Ten Questions that Lead to Serenity
Inner tranquility maintained over time is often elusive. We yearn for harmony but frequently find ourselves prisoners of troubling thoughts and emotions. Even when we do attain a peaceful state, we find that it so easily slips away, despite our best intentions to maintain a sense of tranquility.
Life is dynamic, with an ever-present forward momentum. Our equilibrium changes just as the world around us stays in constant flux.
Because we arrive at our most profound truths through a personalized and experiential discourse, our paths to inner peace and tranquility differ -- from person to person, from country to country.
The challenge before us is enormous. To create a peaceful world requires more than treaties between nations; we must explore and become intimate with peace and serenity in a very personal way. We must understand harmony as we attempt to create it. We must live and breathe it. And mostly, we must each define it for ourselves.
Peace requires clarity and intention; without these, peace often falters.
Consider the following when attempting to define the quality of peace and serenity. As we each gain clarity about peace, we're one step closer to living a life of abundant peace and harmony.
1. Where do peace and tranquility show up? Peace shows up inour hearts. Tranquility is the quiet within that gives us access to our higher selves. By tapping into the quiet of our hearts, we experience space, flow and possibility - core ingredients that help us to live peacefully.
Other places that peace shows up is in our physical space, our relationships and in our spirituality. We find peace in the purpose of our lives and we experience peace in our careers. Additionally, we experience peace in our families and in our communities. We find peace in our communication and in who and how we are.
2. Is serenity the absence of conflict, or is it a state of mind (and being) unto itself? If peace and serenity is some-thing more than the absence of conflict, what is it? What are the core ingredients of peace? What qualities help to generate peace -- both internal tranquility as well as peace between adversaries?
3. Is serenity maintainable over time? If our lives are in a constant state of flux and forward momentum, how do we maintain our composure and equilibrium? How does one live from one's center when there are constant obstacles coming our way and which serve to keep us off balance, and which destabilize us? How does one live in tranquility when flux is all around?
4. Is it possible to orient one's self and life around the quality of serenity? If so, what commitment would you need to make in order to do so? What would this look like? How would your life look or be different?
5. What is your experience of serenity? When was the last time you paid attention to peace and tranquility, and your experience of it? What's not conscious is often elusive. Focus on the quality and the role of peace in your life in order to increase it.
6. What elements contribute to the creation of continued peace and tranquility? If we understand what contributes to the creation of peace and tranquility, we'll be better equipped to generate it in the future. We'll be able to summon the creation of peace through conscious thought and action.
7. Is peace quantifiable? We count the wars between nations, but do we count or appreciate the days of peace? We name and count our adversaries, but take for granted our friends and loved ones. How do we quantify something we all too often take for granted?
8. What does inner serenity provide us access to? If peace is the gateway to a higher state of being, such as love, compassion and gratitude, how can we harness the power of peace and utilize it for the betterment of our lives? If peace provides us access to choice, opportunities and possibility, how can we build upon the foundational elements that generate growth built upon peace? What DOES peace provide us access to?
9. Does tranquility live anywhere but the present? We might build upon the past and we might use our vision for the future as a source of inspiration, but tranquility exists only in the present moment. Understand this profound but simple concept and transformation becomes possible! Each moment becomes a new opportunity to create peace and harmony.
10. Can peace and tranquility live without compassion? Compassion is an underlying tenet of peace. "Compassion is the sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) While our motivation to seek peace might not always emerge from compassion, compassion is required for peace to hold.
"Peace is not a relationship
of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity
of soul. Peace is not merely an absence of war. It is also a
state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people."
- Jawaharlal Nehru
The above questions are intended to guide our inquiry into peace. As we become more clear about peace and tranquility, the qualities that both birth and maintain peace will become clearer for us. And with this clarity comes the possibility of living and breathing peacefully. True peace has a power onto itself - let peace transform our world abundantly!
Jan Gordon, LCSW is an Executive and Personal Coach who finds great joy in helping her clients achieve outstanding results! Ms. Gordon provides coaching to individuals and teams who are dedicated to enhancing their personal power and sense of fulfilment. Her coaching embraces the concept that challenge provides opportunity. Visit her website at: www.qualitycoaching.com. Jan can reached at jan@qualitycoaching.com
Copyright © 2001 by
Jan Gordon. All Rights Reserved. This content may be forwarded only in full, with copyright/bio/contact/creation information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Jan Gordon is required.
|
|
|
|
|
|