How to attain peace of mind?

The goal of human life is not to attain world peace, it is to attain inner peace. It is insane that how much time people talk about the need for world peace without understanding the real cause of world problems which is the lack of inner peace. Do not worry about what is happening in the White House without getting your own house in order. Sharing four most effective life-strategies that I have learned over the last two decades of my life as an author, coach and peak-performance speaker. If you like them, then adopt them else discard them.

Do not worry about what you do not control – Never squander a second of your attention on what you cannot influence. It is futile window shopping and makes you feel poor and powerless. Spend the time in improving your power to influence. Your vote matters but do not follow politics every day or let it impact your peace of mind. I am in total favour of you joining politics with the intent to improve and serve the system. However, take action on your noble intentions rather than spreading negativity and pessimism within your network. You cannot control what a leader of the other country or other state is saying or doing as the office bearer. Practice non-interference and tolerance in life.

Have goals not desires – Have a specific plan for your day. If you do not have a fixed plan and a strict follow up action around the plan then you will surely waste away your life. I am not being dramatic but your life is big wall which is built by laying together the bricks called days. If you are not sincere about your days, you will not be sincere about your weeks, months, years or decades of your life. I read and write my goals a couple of times every day and this two minute exercise keeps me focused and centred. I do not control the outcome of my actions but I never give up on my supreme duty to learn and improve the quality of my actions. You give your best and let God decide the rest. 

Minimise usage of smart phone – The millennials are now spending up to 4-5 hours on their smart phones every day. You cannot live a peaceful life if you are vulnerable to flurry of social media updates, emails or phone calls. Be accessible but not to everyone. There are multiple apps that can help you track and improve your smartphone related disciplines. A distracted mind can never discover the oasis of peace.

Service – So many scientific studies have proven that service and compassion are perfect anti-dotes for depression and anxiety. When we focus our attention on others with the intent to help we feel good about ourselves too. This is the reason why people who indulge in regular voluntary service have high self-esteem. Kindness not only begets kindness but it also brings a lot of peace with it. 

(Siddhartha Sharma is the bestselling author of Love Your Mondays and retire young, 60 Keys to Success with NLP and many other books)