Welcome
to Tales My Mother Told Me...
Tale 5.
"Finding the inner calm within you…"
This week I would like to talk about the importance in finding your
inner calm and how it can change you as a person and how it can help your
art and design business too.
This tale is taking you back with me to my parents' very first factory
when I was 6 years old. The funniest thing was I can only recall the part that
I woke up from a deep sleep resting on the floor and my mum was beside me. It
was dark in the evening and the factory did not have any power at the time. Mum
had a kerosene lamp sitting on the floor installed into a power board
connector. This was our new business, a wholesaling electrical hardware
business. I was scared because it was dark and a new place that I was not
familiar with. I started to cry and asked mum where everyone was and where was
my dad and my brothers and sisters.
Mum said "Don't cry my little one, your dad is picking up your
brothers & sisters and he'll be back real soon. Have some cookies you
must be hungry now".
I was still crying and telling mum I was afraid of the dark and why
did the strange men keep staring at us through our front door. Are they
going to attack us? Where was my dad? Being a child you just speak your mind!
Mum said to me "Don't worry, your father will be soon. Don't cry.
"Ask them to go away mum" I said.
To stop my crying, mum decided to walk up to the men and spoke to them in
a very calm manner.
Mum calmly introduced herself and told them we'd just moved here and this
place will be our new home. She then went on to explain that we would be having
an opening day the following week and invited them along as well as the senior
members of the town. She also mentioned that my dad would be back soon and
would love to meet them and get to know the locals.
Now looking back, my mum was quite amazing. She is a little lady with an
incredible strong and inner calm about her. On one hand she had her child
crying, and on the other hand she had to face complete strangers. I remember
asking her how she dealt with the situation and what was running through her
mind. Was she scared? Was she intimidated?
This is what she said 'Of course I was scared. You were so young and were
so scared and I had to be strong for the both of us. I did not want to face
those men at all and wished your father was there to deal with the situation
but I had to do this to keep you calm and I could not show any sign of fear to
those men. I needed to let them know that I was the lady of the house.
"How did you remain so calm mum?" I asked.
To able to do this you need to find your inner calm. If your mind is
calm you will remain focused and you are also able to think clearly and find a
better way to deal with any situation. Your inner calm or inner peace is very
important for your well being, even in a very difficult situation where you are
under pressure. If you have established your inner calm, you will be able
to handle all situations confidently and competently.
So from this learning, I would like to show you how your inner calm can
be beneficial in applying to your business lifestyle.
As we are now living in a hectic world where at times are full of anger,
anxiety and depression, we’re also adding our own emotions, stresses and
egos into our daily life. By learning to quieten your mind and to release
your stresses, take a deep breath and exhale slowly, this will allow you to
clear and quieten your mind. You'll be able to gain clarity and see things from
all points of view. On a global level, when you find
inner calm, road blocks between people are dissolved and your world or your
surroundings no longer seems so hostile. This is because your perception now
has greater insights and opportunities.
So to achieve your inner calm here
are some of the tips you can apply to your business lifestyle:
1. Keep it simple-Simplicity
is the first step to inner calm.
§ Write a simple to-do list. At least 3 or 5 of the most important things you want to achieve
today.
§ Understand the difference between the
important & the urgent.
§ Build a system for your business- Systems help you organise your business and makes everything run effectively.
Saves time and reduces stress.
§ Set daily limits such as checking
your email only twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Set
a time frame such as 20 minutes max each time you check your email, as this
will reduce any distractions. Also set time frames on your social media networks
like Facebook or twitter. If you do set time limits then you won’t wast hours and wonder
where all the time went.
2. Accepting yourself
& others. If you are accepting of yourself, people
and/or situations as they are, then it brings you an inner calm and tranquillity
rather than one of anger and resentment. For your business, accepting doesn't mean you are throwing down the
white towel and calling it quits. It actually means that you put yourself
in a better place to take all necessary actions and if you accept what you have
done whether right or wrong you will be able to accept and find the solution to
improve and grow your business.
3. Forgiveness-is letting go. Forgiving frees not
only others but yourself too. What has happened in the past is history and lets
you move on. Do
not delve into the past, let bygones be bygones.
4. Express gratitude- always remember to appreciate what we
have around us, even expressing thanks to someone, will give you a sense of
satisfaction and happiness. This in turn will give you inner peace.
5. Being Compassionate-By understanding yourself as a person
will open up your compassion for others.
6. Know your DPP(Desire,Passion,Purpose). Do what you love with desire, passion and
purpose. If you’re happy in what you’re doing,
then there is real purpose for you to keep going and you’ll like and accept
yourself too. This will bring you inner peace. And if you have that, along with
physical health, you’ll have more success than you could possibly have
imagined.
When you do what you love there is
already a natural calm that arises within you. Once your inner world and your
outer worlds are aligned, then you are too. You will feel a sense of calm and
fulfilment.
7. Acknowledge your
inner calm. By keeping yourself cool and in a calm spirit you
can accomplish anything you want, even if your whole world seems to have gone upside
down and things may not be going your way, your inner calm will be very useful in
assisting you in making good decisions and getting things done, just like my
mum had to face those strangers.
Even though we live in a complex
world, time poor and living in more stressful times than ever, you can still practice
inner calm by learning meditation techniques. This will calm your mind,
increase your happiness and improve relationships with others.
Tune in for next week Tale 6 "The Magic Pen"
Tune in for next week Tale 6 "The Magic Pen"
More Tales My Mother Told Me...
Volume 1:
Volume 1:
Tale 2: "Your Mind is Powerful"
Tale 4: "Being Compassionate"
Tale 6: "The Magic Pen"
Tale 8: "Confidence & Competence"
Tale 11:"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done"
Tale 12: "Frog In The Well"
Tale 12: "Frog In The Well"
Volume 2:
Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.
Tale 4: Being Persistent
Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline
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