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We live in a world full of “doers.” The most common questions that pervade
our society are “How are you ‘doing’?” “What do you ‘do’ for a living?” What
are you ‘doing’?” and “What can I ‘do’ about this or that?”
I am often asked what can be “done” to create peace? First and foremost I
think it is important to mention that ideally a shift from “doing” to “being”
is involved. Peace in our lives and peace in our world is not achieved
necessarily by what we “do” but by how we “BE.” Gandhi said, “Be the change
you wish to see, not ‘do’ the change you wish to see.”
Peace is a way of “being.” It is an inner stillness, a connectedness, a
centeredness. By its very nature, It is not something that you “make” or
“force.”
Yet, because we live in a society of “doers”, there are specific things that
can be “done” to create peace in our lives, our relationships and in the
world, that will help us get to that place of “being” peace. Once we practice
“doing” these things on a daily basis, peace will eventually become a way of
“being.”
Below is a Top 10 List of “Simple Things each of us can do to create Peace in
every aspect or our lives. The list is a result of responses compiled from
people from all walks of life. The concepts are simple, yet profound. The
effects are individual then collective.
TOP 10 LIST
#10 PLAY
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When we think of play we often think of children. Children are so full of
Love, Life, Innocence and Joy, that it is amazing to watch them play.
As adults, many of us have lost the capacity to play. We’re overworked,
stressed, or we have too many responsibilities and not enough time. But what
many of us forget is that if we added playtime to our schedule, we’d be more
productive, happier and healthier individuals.
Medical and Scientific research has documented the power of laughter in
treating patients with illnesses or depression, and workplaces have documented
employee productivity in positive, nurturing work environments and yet we
continually forget or neglect to include play in our daily lives.
I know that if we could learn to play together, as we did when we were kids,
the world would be a peaceful place. Remember when you were little how someone
would come to your house and ask your parents, “Can Lisa come out and play?”
Well, ask yourself that now, “Can (Your Name) come out and play? And what
would that child in you want to do? Here are some ideas…
- play on a swing or slide
- go to a drive-in movie,
- go on a camping trip,
- rollerblade along the boardwalk, ice skate, or roller skate at the skating
rink,
- play a board game, make a house out of cards, play charades,
- paint a picture, color a drawing, write a poem
- stargaze,
- run through the sprinklers,
- tickle someone,
- laugh out loud,
- dance in the rain,
- make a sand castle,
- go to an amusement park and ride the rides,
- do cartwheels,
- watch a kid’s movie, or family comedy?
I guarantee that the child in you is waiting to come out and play. Give that
child inside you the permission to come out and play.
Start by incorporating “Play” into your schedule. We schedule appointments,
engagements, meetings, workout schedules, etc, so why not schedule a specific
time in which you play?
It may be once a month or once a week at first, then once you realize the
benefits of playing you may incorporate it into your life on a daily basis.
Do the things that bring you joy in your life, and do them frequently.
Play whole-heartedly with the innocence and creativity of a child.
I know that you and those around you will notice the difference and the world
will laugh and play along with you.
“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.”
—Confucius
#9 BE ACCOUNTABLE
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Being accountable is about walking the walk and not just talking the talk.
It’s one thing to say that we would like to experience peace, yet another to
embody it.
St. Francis of Assisi said that, “While we can proclaim peace with our lips,
it is more important to have it in our hearts.”
I found out what it means to be accountable when I created a bumper sticker to
advertise my book Peaceful Earth. I put the words: Peaceful Earth/Peaceful
Person on the bumper sticker along with the website so that people could order
the book. I did it mainly as an advertisement.
I placed the sticker on top of the rear window of the car, and I could
actually see it through the rear view mirror while I was driving.
One day while in traffic, someone rudely cut in front of me. My hands clenched
the steering wheel, my knuckles became white, my jaw tightened, my mouth
opened, I was about to yell profanities when… I looked up and saw the sticker
Peaceful Earth/Peaceful Person on the back of my window.
Then I realized how I was showing up in the world. How would it look to be
sporting a Peaceful Person bumper sticker while yelling at someone?
That’s when the realization came to me that maintaining inner peace and loving
relationships is something we have to practice on a daily basis, and that part
of that experience includes holding ourselves accountable for the way we show
up in the world.
Think about the great spiritual leaders and teachers who led their life by way
of example; by holding themselves accountable. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin
Luther King may have had their moments, but for the most part, they walked
their talk. They continually and persistently showed up “being” what they
“asked us to be.”
So if we want to teach our children how to be peace and to peacefully
co-exist, we would do well to set an example of being a peaceful, loving
presence.
Maybe it’s about being accountable for something else significant in your
life. Maybe you have committed to exercising daily and haven’t been actually
“doing” it. Or maybe you told someone you would do something and haven’t done
it?
Whatever it is that you have committed to and haven’t done, start by doing it
now. Hold yourself accountable. Tell a friend of your commitment and ask
him/her to follow up with you. Team up with others to help each other be
accountable for our actions.
And remember, that while we are all human and have moments in which we don’t
“show up” the way we wanted to, that it is the continual and consistent
practice that will keep us on the road of “walking our talk.” (We have an
Ecourse based on the Top 10 list and if you sign up you can sign up a friend
for *FREE* as part of the “being accountable process. For more information:
http://www.peacefulearth.com/topten.php)
#8 RELEASE JUDGMENT
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Even now as you’re reading this article you are probably making a judgment
about it and whether or not it is helpful to you. As humans, we “judge”
something according to our preferences or our social conditioning.
To judge something or someone is to deem the circumstance or person as right
or wrong, good or bad. Every time we judge someone or something we are
imposing our beliefs about what is right or wrong upon them or the
circumstance.
Eckhart Tolle in his book Stillness Speaks, says that when you judge someone
you are confusing their actions or demonstrations with who they really are.
“You give them a conceptual identity, and that false identity becomes a prison
not only for the other person but also for yourself.”
I’ve also noticed that we, as humans, have a desire to judge everything. “It’s
a terrible day, it’s raining outside.” Or, “That guy is inconsiderate, he was
late.” Try to take the judgment out of things and just state them as they are:
“It’s raining outside,” or “he is late. “
To be without judgment is to deem every experience, situation or circumstance
as neither good nor bad, and to just say that it is what it is...
#7 WATCH YOUR WORDS
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This is a vast topic which could lend itself to an entire article of its own.
In fact, it has been the subject of entire forms of study such as
Neuro-linguistic Programming.
Feelings, thoughts and ideas are the first act of creation. All things in
material or physical form first started as a feeling, thought or an idea.
The way we express our feelings, thoughts or ideas, are through the use of
words. Therefore, words are an important aspect in the creative process.
That’s why it is imperative that we choose them wisely.
In Messages from Water, Dr. Masaru Emoto, shows us photographs of water
crystals that have been exposed to certain words. Water crystals that were
exposed to words like Love, Compassion, Wisdom and Peace are brilliantly
beautiful hexagonal crystals with exquisite shape and structure. Water that
was exposed to words like “War, You Fool, and Dirty” have crystals that are
not clearly defined, or are broken or contorted. Our bodies our 70% water! So
the words we use do affect our results.
We have a *FREE* article on our site that discusses the specific words that we
use against ourselves. http://www.peacefulearth.com/resources.php
#6 GIVE
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It is a law of the Universe that what you give comes back to you How many of
us have given money to a charity, and then found an unexpected check in the
mail from an unexpected source? Or how many of us have helped someone in need,
only to be helped later in return by another person?
It is a well-known proverb that what you give you shall receive. Give
kindness, love and peace to everyone, and kindness, love and peace will be
given to you.
Many of us remember the sayings from the Bible, “as you give, so shall you
receive.”
This Universal Truth often doesn’t make sense at an intellectual level. It
seems contradictory that if we would like more of something, that we should
give it away.
But really, when I give it means that I am coming from a place of fullness.
When I give money, my mind knows that I have the money to give. When I give
love, I know that I have plenty of love to give.
Every time in my life when I have given money even when I really didn’t feel I
had any to give, the Universe has compensated me. If I am clinging desperately
to my money, feeling I don’t have enough to give, then I don’t and my
situation gets worse.
In the book The Twelve Conditions of a Miracle, Dr. Michael Abrams talks about
circulation and says that money, like life, must be constantly circulating or
flowing.
To me, it doesn’t matter the amount, just that it is consistent and regular.
Although, sometimes I may not give as much financially, I volunteer my time
and talent for appropriate causes.
Speaking on the concept of giving, I have noticed that one of the most
important things you can give to someone is an acknowledgement of how special
they are in your life.
I send “Thank You” cards to the hosts of my book signing events, the radio
interviewer that I interviewed with, etc. and you would be amazed how many of
them tell me that I was the first person that ever thanked or acknowledged
them for what they did. What about a coworker who always goes the extra mile?
Have you acknowledged him/her in a while?
What about the friend who has stood by you during all your up’s and down’s.
Have you thanked him or her lately? What about the person that inspired you to
do something you wouldn’t normally do? Did you thank him or her? What about
acknowledging that stranger who smiled at you on the street?
#5 SMILE
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I have heard over and over how wonderful the planet would be if we would all
just smile more.
It sounds so simple, yet most people don’t do it. I even recall seeing people
at churches or on the streets promoting peace with scours on their faces.
While all of them had good intentions and were spreading the message of peace,
they didn’t seem too peaceful to me. A smile would have helped.
Even if it means getting that tooth whitener stuff to show your pearly whites,
do it. I bet you that if you smile at someone, most of the time, they can’t
help but smile back. We’ve heard it said before, but a smile is contagious.
The mere act of moving your facial muscles to the “smile position” has
positive effects on your mood. And you can always up the level by moving the
smile to an exercise in conscious laughter! Try it!!!
#4 Seek to Understand
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Some people call this “putting yourself in another’s shoes” or empathizing
with someone. But basically it’s about trying to understand someone else’s
side.
In the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, he says, “seek not to be understood,
but to understand.” This is very powerful. Because once we understand
someone’s pain or actions, peaceful resolution is possible. I tell of a story
about an angry man in a bus station to illustrate this point.
It’s a story about a rude, obnoxious man in a bus station. He has no concern
for others as he bumps into them, he curses under his breath, and everyone
around him just thinks he’s this vile man, until one little girl talks to him
and finds out that his wife died and he lost everything including his home,
and his job, and he was angry at the world. Somehow, knowing this about him
helped to understand his actions and therefore empathize with him. Once the
man felt understood, he softened.
Try putting yourself in someone else’s shoes the next time someone causes a
“reaction” from you and see if you “see” the situation differently.
#3 LISTEN:
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I read a statistic once that most violent acts were committed because the
perpetrator had not felt “heard” and therefore felt compelled to resort to
extreme, drastic measures.
Seems all too often we focus on talking. Talk, talk, talk, and talk, when we
should be listening.
Sometimes we listen, but it goes in one ear and out the other. When was the
last time you actively listened to your coworker, neighbor, spouse, child or
parent by being fully present in the conversation? And devoted your entire
attention to what they were saying?
#2 MEDITATE:
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The whole idea behind meditation is to quiet your mind. In an outer world
filled with stress and responsibilities, this one key in and of itself is
probably one of the most effective ways to peace, both inner and outer.
Many people have extensive practices of meditation and have taken classes on
the subject. There are hundreds or resources available.
Yet some people take walks in nature, and that is meditation to them. Some
spend some time alone in silence. Others concentrate on their breathing.
Whatever it is that you can “do” to get out of your mind and to connect with
that inner energy, try it.
#1 PRAY (or BELIEVE/ AFFIRM/ KNOW)
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Many words and suggestions that were given as the most important thing to do
to manifest peace was: Believe peace, know Peace, affirm peace, pray peace.
This is all based on the study of quantum physics that tells us that the outer
world is an out-picturing of our inner world.
What we hold true in our minds becomes our reality. Yet sometimes it is hard
to believe Peace or know peace when the external circumstances seem
contradictory.
This is where the story of the FaithKeeper comes in. Alan Cohen in the book
Peaceful Earth tells us that in Native American tradition, one person in the
village is assigned the role of FaithKeeper.
That person is responsible for keeping the faith of the entire village, no
matter what the external circumstances appear to be.
So basically even during times of drought, famine, disease, poverty, etc. it
is the role of the Faith Keeper to keep the high watch for the entire village
and know that the crops are flourishing, the rains are coming, that health
prevails, and that there is abundance.
This is our role now, to be Faith Keepers of Peace, so that no matter what the
external situation appears to be we know that peace and love prevail and that
we are all one.
If each and every one of us were to “practice” these ten simple things in our
daily lives, the world would be a more peaceful place. We would experience
inner peace, peaceful relationships and a peaceful earth.
If you enjoyed this article you may want to check out our FREE five minute
internet movie based on the Top 10 List:
http://www.peacefulearth.com/toptenmovie.html
By Lisa Hepner
Please go to our website at http://www.peacefulearth.com and browse many of
our FREE resources for inner peace and world peace. You may want to sign up
for our FREE online magazine which is full of content and resources.
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