Peace of Mind is Possible with a Little Planning

Sometimes I wonder... with all the things going on in the world today and in our personal lives, can we really achieve peace of mind? You know, the state of mind that allows us the confidence to focus on our day and achieve our goals. Can an intelligent person attain peace of mind? Can we be "In The Now" and yet plan for the future?

Is it possible to have that peace of mind that allows you to go outside as the sun is setting and become enchanted with the vision in front of you, feeling the warmth, seeing the colors, hearing the sounds?

When I was a teenager I wondered why people were doing drugs and alcohol to anesthetize themselves. Why was everyone trying to escape reality I wondered? The grown ups were doing it with booze and the kids were doing it with all sorts of drugs. I guess now that I am an old woman, I understand a little better. But I am still perplexed by human beings need to use a drug for peace of mind.

Here are a few tips I have learned in my five and a half decades of life... hope you find them helpful.

Yes, the news of the day will not get any better because you have listened and heard all the gory details.  This is true especially in the morning when your mind needs to be clear and focused on your day. Instead, listen to your favorite music or converse with people in your life. Take a minute for a family member, give someone a call or send a friendly e mail.

I am not advocating ignoring the current events of the world, I am advocating Peace of Mind.

Sit down with a paper and pencil and plan your day. You can do this the night before or early in the morning. I use to do this on Sunday nights, having a page for each day of things I knew I had to do, then I would pencil in new details as the week progressed. And you do need to include all the little details. Include the calls you need to make, appointments, household tasks, your meals, money you need... your day, whatever it entails.

Make sure that you underline the stuff that has to be done that day. The rest can wait. Keeping on-task for your day is important whether you are a CEO or a stay at home Homemaker. Making sure all the little details get done for you, your family or other's you are responsible to, will give you peace of mind or rob you of it, if you never quite get things done.

Keep this list handy all day long. Set yourself time to eat, relax and to just "catch-up" on little things that didn't quite make your list.

Yea, right !

I know that with 80% of our waking hours, we do the necessities of life. But for Peace of Mind, I recommend that you give yourself 20% of your waking day to do what you love, what you are passionate about, what makes you feel alive!

So, that would be about 3.2 hours a day! It doesn't have to be all in one block of time. Don't leave all your Peace of Mind time for the vacation you are planning 6 months from now, unless of course you love planning vacations. (That is peace of mind time for sure for me.)

So, what do you love to do? Can you put your feet up for 20 minutes before leaving for work and read your favorite author? Can you spend 15 minutes talking to a loved one sometime in your day? Can you write a letter to a friend on paper and mail it? Is there a cool picture you have been wanting to take on your drive home, but never took the time?

For example, I love to cook. Thank goodness because it is a daily necessity. I love to prepare meals for our day. I probably spend 1-2 hour a day in the kitchen getting our meals ready.

Making the egg rolls learned from a Chinese chef a long time ago, makes me smile every time. I find peace in the memories of watching Lau chop and mix the ingredients. Lau's secret ingredient was to add a little peanut butter to the mixture. The flavor and texture this ingredient added kept people coming for miles to eat at Hawaiian Gardens. Does this give me peace of mind, you bet 'cha. I get lost in time while I am creating these morsels of goodness for those I love!

I love this James Taylor song.

It is one thing to think about how much you love another human being. It is another thing to "show them". Peace of Mind will come when these two are congruent. Showing someone you love them is as simple as picking up their favorite fruit and surprising them. It is a gentle heart felt hug as you greet them. It can be a card on ground hogs day!!

Feeling loved is as much of a necessity to human beings as air. Peace of mind comes when you are honest and act on that honesty with others regarding your love for them.

I have spent hours a day, for most of my life, in deep meditation. Some religious, some philosophical, some just plain old day dreaming. Focusing on one thing, often with a pencil in my hand, writing thoughts down before they slip away has always enhanced my Peace of Mind.

You Can Do It !