8 Ways to Create More Peace and Balance in your Life Starting Today

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Something that's peaceful is more still than it is moving. Have you ever seen a sunset or a sunrise? It's moving, but it feels still. That's peace. Peace doesn't mean things are not moving. They're just moving at a natural pace. That's where we get peace. If we're not looking at connecting with peaceful things in nature, peaceful things in our life, how can we expect to experience peace? Hey everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world. Thanks to each and every single one of you that come back every week to listen, learn and grow. Now, today's episode is all about the eight ways to create more peace and balance in your life. Who doesn't want more peace? Who doesn't want more balance? I'm sure that when I asked those questions, every single one of you would raise your hands saying, I want more peace in my life. I want more balance in my life. Most of us have a life that's full of drama, chaos, pain, stress, imbalance, overwhelm, anxiety. How many times have you just looked in the mirror and thought to yourself, I just want some peace. I just want some balance. If you've ever felt this way, this episode is for you. Now, I was reading a study from the vision of humanity.org and they said that since 2008, the level of global peacefulness has deteriorated by 2%, with 75 countries recording a deterioration, while 86 improved. The average level of global peacefulness has deteriorated for nine of the 13 past years. The gap between the least and most peaceful countries continues to grow. Since 2008, the 25 least peaceful countries declined on average by 12.1%, while the 25 most peaceful countries improved by 4.3%. And of course, this is relating to conflict, world events, civil unrest. You know, looking at global peace on a really macro level. And one in seven people globally cite crime, violence or terrorism as the greatest risk to their safety in their daily lives. Only road accidents are cited as a bigger risk. Now, how many of you would like to know what the 2021 Global Peace Index ranks as the most peaceful countries? You might be surprised. So before I tell you the top five, let me tell you where certain countries are. So this list has ranks around 163 countries. The United Kingdom, which is the country I was born and raised in, is 33rd on the list. The United States of America, where I currently live, is 122 on the list. On this list, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria come in as the bottom three. And the top three are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark. Now, of course, this study, which I highly recommend you take a look at, goes far, far deeper when it comes to economic, civil, societal impact. But today, I want to dive in about your peace and balance, your personal peace and balance. And the reason why this is so important is because no matter what's happening around us, what's happening inside of us is so much more important. And this is wisdom that has been told and shared and tested. Now you may say, well, Jay, I feel bad trying to feel peaceful inside when there's so much pain outside. But the truth is that the pain outside is because of a result of the pain inside. The lack of peace on the inside is what creates the lack of peace on the outside. I'll give you an example. Do you argue with people more when you're peaceful or not peaceful? Do you create challenges when you're peaceful or when you're under pressure? Do you cause problems and conflict when you experience pain or when you don't feel pain. So if we really extend that idea, we have to recognize that all the pain, the pressure, the lack of peace that exists within the world comes from the idea that it is a lack of peace, a great sense of exposure to pressure, and so much pain that we experience within. And so, with that in mind, I would like to encourage each and every one of us to listen to this episode for the betterment of ourselves and for the betterment of our families and friends and for the betterment of everyone else that we come across. So the first one, the first way to create more peace and balance in your life, number one, is don't obsess over peace and balance. One of the biggest reasons why we don't experience peace and balance in our life is because we so desperately crave it. When you so desperately crave something, you notice the lack of it even more, right? If I think to myself right now, I wish I had cereal, but I know I don't have cereal in the house, right? I wish I had cereal. I wish I had cereal. And I obsess over cereal. It makes me really sad. It makes me lose peace and makes me lose balance. Whereas if I accept that, hey, I don't have cereal in the house right now, but I can drive 10 minutes to the grocery store to pick some up, right? Or. Or I can do a Amazon order and wait for it to arrive, then I can have that cereal if I really want to. Or do I even really need cereal? Maybe I'm happier with what I have. When we obsess over peace and balance, they run further and further away from us because we're so aware of the lack of it. Whereas when we don't obsess over it, but we realize that we're always just trying to move closer. See, our challenge is that we don't want to move closer. We just never want to move. We want to be in peace and balance forever, always. But the truth is that it requires so much more about little steps in the right direction, small baby steps, moving a little closer to peace and balance every day. And if we move a little further away, we move a little closer again. And when we realize that peace and balance don't actually exist, they're just ideas. And all that we have to do is move closer to our idea of peace and balance, then we feel closer to it than ever. So stop obsessing. Stop putting peace and balance on such a pedestal that all you keep saying is, I wish I had peace. I wish I had balance. I need peace. I Need balance. But all that keeps happening is that you just notice that you don't have it. You just notice that you don't have it in the way that you want it. And that's the other challenge. We obsess about peace and balance in this very stereotypical, simplistic way, in a very binary way that if we have stress, then we can't have peace. We think that they are polar opposites, that they are on either end of the spectrum. Well, let's then try and move closer on the spectrum. Don't obsess over peace and balance. Focus on moving one step closer to. To the person you want to be, to the place you want to be, to where you want to go. Okay, step number two is a big one. This statement was said by Gandhi and it has made an impact in my life. He said, when what we think, what we say and what we do is aligned, then we experience peace and harmony or balance. Let me say that again. When what we think, what we say and what we do is aligned. Now, let me ask you a very honest question. How many of you think something but say something completely different? How many times have you ever experienced that you're thinking something in your head, but you don't say that. What does that cause?

Causes a lack of peace?

Because you're thinking something but you don't say it. And you're thinking, oh, gosh, I wish I said it. I should have said it. They deserve it. They need to know now you've created a lack of peace. Now, I'm not saying you should say it how you think it, but you still need to communicate what you're thinking. Right? We think that we don't say what we think because it may hurt someone, it may upset someone, and that will also lose us peace. So if you keep quiet and don't say what you want, or if you say exactly what you're thinking, both of those push peace away. Therefore, peace is when you think something and you say it in a way that can be digested, that is peaceful for you and peaceful for someone else. Because when you can digest it and they can digest it, it creates peace. We don't have peace when we have indigestion. And indigestion exists when what we think and what we say is different. Now, how many of us say something but we do something completely different? We say we're going to do it, but we do something totally different. That creates dysfunction, that creates a lack of peace and balance. So what I want you to start doing is thinking about ways that you can say and do and think in an aligned way, right? Don't say anything that you don't want to do and don't think anything and not put it into words in an effective way. Start asking yourself all the time, is what I'm doing aligned with how I'm thinking and how I'm speaking? And also, am I doing it in a way that creates peace? Are my words used to create peace? Is the language I use? Creating peace? Is what I'm thinking, creating peace for myself? If my thoughts don't create peace for myself, how will they create peace anywhere else? Start by focusing on creating peace through your thoughts. How do you create peace through your thoughts? By wanting that. By believing that that is so much more important than any other thought you could have.

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Areas I know that for myself I am constantly seeking more and more thoughts that I know bring me peace that I know are going to give me peace. Because I want to live in a peaceful place that is more important to me than criticizing someone, than thinking someone's wrong, than putting someone down. Because I know none of that creates peace in my life. The third step is we need to start our days with peace. Because chances are there will be guaranteed pressure. It is natural for our lives to be full of pressure and therefore it is so important for our day to begin with. Peace. It is so important for our day to begin with Peace. What is the habit that will bring you peace? For me, often it is saying a prayer for me, it is reading a beautiful quote or a thought or an idea that brings me peace. For me, peace is looking at my favorite piece of artwork that gives me peace. For me, peace is practicing breath work. What are you doing every day for peace? Peace is a muscle that we have to build. It's something we have to practice. It's something that we can do day after day after day that strengthens our ability to find peace even in chaos. Look for that piece. Step number four is something that is actually very underrated. When you do something good for yourself, even when it feels bad, that creates peace. When I eat healthy, I don't feel great in the moment, but it creates peace. My body reacts better, my mind reacts better, I sleep better, I. I work better, I focus better. But it feels bad for me in the moment, but it's actually good for me, right? Let me give you another example. The other day I woke up, I really did not want to work out. I even texted Radhi and I said, hey, I'm feeling tired. Should I work out? What do you think? And Radhi being Radhi, she said, you should definitely work out. You'll probably feel better. I was feeling sluggish, I was feeling lazy and I pushed myself. And guess what? I felt much better. Guess what else happened this weekend? I was avoiding doing my cold plunge, I was avoiding doing my infrared sauna, my sensory deprivation tank. This is my Saturday morning routine and I was thinking about avoiding it. I thought to Myself, I don't need to do it this week. I'm tired, I've had a long weekend. Let me just relax. And guess what? I pushed myself to go and I felt so much better. Now what am I learning there? I'm learning that doing what is good for me, even if it feels bad in the moment, creates peace. Why? Because our mind is trying to choose pleasure. But really, we keep saying we want peace, but what we're doing is we're.

Creating a life of pleasure.

By saying, I'm going to sit in bed, that's not peace, that's pleasure. By saying I'm not going to work out, that's not peace, that's pleasure. I'm looking for pleasure. But then in my head I'm going, well, why don't I feel peace? Why don't I feel calm? Why don't I feel stillness? Because I'm prioritizing pleasure. When you do something that's bad for you because it feels good in the moment, that's pleasure. When you do something that is good for you, but feels bad in the moment, that's peace. Right? Notice how different they are. The formula for pleasure is do what feels good in the moment, but bad for you. And the equation for peace is do what is good for you, even if it feels bad in the moment. Take a look at that next time. Are you creating peace or pleasure? Now? Pleasure is temporary. It's short lived, it's ephemeral, it does not last. Peace is everlasting because it's actually transforming the way you live, the way your body works, the way your mind is. This is a huge one. I hope you practice this. Now, the fifth one is actually very simple. If you want to create more peace and balance in your life, tell the truth always. Tell the truth always. If you not lie. But if you don't tell the truth, you create a lack of peace. Because now you have to remember what you said last time. You have to now remember how you felt before. If you don't say the truth, then. And if someone finds out, then they say, well, why didn't you tell me the truth? If you don't tell the truth and you say something else, then you end up regretting it because you're carrying around that lie, right? The truth is always better. And it's harder. It's hard to live by the truth. It's more difficult and challenging to live by the truth. And because we want a people, please, we don't want to let anyone down. We don't want anyone to judge us. We don't want to be perceived in a certain way. But the point is, when you act in a certain way because you don't want to be perceived in a certain way, now you're worrying, when will that person figure out what's really the truth? When you don't tell the truth, you'll always be concerned and worried about when will people discover it. I remember watching Suits during the pandemic. And Mike Ross, if you've ever watched Suits, I'm going to ruin it for you. Spoiler alert. He pretends that he's going to Harvard Law. And so for him, even though he's a phenomenal lawyer, he's so talented, he's always, always, always worried about what if he gets caught. Right now you may not be lying about going to Harvard Law or you.

May not be lying.

It may be a cover up, it.

May be a white lie.

But then you're always guessing, guessing against yourself. And that creates internal lack of peace and imbalance. Number six is create an environment of peace through sights, scents and sounds. What you see can create peace. How often do you look at nature? Check this out. Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and well being. Now I'm going to break that down for you just to make it simple. 120, right? Divided by seven. That's 17 minutes a day. 17 minutes a day. That's all it takes. And the research study goes on to say spending time in natural environments can benefit health and well being. Are we looking at things that create peace? When was the last time you patiently observed a leaf or a bird? When was the last time you watched a sunset or a sunrise? When was the last time you actually did something with your eyes that was peaceful? Scrolling on TikTok is not peaceful. Scrolling on Instagram is not peaceful. But peace comes from doing things that are peaceful. What is something that's peaceful? Something that's peaceful is patience. Something that's peaceful is more still than it is moving. Have you ever seen a sunset or a sunrise? It's moving, but it feels still. That's peace. Peace doesn't mean things are not moving. They're just moving at a natural pace. That's where we get peace. If we're not looking at connecting with peaceful things in nature, peaceful things in our life, how can we expect to experience peace? Another way is through scents. Smell has the ability to create more stillness. Why is it that when you go to a spa, you feel more relaxed? Why is it that when you go for A massage, you feel more chilled because the scent that they use allows you to relax. Whether it's lavender or eucalyptus, whatever it may be. How many of you want to make space for more sense in your life? It can be simply by lighting a candle can make all the difference. And finally, sight sense and sounds is the music you're listening to creating peace? Listening to certain types of music can create peace.

So often we're listening to music that.

Is highly evocative, highly emotional, that doesn't create peace. When was the last time that you turned on a sound that brought joy to you? I know for me, listening to birds, honestly, just walking outside, finding a tree and just taking a second to walk past it. I don't have time to sit around under a tree, but when I do, wow, the birds are beautiful. Just taking a moment to listen to a stream of water. Taking a moment to just even put something on in the house. Sight sense and sounds are so powerful. The seventh way of creating more peace and balance in your life is stop assuming and over communicate. Peace and imbalance are lost when we assume. We assume why people do what they do. We assume that this is what's happened. We assume and we don't give people the benefit of the doubt. We assume and think the worst of people or we under communicate. We never ask questions, we never talk to someone about it. We never reflect. Communication leads to peace and balance, not assuming or expecting. And the eighth and final one which may surprise you is you create more peace and balance when you work for something that you're happy to stress for when you're happy experiencing stress, it doesn't feel like stress or pressure. It feels like peace. When you feel the joy of having gone out of your way for someone or something that you love that feels like peace even if it felt like imbalance. Create more memories and opportunities like that. I hope this list of eight will be something you practiced this week. I'm so grateful you chose to listen.

To me on on purpose.

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It has been incredible. We just had our best two months ever.

All time listens and it's only just getting better.

Thank you so much for listening. Sending you so much love.

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