I’ve always liked the idea that life is a journey. Because for me, much of it has literally been that. I was born in Southeast Asia, and now live somewhere equally beautiful, but in chillier climes – Scotland, right on the western edge of Europe. And in between, I’ve also been lucky enough to live in Russia. But even for those of us whose existence has been less peripatetic, life is still a journey. A long, winding road where me meet inspiring people and learn amazing things.
When I was younger, I searched for a definitive answer to the mystery of life. What would the ‘true’ path be? Back then I had an acquaintance who was deeply spiritual, and who told interesting tales of the places he’d been, and the people he’d met – these included a shaman who, apparently, could do things that defied rational explanation. I was fascinated by my acquaintance (let’s call him Jim, since that was his name) and his calmness; his spiritual outlook. But when I asked Jim what the true path was, he paused, and quietly stated I don’t think there is one.
For me, this was a lightbulb moment. I don’t think he meant that we’re supposed to go through life without beliefs or deep thought. I think he meant don’t look to me or others, find your own way.
Living in different cultures definitely helps the process of self growth, I think. Things one culture may take for granted can be entirely absent in another. Moving between them often means that you’re less likely to be ‘in the bubble’ and more able to look at things from a unique perspective.
Getting a sense of perspective about our own life is a difficult ask, though. When your train is late and it’s raining and you’ve got 100 things all needing done at once, being Zen is hardly the first response that we have. We’re more likely to get caught up in the stresses and strains – often placing too much importance on what are often trivialities.
All of which means:
It’s imperative to fully use every opportunity we get to maintain a calm and positive outlook.
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Now, I’m just as much a work in progress as anyone else on planet Earth so what follows isn’t intended as a guide to positivity – it’s just some stuff that works for me.
Looking far beyond the ‘here’. I find it massively helpful to visualise scenes of nature – mountains and so on. Life in a busy city can be fun, of course. But it’s good to set the mind’s eye free on the serenity of a blue sky with K2 reaching up towards it. And beyond that – endless space. It’s great as a reminder of just how tiny we are in the grander scheme of things.
Living in the moment is also a powerful way to maintain perspective. Looking ahead too much can mean we miss out on all the serendipitous things that happen between now and future events.
Mindfulness is a word that’s gained a lot of attention lately. But it’s definitely not a fad. And studies have shown that it actually physically benefits the brain. Essentially, mindfulness is simply about meditating in a way where you observe your own thoughts without emotionally buying into them. Simple concept – but not quite as easy as it sounds. In fact it takes a bit of effort as well as perseverance to practise mindful meditation successfully – but it’s worth every second.
Thankfulness. This is another simple concept and, yes, not as easy as it sounds either. But if you find some quiet time in your day to count your blessings, you rarely come away from it feeling anything other than enriched. Things like having running water, enough to eat and a comfortable bed to sleep in at night may be the basics – but imagine a day without them and suddenly gratitude fills the air. Many of us have all of these and never stop to think about them. When you do, though, gratitude grows – because you then start to think about the zillion other gifts life gives.
On my journey through life, I am finding the above strategies a big help towards inner calm and positivity – and they become ever better as I develop my knowledge of these areas as well as life itself.
However, I’m keenly aware that there is always more to know – and since Positively Positive offers so many fascinating insights, I thought I’d ask you – the readers and fellow bloggers who also love this site, what other techniques and strategies do you think I should begin to explore in my journey towards serenity?
Emily McLaren runs her own wellbeing and travel blog. You can keep up with her posts at http://www.bordersandburpees.co.uk/ or follow her on Twitter.
Image courtesy of Sandy Chase via Wikimedia.
