It is often a personal internal change that brings about a change in our outside worlds.
We hear people cry out for peace on earth but they are neglecting peace with their neighbours, relatives, and co-workers. The fact is that peace starts on the inside of our person and without it, there is no peace on the outside. I observe that most of the conflict in the world comes by comparing each other’s ‘stuff’.
‘If everyone only cleaned up outside their own front door, the whole world would be clean.’ – Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
National best-selling author and radio host, Dave Ramsey says that “contentment is a major key to solving so many problems”. I agree.
If I am content with who and where I am, I am not going to envy or compare myself or my circumstances to others, nor try to steal anything or anyone from anyone else.
Since I started being thankful, I have had more peace and even more compassion for others who have less. The pull and push of commercialism and materialism has lost its shine and attractiveness.
I am happier on the inside and things on the outside don’t bother me so much. This to some extent has brought peace to ‘my world.’
As there seems to be a rise in ‘first world’ diseases and mental challenges, I wonder if our lack of peace, contentment, mindfulness and disconnection with nature is exacerbating these things.
I walk in the forest three times a week which I find gives me time to think and ‘regroup’ my life. With my Tourette’s and OCD, and an extremely busy work and family life, I find this very helpful.
It is an interesting and growing concept as some schools in the United States are taking their inner city kids to national parks to help them settle and curb anxiety. This is another great tool to confidently and accountably support school students with Tourette’s Syndrome.
When we cannot escape from our problems and environments, we become set in those thought patterns. The physical structures of the brain are affected including those regions that regulate aggression and fear responses.
The opposite calming and subduing effect has also been seen in brain scans on people who meditate, pray or spend long periods in silence.
A person who avoids going a certain path cannot be a guide for others along that road. Because I have had to walk this path, I will be useful in the future to guide others through that same journey and give comfort to them when times are more difficult.
I wonder if we all made an effort to bring peace to ‘our worlds’ whether peace would come to ‘the world’?
Let’s start the week by sowing peace inside ourselves and see if it contaminates into ‘our worlds’. Remember that being different is your biggest asset and you don’t have to be like everyone else.
If you need a career coach, drop me an email or private message today to get you on the right track.
Dave Brebner.
About the Author:
Dave is an Adult Educator, Speaker and Youth leader living in Western Sydney, Australia where he teaches the Electrical Trades at the Western Sydney Institute. He has Diplomas in Business and Training, a Bachelors Degree in Adult Education, Vocational and Workplace Training and a Masters of Education with a major in Career Development. He has lived with Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders since an early age. He is married with 6 children. He is a passionate coach and mentor to young people especially in the vocational guidance and career development areas. Dave is a professional member of the Career Development Association of Australia and has authored a course on Living with Tourette’s which you can study and purchase online through his website – www.davebrebner.com.