The first step to finding peace of mind is to find peace in your mind
I was inspired to write this after I listened to an interview by Piers Morgan with Bono whose song, "Ordinary Love," the "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" anthem has been nominated for an Oscar. A few things struck me about the interview. First, the admiration and respect that Bono has for Nelson Mandela; second, that there seems to be dearth of leaders to fill the void left by him; third, Bono's talking about how he's never completely found "peace of mind," but he has at least come to peace about not having peace of mind.
That reminded me of an anecdote from: "Just Listen" Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone:
“Shh! Listen!” I said firmly to Alex, the stressed-out forty-something executive who’d been venting nonstop for 15 minutes about all the things he had to do and all the deadlines facing him and on and on.
He was startled, “Listen to what?”
“Listen to the quiet,” I replied.
“The what?” he responded.
“To the quiet,” I continued. “It’s located between the noise in your head and the noise in your life, and right now it’s screaming out to me and you to be heard.”
“Huh?” he said, still confused.
“Close your eyes,” I instructed, “and breathe slowly through your nose and in a little while you’ll begin to hear it.”
After several moments Alex began to tear up and then cry. This went on for five minutes, after which he slowly opened his bloodshot eyes. He had a smile on his face.
“What was that about?” I asked.
Alex chuckled wryly, “That is what I’ve been looking for all my life. And everything…and I mean everything…I do to get me there, takes me further away. That’s a lot to think about.”
What are your thoughts about where the next great leaders of the world will come from?
And what do you do to find peace of mind?