Inner Peace or Happiness - Are they the same?

"In the sanctuary of my heart, I feel the peace and love of God.

Though responsibilities, interests and distractions compete for my attention, I am blessed with the ability to focus. I maintain space in my mind and heart for stillness and quiet. In this inner sanctuary, I find peace. I feel God's presence and love. 

In the midst of any activity, I can pause for a moment and consciously shift my attention inward. It is as if I have touched the hem of the garment of Jesus and am experiencing a healing and soothing peace sweep over me.

During periods of extended meditation, I go even deeper into the silence. I welcome this respite and feel myself relax in mind and body. I am blessed by this conscious connection with the flow of good. Thank you, God, for your peace and love.

May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.--Jude 1:2"   Daily Word

Is your Inner Peace dependent on your Happiness or is your Happiness dependent on your Inner Peace?  Or are they even related?  In a recent SparkPeople  Healthy Reflections I read:

“The secret to happiness is not to get what you want, but to want what you already have. If you think about it, most discontent grows from want. We want more stuff, more excitement, more pleasure. When we don't get those things, we're resentful and unsatisfied. Take away the want, and you take away the unhappiness. When your quality of life is tied to your desires, fulfillment is a shadow that escapes your view. Like trying to imagine a new color, the harder you look, the harder it is to see. Does this mean you stop setting goals and striving for a healthy lifestyle and better life? No. It means you can appreciate life regardless of the outcome. It means you can relish the pursuit while accepting the possibility of failure. It means you can still enjoy the ride. Happiness is not a destination--it's a way of life. The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. - James Oppenheim”

That takes me back to my trip to Unity Village for a weekend retreat with Byron Katie - when I really began to figure out how to Love What Is.  It all started with a traffic jam that caused me to miss my flight.  OK. I had some choices.  Wait and hope there was a future flight in time to make it there maybe missing part of the conference for a few extra bucks, pay for a whole new ticket for a whole lot of money, but get there without missing anything, or cancel the trip and feel that life had cheated me out of this opportunity that I’d work hard to achieve.  What do you suppose I did?

At first I reacted with my human emotions of anger, helplessness & indecision.  I was just coming through one of the darkest periods of time in my life.  I had been working hard to let go of old ways of reacting and seeing myself as a victim of life’s hard knocks.  I had been learning to embrace “what is”, breath through it, lean into it & not attach to the emotions that come up. 

So I just bought a new ticket and went on my way—yes, it was a lot of money--yes, I’d worked hard to get the cheapest flight and make this trip affordable, but I wasn’t putting a price on happiness, and my inner peace didn’t need to be disturbed by this blip in my plans.  I knew the trip was worth it. Even more, I knew that I was worth it! 

I was investing in my spiritual and emotional growth.  My inner peace was not going to be disturbed by this and my happiness didn’t depend on everything going “as planned”.

So open the prison doors of your mind--release old memories that were painful, old ways of acting, and start embracing and making new ones that nourish your soul today.  And as always, if you’d like help with this process, contact me, I’d love to help!

Photo credit - Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Grateful for Luxuries

"You'll never miss the water, 'til the well runs dry."- W.C. Handy

Even if you've never seen it, you are probably aware of the CBS reality show Survivor--sixteen castaways sent to live on an island to duke it out and vote one another off for a million dollar prize. What is most striking about this concept is not the competition, but the absolute gratitude these people hold for things we take for granted everyday. The dirty, unpurified water they cling to for life is the same stuff we flush, wash, and cook with everyday without batting an eye. They covet and fight for food that we could easily pop in our microwaves or sit down at a restaurant to order. The very fact that you can read this at your computer signifies that you are one of the most wealthy, educated persons on the planet. Take a moment to think about the luxurious and privileged life you live. Give thanks for a whole body, everyday freedoms, your family, and all of the choices you have. Cherish what you have while you have it because you never know when your life could change. " from Sparkpeople.com Healthy Reflections

Wake up dissatisfied that you don't have the newest car with all the bells and whistles, less money today than yesterday in your investment account, or had to cancelled the upper tier of your cable?

Think about what you do have today. Enough money to pay the bills, basic cable and Internet, and a reliable car that gets you from Point A to Point B.

Today I have not only a high school degree, a BA degree, and in one more month, a Maters degree. I have a full time job with health benefits teaching school and a retirement plan. I was able to afford a full coach training program and have a coaching business. I have the freedom to choose my profession and where I live. I own my home outright and my 7 year old car is paid for, in good condition, and has a garage to be parked in. My trusty companion, a pointer mix dog, is healthy and I can afford veterinarian fees to keep her so. Three grown children are living lives out from under my roof. My laptop had a meltdown this weekend, but I'm grateful that I backed up most of my files on a thumb drive and have a generous loving son who helped me pick out and install a new hard drive which is humming away.

A few years ago I would have given thanks that I had a wonderful husband of 30+ years and 2 loving parents, but that has since changed. My marriage went by the wayside and my parents made their transitions within months. Does that make me feel lack? I will admit to grieving those losses deeply and fully, but I've found the growth and blessings in them too. I now have a bit of financial security and was able to rediscover the core of who I am and always was. I've learned to tap into my own power and stand in my own light! I have memories that sustain me of those times and have chosen to remember the good and learn from anything that doesn't seem to fit that category. For more on gratitude see DailyOm.com

What luxuries do you have today?

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