Written by Michelle Robinson
Welcome to March’s edition of Life-Chat.
This month I’ve been on a personal quest. My quest has been to hold a sense of internal peace, despite the choppy ocean of emotions that surrounds me.
Sometimes I feel like I am a small island, threatened by an encroaching tide. I wonder if you can relate to how I have been feeling.
It can be a challenge, in a climate of pervasive anxiety, to feel balanced and serene. When we are continually bathed in media messages that provoke concern and fear, inner peace is a fleeting guest.
Hence my goal of creating and sustaining peace within myself. It’s the only rational place to start.
My quest has reminded me of several important truths. It took me a few decades to realize it but accepting responsibility for myself is the most important responsibility of all.
After a marriage breakdown in my early 40s, I discovered that a gnawing sense of self-doubt inhabited the spaces where confidence once belonged.
Re-establishing that confidence took dedication and several hard life-lessons. The most important lesson involved empowerment. Discovering that empowerment always begins within me was the catalyst to my recovery. The other essential aspect of this lesson was that empowerment does not necessarily mean getting what we want. Sometimes we are faced with choices in which no outcome feels okay, and yet, how we respond to those choices is where our empowerment lies.
Recently I ran into a friend who reminded me of this. She was deeply distressed by a breakdown in the relationship with a close family member. The original trigger had seemed trivial, but unfortunately the estrangement grew wider and the hurt on both sides cut deep. Although she had grounds for feeling wronged, my friend decided to buy flowers and seek peace with her family. She did so even though she knew the likely outcome would be the door would be closed to her and her love rejected. She did so because she knew that she could never feel she had been true to the love in her heart, and the person she was, if she didn’t try to repair the relationship.
There were no good options. My friend’s choice was made according to her values and deepest convictions. That’s empowerment.
When her offer of peace was rejected, she consoled herself with the knowledge that she had acted with integrity, dignity and love. As I said before, sometimes, empowerment does not result in getting what we hope for. However, it’s a life-raft in difficult times, and is enough to keep us afloat while we scout for dry land once more.
My quest for internal peace involves a determined effort to remain aware of what is happening for me in the present moment. Many people call this ‘mindfulness’, but it’s a strategy that stops me worrying about the past or anticipating problems in the future. I also remind myself that no matter what life brings me, I can cope. There are no guarantees in this unpredictable journey, but I have confidence that I will cope with the twists, turns and challenges my life offers.
My wish for you this month is that you also have a steady sense of self belief – an internal compass that helps you find peace within. Regardless of the external climate, you can always gift yourself that.
If you would like to stay connected with me to receive positive tips for life each morning, feel welcome to join my free Facebook group “Your Intuitive Gifts At Work.” Here is a direct link where you can join my group https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourintuitivegiftsatwork
Until next time.