If you want a peaceful, harmonious life you have to work at it.
By harmonious I mean, balanced, congenial, relaxed… a life where you are in tune with yourself, surrounded by people with whom you have reciprocal liking and respect, a life that is marked by tranquility and contentment where you feel appreciated, valued, and understood.
Does this sound like a tall order, a tad idealistic? Maybe it does, but then that’s the way aspirations can sound, especially to people who don’t have any or maybe don’t believe in them.
Struggle and harmony
By the way, if life seems to be a struggle then the idea of harmony might be the last thing on your mind. The struggle is self-reinforcing, so if you are struggling with something the chances are you are unwittingly maintaining the situation you are struggling with. (That doesn’t mean you are doing it on purpose, nor that you are somehow to blame, it’s just the way things work).
Coming back to my opening line; harmony doesn’t mean the absence of the things that disturb and upset us. That would be impossible, and it would also mean that we’d be under-stimulated, bored, and boring.
Striving for a harmonious life means actively working towards it by giving our attention to aspects of life that are harmony-enhancing.
Try it, you’ll soon see what I mean.
To learn more about how to relax see: Mindfulness in Life and at Work
