One person at a time

Can one person make a difference?

I believe that one person at a time, we can make a great deal of love and peace, inside ourselves and out in the world. Too idealistic? I do not think so. Anyone who has tried to make a difference knows how it goes. It starts with one person, and before long there are a great many people, and then it really does make a difference.

But it starts inside. To have peace and love out there, we first have to find it in here. That usually means taking a good look at ourselves, forgiving ourselves and other people, and being kind enough to ourselves that we can be kind to everyone else. Then we can give it away, one small miracle at a time.

So how do you find peace in a world that never stops moving? Here are the ways I know.

Just be still

When you feel anxious, worried or pushed, stop and take a few deep breaths. With each breath out, let the tension go. Let your shoulders drop. Let your face soften. Let go of whatever is wound up inside.

It takes about a minute. Done properly, you walk back into the situation with some control, clarity and calm, and you are much less likely to make it worse.

Yoga

Yoga is a lovely way to be quiet and well at the same time. It relaxes you, strengthens the body and calms the mind all at once. You learn to set racing thoughts aside while you breathe, move and stretch, which makes it a very good introduction to meditation.

Meditate

Not sure how? Read about it, take a class, or follow a recording. Meditation has changed a great many lives. It teaches you an inner peace and quiet that makes it much easier to give peace to other people. If you would like somewhere to start, I guide a meditation every Sunday on Sunday Mornings.

Pray, if prayer is yours

Prayer is a kind of meditation too. You go quiet and hold a person or a situation in your mind, and send them good wishes. It pushes everything else out. It can be done anywhere, and it can bring peace in the hardest of times. If prayer is not your language, the same quiet wishing works just as well.

Bookend the day

Start each morning with a few words about kindness, love and calm. Write them on a piece of paper and leave it where you will see it first thing, or better, say them out loud and mean them.

End each day with a notebook by the bed. Each night write down three things: something from the day you are grateful for, someone from the day you need to forgive, and love for someone who was part of your day.

It keeps your attention on what is good. It makes you a little more compassionate every night. And it means you feel love, and express it, every single day.

However you find your peace, once you have some, send it out into the world on purpose. You may be surprised how much it changes your own life along the way.

From the archive. First written for my journal years ago, and rewritten for life after 50.