I think everyone has that one principle that keeps them steady, something that's guiding how they live, even when life feels confusing. For some people, it can be faith, discipline for others or even hardwork.
Through experience, I have found that peace is not a thing to be found but to be created everyday through both self protection and preservation. That's where my principles comes in.
One thing I hold onto closely is being intentional. I do not want to just exist, letting whatever happens happen, or live through whatever motion life comes. I much rather prefer to know what I am doing and why. I want my time, the people I allow into my space, and the things that I dedicate my energy to all carry weight and importance to me.
Some people are able to develop or possess Intentionality naturally, while some don't. I still experience days when I do something out of habit or out of obligations or where I promise myself to follow a certain discipline yet exhibit an opposite behaviour. Recognising the lack of intentionality at the time of the action provides me with an opportunity for reflection and allows me to ask me whether what I am doing is an act of choice of obligation. Reflecting on what I am doing and why I am doing it has given me the opportunity to avoid numerous unnecessary, stress-inducing situations.
Also, not forcing things. That one has been the biggest relief of all. The thought that if I tried harder, people would understand me more, opportunities would open faster, or life would fall into place exactly how I imagined it to, was something I bore for a real long time. But I've learned that when something is right for you, it doesn't need that much pushing. It flows, it aligns, and when it doesn't, I now take that as a sign to let it go.
I've come to a point of not forcing myself into everything or forcing things that obviously cannot happen to happen. It's just that I don't have the same interests or passions for something outside of my life as I do everything else in my life. There are many things I want and many things I enjoy, however many opportunities aren't necessarily for everyone and many people who enter our lives are only there temporarily, the same way not everything I want will come when I want it to.
I think peace is achieved when we stop trying to fight life or forcing things that obviously cannot happen or remain. I do not mean giving up, I just mean knowing when it's clear you've been fighting far too long and need to step back or re-evaluate. And just because I stop forcing things doesn't mean I am lazy or don't care, rather that I have come to a point where having peace of mind is far more important to me.
If there is any principle I think people should take on, it's these. When you quit trying so hard to control everything in life, and begin living with purpose and intent, everything begins to make more sense. This will lead to less stress over time, what people would think or proving yourself to others. You just live fully, freely and with peace that actually feels like peace.
Image is mine
