What Gives You Peace?

Posted under The Business of Zen ☯ August 12th, 2009

A gentle reminder for myself and my friends in these hectic, fast-paced times…

As I just finished a grueling, and at times frenzied, three weeks completing a project, I’ve been thinking a lot about these questions:

  • What gives me peace?
  • How does having a sense of peace influence my productivity?
  • Am I a better leader when I am at peace?
  • How does being peaceful help me be a better partner, parent, and friend?

I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers. I do feel these are some pretty important questions every person should ask themselves – and work toward finding their own answers.

Here’s why it’s important to discover and practice what gives you peace:

When you are at peace, your mind is at its clearest.

The typical noise and mental clutter we all experience throughout the day is at a minimum. During these times, solutions come more fluently and opportunities seem to dance in front of you.

When you are at peace, your calm influences others.

Ever have one of those days when the deadlines pile up and your heart rate is ever increasing? Then, you encounter that person in a meeting who takes the jacked up energy in the room down just enough for everyone to take a deep breath and approach the work with a renewed sense of calm and focus.

When you are at peace, you are less likely to behave in destructive or self-defeating ways.

You approach others with the tranquility and confidence to be collaborative and authentic. You are also even-tempered and centered enough to approach relationship issues with self-awareness and an open mind.

There are real pluses to increasing the peace you experience in life. And you don’t have to be a “Zen Master” to be at peace. Nor do you have to be perfect at being peaceful.

What’s important is that you make the space in your mind to find the answers to the question “What gives me peace?”

Then honor yourself enough to take some time each day to practice doing those things that work for you.

In peace and productivity,

Be well!

About the author

Susan Zelinski is an HR consultant with 20+ years experience. Contact Susan on Twitter: @SusanZelinski, e-mail, and LinkedIn. If you’d like to learn more, read Susan’s bio.

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2 comments

  1. Joe Williams says…

    Susan – Amen! After spending a challenging summer leading a team on a tough project, I found that my greatest contribution was maintaining a sense of peace. This despite all the eleventh hour tweaks and comments from reviewers and a somewhat uncertain future in my line of work. Yet I found that instead of running around with my hair on fire, that by maintaining peace spilled over to my teammates, who were able to concerntrate and get the job done.

    Welcome back!

  2. Susan Zelinski ☯ says…

    Joe,
    So true! Peaceful leadership is contagious!
    I’m pleased to hear you were able to maintain your sense of peace through the many challenges tough projects present.

    My best wishes that your project comes to fruition, influencing positive change and leading to successful outcomes! Thanks for the comments and the welcome back!

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