Finding a Little Bit of Inner Peace

I breathe in with slow deliberation; cold, dirty air fills my lungs. The sky is gray and threatening rain. Around me is the pace of downtown life: cars rushing through lights, a monorail screeching in its turn, the smell of burnt coffee at a local diner that's closing for the afternoon. A man in a suit stands beside me; when the light changes and a walk sign appears, he walks forward at a quick clip. I simply smile, and move at my own pace, nodding to the drivers in the cars waiting at the red light. This is peace.

It takes a special kind of understanding to have a sense of calm in the most stressful situations you face from day to day. That sense of calm of warmly accepting the loss of control of the forces outside your self is inner peace. "Heaven is to be at peace with things," said George Santayana. Though this state of being may be hard to reach at first, once it is found, it is hard to lose it again, even in the face of adversity.

To help yourself find this state of inner peace, I first recommend learning to be more attentive to your self. You may choose to practice meditation, but there are more ways of becoming more self-aware, such as listening to your body while you do your daily activities, making a journal of your dreams, or scribbling down your daily thoughts in a diary. Self-awareness allows you to understand what you are really thinking and feeling throughout your day. It also brings you more into the present moment, instead of worrying about the future or regretting the past.

You may also benefit from reading the words of sages that are recognized for their own states of peace. Consider the words of Deepak Chopra, Kahlil Gibran, Thich Nhat Hanh, or the Dalai Lama, just to start. Many books you can buy are pocket-sized, easily portable and accessible during your time at work, school, or at home.