Redefine success as Inner Peace

The thought of this came from an article in Conscious Community magazine by Allan Cohen. The author inspired the thought - redefine success as inner peace.

That led me to thinking, “How do I define success?” Is it by money earned? Is it by Job Title or by driving impact at work? Is it by progress on the spiritual path? Is it by inspiring others or spreading joy?

The author asks us to redefine success as inner peace. The question then is, when do I feel peaceful? The author recommends using the compass of joy to identify those activities. Let’s do the activities that help cultivate inner peace and get away from those that take away peace.

For me, music is an activity that gives me peace and leaves me energized. Just yesterday I drove 20 minutes to meet my group and we all sang for 2 hours. Post the session I felt energized and I enjoyed every minute of it. I felt tired in the evening but it was well worth it. The question I ask myself is do I feel joyful or drained post an activity? Quite a few times after watching TV I feel drained. That tells me to not go on that path – the path that leaves me yearning for inner peace.

Redefining success as inner peace is hard. Imagine the conscious questioning, am I feeling peaceful? If not, how will I get there?

I define success as abundance and inner peace. Abundance of love, life and certain material comforts - a nice home, good books and ability to afford luxuries. Abundance also implies inner prosperity and joy.

What is your definition of success? And what compass do you use to measure it?

The green fields

With loads of yellow dandelions

Swaying in the wind

Joyful Abundance

The blue sky

Protecting and Nurturing

A new avatar everyday

Limitless Abundance

My heart

Grateful and blissful

Soaked in His love

Eternal Abundance

You are not a tree

The thought of this topic was inspired by a quote by Jim Rohn “if you don’t like where you are, change it. You are not a tree”.

Really, change it. Why are we so afraid of new things and change? Why do we always use practicality as an excuse to avoid change and keep suffering through it? Why do we behave like trees?

A few months ago, as I neared the 100-day mark of my job hunt, one of my beloved advisors said, “Maybe you should have stuck around and found something before you quit”. Another one asked me “Can you not go back?” I guess they believe being in an uprooted stage is not fun. However, if I want to change, I have to uproot myself to find the soil and environment that facilitates growth. I didn’t uproot myself to go back and I needed the gift of time to find the correct soil.

On the other hand, I am blessed to have friends and family watching my journey and reminding me to focus on one step. The universe will automatically send something my way and it has. I know it and I believe it. The lesson that I need to keep learning is ‘patience’. Once we uproot ourselves it takes time. I always focus on the big picture. Today I am itching to find out what’s next but down the road, I will fondly look back at this time and thank God for giving me the courage and granting me the luxury of time.

As I think about “I am not a tree”, I am reminded of the saying “You only live once”. So why should we live in a state of dissatisfaction and unhappiness? Why can’t we have the courage to get inner peace?

The universe always tests our intentions. It tests if we are true to our beliefs. Some of us have tougher tests than others. Once we prove we are serious, I feel confident fate will turn in our favor. The universe helps us to find the best version of ourselves, so sometimes it tests us over and over again. It pushes us to change and forces us to ‘not be a tree”.

So for me, if I am unhappy, I am not a tree and I will push for change. I will not let fear of failure or fear of being in an uprooted state stop my efforts. However, I will plan my time. I will trust the universe and I will reflect on the lessons it wants me to learn and remember.

I have left you

With love

And I am not coming back

I have a new journey

To undertake

And I am walking ahead

The days maybe tough

And I may get lonely

Hope and faith will get me there

I have things to learn

I have paths to try

Don’t hold me back

I have just one life

And now is the time

I have no regrets

I will follow my dream

I will find my bliss

I have something to share

Best Day Ever

The credit of this topic goes to my 5 year old Ashna. Summers are a lot of fun for her. She enjoys playing out till late, especially with the scooter and on splash pad. These days I hear her say “I had the best day ever”. It sure doesn’t take much to please little kids! As the saying goes “Enjoy today as this is the only time you will get to live it”.

I have a lot to learn from this. Everyday could be the “best day” in some aspects. Either, our expectations are too high for the best day ever or we haven’t really defined our best day ever or we have an attitude of finding faults. I have often heard people say “it was a wonderful day but it was too hot”. Why can’t we just stop at “it was a wonderful day”. Let’s think what will our best day look like? It it that lazy day spent on a beach enjoying nature’s magnanimous style? Is it spending time with our most loved ones and talking about life experiences? Is it connecting to the divine in a way that we haven’t experienced before?

I enjoy asking myself – how am I feeling at this moment? Do I say I am feeling blissful, anxious, tired, joyful or grateful? These help reflect my state of mind. I hope I can correct it to make that moment the best moment ever!

Yesterday I had the best day ever. It was the weekend. I and Ashna slept in. On waking up I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and toast with my husband Pranav. Then we all played in the water and I got some “my time” to be centered. I made one of my favorite meals, relished it and food coma set in. Post that, we went shopping, enjoyed the summer sun, spent some time with friends and at night watched “Brooklyn” a beautiful thought inspiring movie. It was a wonderful day!

Is today going to be the best day ever? Rather am I going to make today the best day ever?

A heartfelt laugh

A tight hug

It’s the best day ever

A quiet walk

A melodious tune

It’s the best day ever

A hot cup of coffee

Ready and served

It’s the best day ever

A long talk

And lightened heart

It’s the best day ever

A naughty smile

Playful mischief’s

It’s the best day ever

Centeredness

And a connection

It’s the best day ever

A few tender moments

Summing up

To the best day ever