Life has a way of not going the way that we want. For example, someone we love doesn’t behave the way we want. You’re running late to a meeting so you become frustrated and impatient. Your spouse told you they don’t like the meal you worked on for an hour. You’re trying to get some work done at home when your kids decide to run around like maniacs. It can be very disappointing and maddening! Simply scrolling through our social media feeds can be a huge letdown. When we attach ourselves to circumstances going our way, people saying or doing things the way we want, we will ultimately be let down.
Peace only comes when we learn to control our internal world (mind and emotions), even when our external world feels out of control. If we are too focused on what is lacking in the present moment, we can be thrown into a state of anxiety, fear, or frustration. We are left feeling empty.
If we press pause on the narrative in our mind about what we THINK needs to happen or how we HOPE someone needs to behave, we can choose to shift our perspective and it can be a very powerful thing. There is freedom in letting go of a certain outcome in a situation or a particular behavior we’re hoping for in an individual. It’s less about what happens to us, and more about how we react to what happens.
There is power and freedom in realizing that you’re in control of you. You don’t have to be a victim. You don’t have to live a life of complaining or blaming. How you respond is completely up to you. Choosing peace over letting outside events determine our mood is truly freeing. There will always be chaos, a delayed flight, a frustrating family member, a coffee spill. But remember, the outside world can’t determine your inner world without our consent.
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