Motivational Monday & PoP Midway Reminder: Peace

If you are new to my blog and would like to know why I started Motivational Mondays, please go HERE.

 

Happy Easter Monday to those of you celebrating.  It is time now to share this month's Motivational Monday passage.  I have also included this reflection as part of the midway post over on my Path of Positivity challenge blog where the theme this month is PEACE.  So, if you are in the habit of checking in over there as well, you'll be able to skip the top half of that post.  On with today's thoughts...

PEACE IS POSSIBLE

Ah....peace.  There is nothing quite like it, is there?  Whether it is the peace that may surround you in the stillness of the day, or the calmness that infuses your heart as you look around and see how truly blessed you are, there is nothing quite like the feeling of peace.  Once you've experienced true peace, you tend to spend a lot of time trying to recapture the feeling.  If only we could carry it around with us twenty four hours a day, how much lighter we would all feel!  However, life just wants to jump in and interfere all the time to disturb that sense of calmness within us.  Trying to maintain peace and tranquillity while traversing busy and hectic lives is not an easy task and some may never achieve it fully but there are things you can do to help centre yourself and bring on a sense of calmness even if only for a short period of time.  Here are five ways to help you get started on bringing a sense of peace into your everyday life:

• Unplug.  Try and unplug every chance you get.  Are you one of those people with a cell phone glued to your ear, always checking your Twitter feed, ensuring your email is clear and up to date while checking out everyone's updates on Facebook?  How about turning it all off for a little while.  When was the last time you put down your E-reader and picked up an actual book or flipped through a magazine?  Stepping away from the electrical hum of it all for a short period of time, really can be exhilarating and help to bring stillness back into your day.

• De clutter and organize. Try to maintain a sense of order around you.  Doesn't it drive you crazy when you can't find anything you are looking for because you didn't put it back to its proper location in the first place?  It is difficult to remain peaceful if you are surrounded by chaos.  Of course finding the time you need to bring order to your area can be a challenge but it is worth it.  Try and spend a little time each day ensuring that your work or living area is neat and tidy.  Sadly, this is the one task that I personally need to work on the most.

• Employ meditation or other relaxation techniques. Now while it might sound like a bit of a cliché, meditation is also helpful for bringing about a sense of peace into your daily life and you don't have to sit cross legged in some yoga pants chanting 'ohm' to achieve it--although there is nothing wrong with doing it that way either.  Just find a system that works for you.  For some it might be a guided meditation that they listen to on tape.   If you are really brave, simply try to empty your mind.  No, it isn't an easy task but every time a new thought tries to invade your head space, just take an imaginary chalk brush and wipe the new thoughts away.  For others, simply taking ten minutes to practice mindful breathing can do the trick.   Even counting can serve as a meditation.  Simply find a system that works for you and you'll reap more benefits than you can imagine.  One such benefit is that once your mind is calmer, you'll be able to see things with more clarity.  Spending even a short amount of time in stillness can help you achieve much more than trying to rush through your day at a frantic pace.  Give it a shot, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results.  However, if meditation just isn't right for you, find some other relaxation techniques to help you release tensions and recharge during the day.  It doesn't matter whether it is walking, yoga, deep breathing or some other activity that helps you to relax.  Just find something you like and stick with it.

 

• Play some music.  It is incredible how easily we can be affected by music.  It can take us back in time or help to keep us present.  It can even send us forward to think about our future.  Hearing a certain song can go a long way to help alleviate stress, centre us and bring true joy into our day.  Make note of which songs help pacify your own soul and have them on standby to help you bring a sense of harmony to your life in more ways than one!

 

• Slow down. Have you ever noticed that the more wound up you get, the faster you move?  It may sound silly but simply slowing down while walking, moving your body or even talking, can often times help you to start feeling less stressed.  Then try slowing down during other activities as well--driving, riding your bike, working at your desk, housework, etc.  Just as importantly, slow down while you are eating too.  Try to savour the moments and morsels of your day, not just speed through them in an effort to get them out of the way.

There are many more ways you can work towards bringing a sense of calm, order and peace into your life but these are basic ones that should help you get yourself on the right track.  Don't feel that bringing stillness into your life is a hopeless wish -- it's not.  You just have to find the right combination of techniques that will work for you.  The key is that you keep trying and don't give up.  If you stray from the path, don't beat yourself up, just get back on it again.  The time and effort will be worth it! 

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Next up, that brings me to a couple of freebies.  The first was offered up at the challenge start and the second was just offered up today for the midway...

Font Information:

• Sexsmith font created by Ray Larabie
• 2Peas Gift font created by Two Peas

 

 

Font Information: 

• Foglihten font created by gluk
• Scriptina Pro font created by CheapProFonts

Click on the font names to take you to a download location.  All of these fonts were listed as free for commercial use at the time these creations were made.and as such, it is my understanding, that I am within my rights to use this font in my creations and offer them to others.  Please refer to my full terms of service for what you can and cannot do with this digital creation.

Credit Notes For These Creations: 
© 2014, Lisa L. Décosse.  PUO.  However, you are allowed to use the sentiments on handmade projects that you intend to sell on a small scale basis provided credit is given. You also need to include a credit note and a link to this blog should you use any of my images in your creations and post them on your blog. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with my full terms of use found in the 'Download Instructions & T.O.U.' tab at the top of this page.  Of important note:  Please do not share my images with family, friends, etc. Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Box®, 4-Shared®, etc. Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves. If you would like to post a watermarked version of the image, please contact me to obtain one. 

These word art creations are in png format and published at 300 ppi. They are quite large in order to accommodate different programs that people work with.   If you are a card maker you can always resize it smaller without distorting the quality.

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I invite you to go and check out, not only, the wonderful creations some members of my Design Team had the opportunity to create over on the Path of Positivity (click HERE for the midway) but also some of the great entries into this month's challenge (click HERE for the challenge).  I also invite you to come over and enter a project yourself, if you haven't already.

 

Well, that is finally it for today!  Have a great week ahead everyone!

 

Until next time,