It’s taken years of heartache, risk-taking, boundary-setting, of questioning everything I’ve ever been taught to be able to understand peace.

I’ve been on both sides of chaos and peace, as most of us have, and what I’ve found is peace happens when we are aligned with our body, mind, and spirit.

When something is off in one area, everything else feels off too.

I coach clients every day. Sometimes they ask me what peace is, because that is the nature of our work together. My goal is always to get them to a state of inner peace before we work on anything else, because nothing good tends to come of negative, anxious states. I’ve had to learn this the hard way, but I know peace in my bones now.

Why?

Because there was no other way for me to evolve and grow without finding coping mechanisms that would lead me to peace.

If we can’t learn from our mistakes, life starts to feel too difficult. We beat ourselves up, our self-esteem plummets, and being authentically ourselves doesn’t feel like a great option. If we aren’t at peace about being here, then what’s the point of being here? Chaos wasn’t an option for me (although it still presents itself from time to time), so I chose peace.

It’s not the easiest way, but definitely the right way.

Connecting to peace allows us to forgive ourselves, enhances confidence, and allows us to be completely authentic. When different parts of our lives are in alignment, that’s when the magic happens.

So, what does peace look like? What does it feel like?

What is peace about? Here’s my take:

Peace is knowing that we are aligned in body, mind and spirit.

Peace is living freely and without the need for outside approval. It is feeling rooted in faith and trust within ourselves, with a deeper sense of knowing that everything will always work out for our best.

Peace is living as the calm eye in the midst of the raging hurricane

Peace is being in direct communication with our intuition, in knowing our “why” and standing by it. We know it when we are not afraid to live “big.”

Peace is accepting that we don’t know everything.

Peace is knowing that learning is a privilege, and that curiosity is king.

Peace is showing compassion for others and for yourself—it’s  melting into self-care without guilt.

Peace is losing ourselves in our passions.

Peace is quiet mornings alone with coffee and warm sunlight.

Peace is never needing anything outside of ourselves, when we can completely enjoy time alone without feeling lonely. 

Peace is found in our capacity to comfort and heal ourselves…sometimes, maybe, via a hot bath on a cold night.

Peace is community, connection, intimacy. 

Peace is being vulnerable, being truly seen, knowing our true worth. 

Peace is knowing what we love and don’t want. It is about knowing and stating our boundaries.

Peace is finding our purpose and living it. This is success. 

Peace is keeping it simple. 

Peace is having everything we’ve ever wanted that money can’t buy.

Peace is the wisdom of children.

Peace is clean, awake energy. It is nourishing ourselves from the inside out.

Peace is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

Peace is found by doing the right thing, which is not always the easy thing.

Peace is making a living doing what we love to do.

Peace is self-expression: writing, cooking, singing, kissing, dancing, art.

Peace is letting self-love empower us.

Peace is asking for help and allowing ourselves to receive it.

Peace is helping others and expecting nothing in return.

Please add to the list, I would love to hear other examples. Our unique perspectives are helpful to other people, we are all seeking to live in that golden alignment of body, mind, spirit. We all have the ability to feel that alignment, we all have the desire to feel it, and lord help us, we will find peace if it’s the last thing we do.

Peace is the goal, the work we do on ourselves and with each other is the way.

Author: Leila Wolford

Editor: Renée Picard

Image: Mateus Lunardi Dutra/Flickr