe our world would be a little better for it.

Awaken to the Present Moment

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Today is your day, your best day. Why, because it is the only day you have for sure. Do not compare today to some place in the past that you thought was worse or better. When you do, you have left the present moment and are now residing in the past. Do not look for your peace and happiness in the future, because once again you have left the present moment.

What you seek already lives within you, whether you seek peace, security, happiness, love or the energy to create. It is here in the present moment and nowhere else.

When we are in a state of worry or struggle, it is because we have left the present moment and stepped into the past or we are looking to the future because this moment does not meet our expectations. When we stay in the moment, our worry and struggle fall away. It is only when we want something different from what is, that we suffer. Accepting what is, along with gratitude, brings peace and allows us to create from the field of all possibilities.

Accepting the truth does not mean we have to like it or that it will be perfect in our eyes. Furthermore, it does not mean that it will always be that way. In fact, things are always changing and once we embody this truth, we will begin to allow and co-create something different with the Creative Energy of the Universe.

We must begin to look into the face of what is and trust that all will be well. If we are unable to do this, then we have lost our faith. I am afraid that faith is one of those things that if we try to live without it, we may find ourselves getting lost in life.

How many times have you been worried, struggling in life or endured difficult times? Remember these times and the struggle you have already experienced. That struggle brought you to this place and made you who you are at this very moment. You survived it all and if you leave your struggle and worry behind you will move through whatever challenges you face going forward in life with more ease and grace.

As long as we look through the eyes of our conditioning, we are guided by the False-Self. However, when we see things honestly and look through the eyes of truth, we are connected with our True-Self.

It is through awareness that we begin to see this conditioning and are able to release it forever. This process of letting go or more appropriately said, waking-up helps us to become more connected to the present moment and our True-Self. We are then able to live our lives more fully, with ease and grace, with more opportunities to create from the field of all possibilities.

 

A Higher Truth for the New Year

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This will feel contrary to all that you know. All that society has taught you. However, this higher truth can bring you more peace than all your seeking put together. We are so conditioned to think that we are not good enough, that we have to change in some way to become something better; to do more and if we do, our reward of peace and happiness will come.

Have you ever wondered what makes us think this way?

When in fact, what we seek we already have, but we cannot see it because of all our busyness. All the searching you have done, even all the letting go has not led you to the place you seek.  Has it? There is always more letting go; more seeking to do.

So what is the answer? First, begin the New Year by setting aside some time to be quiet. This means doing nothing. It will only be in this space that you will reconnect with your True-Self. Then, throughout your day just be with what is. Do not wish it to be different. Do not try to make it different. This will not be easy at first for many of you, but I can assure you, this intention to breathe the life of each moment has what you seek already in it.

Your thoughts and habits will try to carry you away and sometimes they will. When you wake up and find yourself carried away by them, do not beat yourself up. Remember, you are not your thoughts or habits, and they are not in charge of you. Bring yourself back to the calm and peaceful being that you are deep within and feel the presence of your True-Self once again. This ongoing, even intermittent experience with the Divine presence within is all that is needed to feel and experience this higher truth for yourself.

Life’s Obstacles

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Eventually on the path of awakening, you will recognize that the obstacle is the path. Living a peaceful life is not about avoiding obstacles, because a perfect life, your life, will not happen without them. This is simply not possible.

The obstacle you experience should not rob you of your peace, but offer you the opportunity to become more grounded in peace. If it is robbing you of your peace, you are not experiencing it with awareness. Because the moment you bring the light of awareness to any obstacle, the darkness can no longer hurt you and the peace that is always available to you will once again fill you up.