Written by Matt Zavadil
Updated January 5, 2021
This week, you’re going to find your peaceful place. But, first, let me ask you a few questions:
If you strip away all thoughts of the need to make a living, the need to put food on your family’s table…
…if you strip away even all your personal relationships (yes, even your parents, your spouse, your children) and just focus on you…
…what is it that causes you to lose all track of time?
What is it that inspires you, makes you feel free inside or makes you oblivious to all other issues, events, or challenges in your life?
Now, you may already have the answer.
It’s also possible that you may not know how to answer these types of questions yet. You may be so wrapped up in “life” that you’ve lost touch with that which long ago caused you to smile gently inside.
Don’t worry, we’re just getting started.
Your Next Week…
Over the next week, I want you to begin doing something. I want you to envision yourself sitting someplace quietly.
Just see yourself away from it all… calm… still… relaxed… not a care in the world. Simply imagine yourself in this peaceful state.
This may be hard at first, as experiencing inner peace has become a lost art for many people today. It’s important for you to at least imagine the possibility here. We’ll be getting you to the point of actually experiencing it before you know it.
After you begin to envision this feeling of peace, I want you to then figure out where (physically) you can be this way.
Why Being “Alone” Is Important…
I want you to discover this physical place because I want you to be able to go there each week as you and I work together. When I give you exercises to work on, you’re going to want to immerse yourself in them. The best way to do this is to remove all distractions…. the TV, planning dinner, writing out the bills, family, friends, traffic… everything.
It’s time to learn how to be alone with yourself. Truly alone… where you can begin to hear the murmurings of your inner self… your Authentic Self.
This place may be a room in your home, your back porch, the beach, a park, the forest, even the local coffee shop… it should be a place where you feel comfortable and “at home”. It should be a place where you can begin to get in touch with your inner soul once and for all.
This may seem strange to you at first. Trust me on this, though. Where your physical body is located has a profound effect on your ability to get in touch with your inner being.
You may have heard of people visiting places such as Sedonia or Croagh Patrick in an effort to discover their inner bliss. While this can do wonders for the soul, you can tap into the same idea by finding your own local place that aids you in quieting your mind.
Your Must Find Your Peaceful Place
Once you have your Peaceful Place located, set aside an hour or two this week to go there. Bring with you something to write on… a notebook or maybe a journal.
For at least the first 30 minutes I don’t want you to do anything but allow yourself to de-stress. Just sit quietly, allowing yourself to relax. Pay attention to your breathing. In, out, in, out. Take nice comfortable breaths.
Allow all the “noise” to leave your consciousness. Remember, you’re “at home” in this place. You’re safe. Nothing is important at this moment in time except you. Right now, the bills, the kids, the job, the business, the “whatever” does not exist.
Once again, this may seem strange if you’ve never allowed yourself to be alone. One thing you’re not going to get from me is a bunch of “rah-rah” hype or what I call the “pump you up” pitch.
Don’t Get Me Wrong
When you discover your true Life Purpose, it’s going to get emotional. You’ll be crying and blubbering with the final realization of why the heck you’re on this planet going through what you’re going through.
I’m not here to pump you up through inauthentic methods, which is what I find prevalent in the “Personal Growth” or “Spiritual Growth” stuff that’s out there. I say this because I don’t want you to be afraid to sit quietly without anything to do.
For some people, this is the scariest thing in the world… to quiet the noise and begin to sense your most inner being.
Your Answer Is “In Here”, Not “Out There”
Please take what I’m saying seriously. It’s time to stop chasing your Life Purpose “out there”.
This is because your Life Purpose DOES NOT exist “out there”. Your Life Purpose exists only “in here”. Deep within you. I don’t know what your Life Purpose is. But I know how to help you access it.
Right now, you already know what your Life Purpose is. I know, I know… it sure doesn’t feel that way. You can’t verbalize it. You can’t even access it in your mind yet. But I promise you one thing right now… it’s there waiting to be tapped into.
I’m sorry to rant a bit on this but this is precisely what’s wrong with humanity.
Humanity is looking for the answers “out there”. This is a misunderstanding of reality. As a result, our world is filled with war, worry, famine, strife, frustration, confusion, conflict, anger, jealousy, fear, etc.
You’re going to find that as you discover your personal Life Purpose, you will simultaneously affect others in a positive way, which in turn will help this planet heal itself.
Pretty cool, huh? 😉
I’m getting ahead of myself here but I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what real emotion and feeling is about.
It’s not about the next material “victory” or “possession”. It’s about fulfilling your inner essence… which is authentic… which inspires the next person to do the same.
So, don’t be afraid to find the Silence inside. Don’t be afraid to sit still without music, TV, or another person to fill your mind with chatter.
Have the courage to trust me on this even if you feel uncomfortable at first or think I’m off my rocker. This is only Week 1… we’ve got a long way to go 😉
The Next Step Inside Your Peaceful Place
Once you’ve allowed yourself 30 minutes to quiet your mind, I want you to get out your pen and paper and begin pondering the following questions.
What did you love to do as a child? As a teen-ager? Do you still partake in any of these? If not, why not? What do you love to do now?
What are your natural abilities or skill sets? What comes easily to you?
What fills you with what I call “silent laughter”, or giddiness? This could be anything… other people, events, hobbies, etc.
If I offered to pay you to teach a subject, what would you choose to teach others?
What causes fill you with emotion and inspire you to want to make a difference?
What areas do those around you usually ask you to help with? What type of advice do people commonly ask you for?
What is it that inspires you, makes you feel free inside or makes you oblivious to all other issues, events, or challenges in your life?
I want you to do your best with these questions. Don’t think too much here… just write down what hits your mind first. Don’t worry about the meaning behind what you write.
I’m not as concerned with your answers this week as I am to the first part of this exercise, which is picking your Peaceful Place and allowing yourself to simply “be”.
If this type of activity is brand new to you, then I don’t care if you don’t answer any of these questions. I’d rather you invest a full hour or two on simply “being” in your Peaceful Place… enjoying a quiet, serene, peaceful existence.
If you’re a bit more experienced with tapping into the power of silence, then by all means immerse yourself deeply into these questions. Either way, we’ll be revisiting these questions (and many more!) in future lessons.
Lesson One is simply your first attempt at reconnecting with whom you are inside. We’re starting the process of stripping away everything in your life that you’ve come to identify with… we’re beginning to get you closer to what it is you were placed on this Earth to do.
By the way, apart from the first 10 Lessons I mentioned above, here’s a partial list of other subjects we’ll be diving into over the next 26 weeks:
- Persistence
- Confidence
- Secrets of Goal Setting
- Taking Action
- Actually Completing Your Goals
- Your Health
- Getting You to Believe You Deserve Your Dream Life
- Training Your Subconscious Mind
- Visualization
- Relationships
- Strengths vs. Weaknesses
- Habits
This Week’s Peaceful Place Assignment
Discover and spend time in your Peaceful Place. Allow yourself to spend time there, just BEING. Begin to look within… begin to quiet your mind and filter out the “noise” of the world (don’t worry, this is something we’ll be digging into with greater details later. I’ll be bringing you specific techniques and exercises to help with this). For now, just start the process.
Begin your first exercise of asking yourself probing self-discovery questions. Don’t self analyze here. Just write. Let it flow. Get your ideas on paper, where you can begin to visualize and then assimilate them into your soul. Start getting in tune with that which fills you with emotion and positive feelings again!
