BNA Magazine

Anyone can give up, give in, or stop giving; they’re the easiest things in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you gave up, gave in, or stopped giving, that's true inner peace and strength.

There is a lot of misunderstanding as to what peace of mind or inner peace means. Some associate it with a life in a convent or a monastery, not believing that it is possible to have inner peace, and at the same time live an active life, with work, family and daily chores and tasks by simply praying in good and bad times and by believing in the Lord.

Almost every day we pass through situations that cause stress, anxieties, worries or unhappiness. We often face problems, conflicts, demands or emergencies at work, at home or in relationships. Sometimes they lead to emotional and physical strain or problems. It is in these situations that a state of inner peace is a great blessing, and over the years I have accomplished this through the power of praying.

But, I don’t just pray when I’m faced with bad or conflicting situations, I also pray when things are going well in our city, at home or with people that I love and respect around me.

A state of inner peace and strength makes life easier, happier and more satisfying, and gives you the ability to deal effectively with every situation. You cannot always change your external conditions, but when you can bring peace to your mind, you will act and react differently, and this will transform your inner and external world.

When we learn to acknowledge, accept and embrace the fact that praying and believing gives us inner peace and strength, we can begin to detach ourselves from illusion of “good” or “better” versus “bad” and “worse” in our life. The truth is, we are whole. Once we embrace that notion, we will consistently view and cope with life in a more positive way. I personally follow the following four tips:

Be Logical and Emotional: Think rationally when feeling pressured. Also, although you cannot control other people, you can opt out of reacting to them or a given situation, by not becoming critical or emotionally discouraged, respectively.

Be Focused and Scattered: Reduceoverwhelming feelings by targeting what is bothering you, such as too many interruptions, distractions, details or things to do.

Be Perfect and Imperfect: Settle for less than "perfect". Perfectionism will narrow your focus or ability to notice important aspects of a situation, lead to procrastination, or result in missed opportunities.

Be Rigid and Spontaneous: Avoid using an all or nothing, or differently put success versus failure approach to managing yourself. This will give you more flexibility.

Life is meant to be extraordinary, our bodies are meant to be vital, and like a candle, burn brightly until their final moment.