If you want to create a peaceful world, start creating peace internally

We all search for peace. We want peace in the world, peace in our homes, peace at work, peace with our loved one, but we often forget about the importance of inner peace. In order to truly create a peaceful world we must begin with creating peace within ourselves. 

Many of us spend our daily lives riddled with moments of anger:

-) Anger at the violence and negligence we read/hear about in the news

-) Anger at people we believe have been rude to us

-) Anger at things for breaking down

-) Anger at those who have hurt us in the past

-) Anger about not reaching a desired goal

...... And so on

When you think about it, there is a lot you could potentially be mad about throughout the course of your day. The problem with holding on to anger though is that anger and resentment are two of the worst things you can do to your health and happiness. 

Collectively as a nation, so much anger cannot be good energetically to create a peaceful world. How can we expect peace in the world when we live our lives riddled with anger. Our only saving grace is the balance we create with love, laughter and fun. Just imagine how great your world would be to live in if there was much more of this joy and much less anger.

In order to create a peaceful world we must start within ourselves by altering our mindsets and perspective on life. Here are some examples of things you could do to increase peace in your life:

**Instead of focussing on how much you hate your boss, focus on feeling sorry for his/her negative attitude & then focus on your goals and doing your best

**Instead of getting angry with yourself for not following through on actions towards a desired goal, start to believe in your ability to motivate yourself and do anything small right now

**Instead of living your life in fear, focus on peace and harmony in the world

**Instead of focussing on how upset you are over another person's rude behaviour, trust in your own actions and focus on being true to yourself

We all have the power to change our lives and to alter the world around us by simply focussing on peace and happiness. Use your power every day to create the life you truly desire and deserve.

To learn how to build self confidence and gain self esteem visit www.selfesteemonline.com.au

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Is your health getting in the way of your happiness and success?

In the pursuit of happiness it's very easy to neglect your physical body and to ignore the impact that your health is having on your ability to achieve and maintain a happiness and a successful life.

As adults, we spend a lot of time trialling various behaviours that may lead to short term feelings of uphoria (such as excess drinking, watching TV, smoking, and eating junk food). However, whilst you may experience an immediate positive feeling from these behaviours - long term these behaviours tend to lead to negative emotions. Therefore, short term gain can lead to long term pain.

What is even more interesting, is that short term gains in mood are also likely to lead to short term pain. For instance, eating junk or drinking excess coffee can lead to feeling bloated, tired, aggitated, stressed and anxious. These negative moods can leave you feeling unmotivated, unsociable and cloudy headed. Yet, in the moment, junk food and coffee can satisfy an immediate need for an energy boost. So, we can easily fall victim to pleasing immediate needs without thinking about how they will make us feel later and in particular how they will affect our goals..

So why do we ignore the nourishing mental and physical needs of our bodies - only paying attention when something really breaks down?

I believe we often ignore our body because we justify that other activities in life are more important, however if your body is not working efficiently, you will find yourself losing motivation, feeling too tired to achieve your goals and losing confidence in yourself if your physical body is not operating as well as it should/could be.

In addition, the message we have been receiving from the media for many years now is that the purpose of our external bodies is to portray a (pre-defined and culturally defined) beauty. As a result, MANY men, women and kids find themselves comparing their bodies to those they see in the media. Unforuntely these images tend to be well prepared and photographed (or air brushed), giving most people the belief that they could never measure up to these images. Thus, it's easier to give up trying to reach such an unrealistic goal and enjoy the here and now instead.

The problem with this defeatist attitude is that internally these media images "stick"" and as a result people often feel guilty for not engaging in healthy behaviors in order to try to emulate the beauty stereotype. This guilt leads to feeling down and so the search for an instant 'pick me up' strikes again.

So what can you do to stop this behavior?

In order to fight against this way of thinking you need to start viewing your physical body as your tool to achieving success and happiness in life. This means looking after it and treating it well, so that it will in turn assist you when you need it most (eg when you want to play sport with the kids/friends, brainstorm great ideas for a new project, perform well at work, present your best 'self' in an interview or on a date, or stay up late to complete an important project).

Living a healthy lifestyle is much more about giving you the best chance to achieve success, than it is about you looking good.

Let your body be your best tool to drive you to achieve your goals and desires in life.