10 Activities for Your Inner-Peace and Mindfulness

You will be great only when you feel great - physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.

Physical stamina will grow your resilience, intellectual vigour will help you think at your best, and emotional well-being will maintain your balance and security.

Spiritual health will heighten your mindfulness, your presence to yourself and others, your peace of mind and your sense of self-worth.

"Almost all the problems of mankind arise from the inability to be alone with oneself in a room for any period of time” wrote Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher in the 17th century.

What happens when you are alone with yourself, all relaxed? One could say your ‘spirit’ flows. By ‘spirit’ I simply mean here the messages from that deepest part of you that makes sense of your world and of who you are. Give it enough time and it will help you become mindful of who you are, and even understand what your purpose for living is. It then helps you gain peace of mind, strength and hope.

That matters, as - in Brian Tracy’s words - “the highest human good is peace of mind. In fact, you can measure the success of your life at any given time by your level of happiness and peace of mind, by how good you feel about yourself and your world.”

When you are mindful, you are aware, open, accepting, energized, curious and seeing many possibilities and perspectives. When you are not, you are most likely “on autopilot, closed-minded, “in your head”, disconnected, tired, passive, operating with fixed stereotypes and assumptions”, as Joshua Ehrlich wrote.

Feelings of emptiness, anxiety, hopelessness, apathy, hate or conflict may signal a lack of ‘spirituality’ in your life. The good news is you don’t have to be a ‘guru’ to enjoy benefits from spirituality. Simple practices normally suffice. Here are 10 of them - may I invite you to select a few amongst this list?

Activity #1 - Stop doing, stop thinking and just be quiet for a while

Take time just for yourself every day, and guard it fiercely. It can be a mere 5 minutes, just after waking-up or anytime along the day.

Let your thoughts flow without examining them. Your inner-self will let you know what’s best for you next.

Schedule weekends in nature regularly.

Activity #2 - Appreciate the little things

Take a moment daily to appreciate some things around you: a few mouthfuls along a meal, a painting or a picture, a sunset, the beauty of the architecture…

Activity #3 - Offer and open mind to others

Let go of judgment when you listen or look at someone, give others space to express themselves, choose to listen with the certainty that you will find something of value in what others express.

Activity #4 - Forgive

Forgive, to forget. It’s worth it. Then you can move forward with a lighter heart. Remember Albert Schweitzer’s witty words: “Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory”

Activity #5 - Take up a meditation class

Search on the internet for the opportunity in your area. Don’t start with a long meditation retreat, it could be too much of a stretch!

Activity #6 - Breathe deeply

Practice deep breathing at your convenience.

If you are an extrovert, discipline yourself to breathe between sentences, if only to allow more time for your brain to process your thoughts, and hence express them clearly and concisely.

Activity #7 - Try out a yoga or tai-chi class

Choose a class for beginners; check with the yoga or tai-chi school that the way they initiate new-comers is comfortable for you.

Activity #8 - Learn a compact yoga practice

Ask a yoga teacher what 5-10 minute practice without props s/he may recommend to you, learn it with the teacher and then do it daily.

Here's a good example; watch the “5 Tibetans” postures here.

Activity #9 - Celebrate with gratitude

Once a day, acknowledge what you are grateful for. Express your gratitude to those at cause - mail them a handwritten note.

Activity #10 - Do more of what gives you joy!

What activity you are not doing that you love or used to love? Music, hobby, sports… Seek ways to re-introduce it into your life.

And remember that your natural state is joy!

On top of everything, do remember too that discipline is key to success!

Pair up with a buddy (for accountability and for added fun!) and regularly check-in with each other to see how you're both doing with your commitments.

Keep each other honest (perhaps even strictly!) the moment either of you deviate from your commitment - because you will! It's often hard to do new things to feel good afterwards, even when we know that taking it easy instead will make us feel bad afterwards...

Then you will feel great, and be how you need to be to fly towards “that place inside of you of peace and well-being, that knows who you are, why you are here and the purpose of your life”, as Dr Cherie Carter-Scott said.

Here's to your Greatness!

Jean-Francois Cousin