Tag Archives: Equanimity

Is Complete Peace of Mind Possible?

Quick Answer: I don’t think it is possible, but it’s a worthy goal to strive for.

What gives us peace of mind?

Knowing that we have done our best.

I don’t think we can achieve peace of mind just by relaxing the whole day, meditating, and thinking about nothing.

Life throws challenges our way. It’s almost unavoidable. They need to be addressed. We have our needs and desires. They have to be addressed as well.

Avoiding those challenges, needs, and desires don’t result in peace of mind. Facing them and dealing with them are stressful. It’s strange, but we achieve peace of mind by doing what’s stressful.

Peace of mind comes from doing what’s outside of our comfort zone. Peace of mind comes from dealing with our challenges, doing our best to meet our needs and to fulfill our desires.

Taking our time to relax, to think about nothing, and to meditate has its place in life. They are helpful to charge our batteries.

Having a good night’s sleep and regular breaks contribute to our wellbeing, which in turn contributes to high performance, which in turn contributes to our peace of mind.

Peace of mind can’t be achieved directly. It comes as a byproduct of addressing our challenges and doing our best to meet our needs and desires. Once we have done our best, it’s time to accept the results.

Do your best to address your challenges, needs, and desires, and accept the results, that’s where peace of mind comes from.

How to Deal with Worry and Disappointment

Worry and disappointment are our default state. Overcoming them requires a shift in mindset.

Contrary to common belief, the objects and events that we desire will not make us happy. It is the anticipation and working towards our desires until their realization that make us happy. Our happiness plummets just after the realization of our desire.

Moreover, the once desired object or state becomes the new standard. We get attached to it and this causes anxiety. After a few cycles like this, we understand that it is not the objects or events that make us happy, but our progress towards new goals.

At a certain moment, we understand that everything is transient. According to the law of entropy, everything will move from order to disorder. According to the Murphy’s Law, if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. Yet, we work tirelessly and hope for keeping everything as it is.

Everything is transient and things will go wrong. This is the nature of our experience. It is a physical law. Now, we have two choices. The default choice is to reject and resist that law, which results in anxiety. The conscious choice is to accept that law, which results in peace of mind.

When you accept that everything is transient, what matters is experiences. Objects and events of desire are reduced to vehicles to facilitate experiences. What we want is a pleasant experience before we lose it all, at the end of our lives.

Accepting the transient nature of everything means letting go of our attachment to everything. This results in peace of mind, in equanimity. We are fine with whatever happens. Nothing can disrupt our emotional balance.

Equanimity is an even higher state than happiness. It is not as fragile as happiness. It is a more realistic view of our experience.

Gratitude plays a key role to reach the state of equanimity. If we know that things will go wrong, what’s the use of worrying about them? Whenever you feel worried or upset, think about all the good things that you have or experienced in your life. Feel gratitude. Soon, your worry and disappointment will disappear. And remember, everything is transient anyway.