Is it a funny title. We usually connect peace with not doing.
Some people would say peace is an emotion.
Others would say peace is when there is no emotion.
Some would say peace is a feeling.
Others would say it’s not a feeling, it is a state.
There’s no point in arguing whether it’s an emotion, a feeling or a state. Because we can experience it in all these ways.
But could peace also be a form of action? Can you do peace?
I remember once being stressed and complaining to my partner, “I have all these things in my mind that I want to do and that I should do, and it’s driving me crazy. I want to experience more peace!!”
And he said something like this, “If you want more peace, you need to practice more peace. The same as with everything else.”
He is not an enlightened master, not even someone interested in spirituality or meditation, but sometimes he has those wisdom drops that stop me in my tracks, like did this one.
I paused for a moment, observed the wisdom and simplicity of what he said, and realised I cannot argue with that. “This is so true. Thank you.”
If we think of Buddhist monks and the peaceful expression on their face and grace in their movement, it is there, because they practice peace.
But of course, we don’t have to be Buddhists to practice peace, we don’t need to even consider ourselves as spiritual.
You don’t even have to meditate, if that’s not your jam.
You can just decide to bring peace with you during your day, during your tasks.
I know a couple who are total opposite regarding work.
She goes into doing things with a full force. Doesn’t stop for hours. When she’s doing the thing, she wants to get everything done. And then she tells you all the things she did and how her back hurts.
He goes about his work peacefully. He takes breaks in between, sits down, smokes a cigarette, drinks some cola and then carries on. His back never hurts.
I once spoke with my mother about my grandmother, how much work she got done. And yet she also took pauses in between. Read the newspaper. Listened to the radio. One of my favourite memories from childhood are sitting in the shade of trees with grandpa and grandma as we were taking a break from whatever work we did in the fields.
My grandma never had a back pain. Or a headache. She said empty head doesn’t hurt.
That was a joke, yet one of the things I observe as a coach with my clients and as a human with myself, most of us are too much up in or heads. And this doesn’t apply only to those of us who do mostly mental work. As with the example before, you can do physical work and still be stuck in your head.
So, how can we create more peace in our life and bring this peace with us in our work and relationships?
- See peace not only as an emotion, a feeling or a state that you experience spontaneously, but as something you can create, practice.
- Ask yourself when doing things: How can I bring more peace into this, how can I do this more peacefully?
- Take pauses to just sit, be and practice peace between your work.
- If there’s too much thoughts in your head, and your mind is racing, empty your head. Put all your worries, to-do’s and should’s on paper. The worries always seem bigger in your head and much more managable on paper.
I lately play when writing with setting pomodoro on 15 minutes and 3-minute breaks in between. And in that 3-minute break, I simply breathe and observe how my body feels. In those moments of stillness, the next paragraph usually presents itself to me.
So, by not doing, taking time to do nothing, do peace, be still, works becomes more efficient.
And life starts to feel more full, more abundant, as you cannot help but notice a plethora of beauty around you and within you.
With Love,
