Creating Peace

By Rebecca Linder Hintze
May 2009
Greetings!

Do you feel as if the world is conspiring against your efforts to create peace? The daily news paints a bleak picture for our world. Does this leave you feeling hopeless and afraid?

On top of that, do you find that your kids are loud or fighting? Are you frustrated when you're unable to pay bills, upset when you find yourself arguing with a spouse or family member, or exhausted from experiencing stress on-going at work. In the midst of your daily unrest, do you believe peace possible?

Absolutely, peace is possible! Despite all the unrest and turbulence around us, we have the ability to choose to remain peaceful, hopeful, and positive, and enjoy happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

While it's not likely that any one of us will solve all the chaos that exist in our external world, thankfully we each have the power to resolve the conflicts that reside in our internal worlds and adopt habits that create more peace.

How do we resolve inner conflict? Truly, the answer is long enough to fill the pages of books! But for now, I'll quickly summarize a few simple ways to begin living a more peaceful life.

Tip #1: Look inside. Happiness, peace, a sense of well-being and self-worth come from the inside out. Not from the outside in. Instead of wasting time pointing fingers around us, begin focusing on resolving internal conflict first. Once the chaos inside lessens, our external world will seem more relaxed.

Tip #2: Be your best friend. And as you do so, you'll discover your authentic self--what uniquely defines you. Never in the history of the world will there ever be another person just like you! Also, take care of you! Often we have to give ourselves what we wish we could get from somebody or something else. When we rely too much on others and depend on material things, we feel out of control. As you become your own best friend, you will feel more self-reliant, confident, and less stressed.

Tip #3: Manage yourself wisely. Understand what is within your control and what is not, and then use your personal power to manage situations, others, and your emotions properly. First of all, all that you fully control is you--your thoughts, feelings, actions, and behavior. Others have the same personal agency. Exercise your right to control only when it is appropriate. When it isn't appropriate, choose to manage your response by respecting the freedom others have to act within their appropriate power.

Tip #4: Know your emotions. As you apply tip #2 and become your own best friend, develop a healthy internal communication process--one that keeps you aware of your own thoughts and feelings. As you stay on-top of your emotions by acknowledging and processing through them, you'll find tremendous internal peace that will carry over and affect your external world in a powerful way. As you begin to understand your own emotional responses, you may identify negative thinking. If so, re-frame your thoughts so they are healthy and accepting. (For more on healing destructive thought processes, see Healing Your Family History.)

Tip #5: Seek out what's positive. Particularly, find the gifts in the unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances of your life. All of us would like to have the power to create a plan and then perfectly manage the steps by which we arrive at our final destinations. However, the universe simply doesn't always work that way. Life surely brings unexpected results and unexplained paths--many which feel negative. Within the most challenging experiences (ones that we might like to wish away--like our current economic state), seek to find the treasure. We find great peace when we acknowledge the blessings of trials and suffering early on and relinquish our attempt to control situations we simply cannot change. Also, to successfully follow this tip, you may find it necessary to tune out negative communication (including television, radio, internet, etc.) that prevents you from thinking positive.

Tip #6: Stay Faithful. When we have a sense of assurance that no matter what happens, things will eventually get better, and that somewhere, someone trustworthy is in control, we feel much better. This sort of peace is not dependent on circumstances. Rather, it allows you to see beyond your surroundings and fix your eyes on a point in the distance that allows you to hold steady on your course and ride out the storm. As you strengthen your faith and grow spiritually, you'll find the greatest peace possible. Now, more than ever, it's time to search for spiritual answers and find peace in personal prayer and meditation.

For this month's homework, apply these tips and make them your natural and intuitive responses to life. As you seek positive, personal change, your influence will help create peace for our entire world. Watch the youtube video to see just how many lives you may influence!
Many blessings,

Rebecca Linder Hintze
Author, Healing Your Family History
©Rebecca Linder Hintze, 2009.