11:11 Waves Blog 23: Inner Peace

Every Monday, I share 1 question for you to contemplate, 1 idea from me, 1 quote from others, and 1 inspiration for us.

This week’s topic is: Inner Peace

This weekend I watched again one of my favourite cartoons: Kung Fu Panda. In this animated movie, Po, a clumsy panda and Kung Fu fanatic who lives in the Valley of Peace and works in his father’s noodle shop, is the chosen one to become the Dragon Warrior – the one Kung Fu Master capable to understand the Dragon Scroll which contains the key to limitless power. During his training with his Master Shifu, the concept of inner peace is introduced and used to describe a peaceful state of mind and spirit needed to be able to harness the flow of the universe which enables one to do the seemingly impossible. So how does one find the inner peace that Shifu tried teaching Po?

One Question for you

If you are depressed you are living in the past, if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.

Discuss the question here.

One Idea from me

Inner peace has been studied for centuries in spiritual, philosophical, and academic contexts and it’s recognized to be fundamental to living a good life. Researchers from Taiwan explored the emotional components of inner peace and determined that the following words best describe this powerful state: calm, serene, harmonious, balanced, content, satisfied and secure. In a frantic world, a peaceful mind might seem like a friend you rarely have the chance to catch up with. But finding inner peace is possible and below I am sharing three ways you can explore on how to do just that:

Get familiar with your own definition of inner peace: Inner peace is not achieved by following a one-size-fits all process or mandatory steps. Because of this, this week I invite you to explore what inner peace means to you. Take few minutes and reflect on the following questions: What does it mean to you to be at peace? What colour is peace for you? What does it feel like to be at peace? What makes you feel at peace? How do you know when you are at peace? What is the most peaceful place that you can think of?

Identify what you can control and let go of what you cannot: One of my favourite quotes is: “God, grant me the peace to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”. A wonderful tool you can use to distinguish this and learn how to let things go is Stephen Covey’s Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence. Your Circle of Concern encompasses everything that you’re concerned about. Your task is to identify which of these things are inside and which are outside your Circle of Influence. Focusing on those things that are within your Circle of Concern, but outside your Circle of Influence is not a productive way of using your time. By focusing on the things that are within your Circle of Influence and taking action within that sphere, can make the circle grow and when this circle expands, more things will be within your control. This week I invite you to create your own Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence and reflect on the following questions: In what circle are you currently spending the majority of your time? How can you let go of the things you cannot control and manage your own self-care? Where might you increase your influence through intentional actions while letting go of controlling the outcome?

Meditation: Mindfulness and meditation can help you release excessive thinking and refrain from reacting to the external conditions of our lives. Through meditation we can learn to accept whatever is happening in the here and in the now. If you are interested in starting this practice, but don’t know how to go about it, check out my article on Mediation. In this article I encourage you to explore four meditation techniques and give it a go!

One Quote from others

“Peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” Lady Gaga

One Inspiration for us

Inspired by Kung Fu Panda, this week I am sharing a short clip where Shifu is trying to find his inner peace. Enjoy!