As a motivational speaker, spiritual teacher, and “inspirer”, it’s hard for me to ignore the immense impact of one of my heroes, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King has always held a special place in my heart. So much so, that it’s difficult to choose exactly how he has impacted me most.
As a girl at Jefferson Elementary School in suburban Metro Detroit, I caught the MLK Jr. bug early-on; I still remember the chills running up and down my 8-year-old body as I heard his story for the first time.
Then there is his infamous, “I Have a Dream”, speech. Parts of it are forever etched into my mind, not only for their innate, uplifting value, but also for their oratorical perfection and excellence.
Still, there is the undeniable impact of his stunningly-powerful voice – one which can easily bring me back from the brink of uncertainty into a space of courage, empowerment and peace. Especially where my own fears, doubts, and uncertainties are concerned.
Even considering all of those amazing things, though, I realized today his greatest impact on me was something different. It was his message of peace. Here is one of his quotes on the subject:
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
In other words, let us not look at peace as some faraway objective that we simply strive for. Let us bring it into our daily lives and use it as a tool to gain even more peace.
With that in mind, I ask you this:
What are you doing on a daily basis to bring more light and peace into your life?
Are you actively seeking peace within – or waiting for something or someone to bring it to you?
Are you open to cultivating more peace?
I use these questions not to elicit defensiveness or criticism, but as a starting point for an inventory of sorts. What are we doing now to cultivate peace, and are there ways we can become more peaceful?
Although these questions seem simple on the surface, there’s a lot of depth and knowledge here. After all, people have striven for a greater connection to peace since the beginning of time. And during that time, many ideas and practices have sprung forth.
Thinking about Dr. King and his message of peace got me thinking about some of these today – and how I can use my special gifts and talents to bring them to the forefront for my community.
As I pondered peace more and more, an idea struck me: I’ll focus on some specifics of peace over the next few weeks.
Here are the topics I plan to cover:
- What, exactly, is “peace”?
- Simple ways to bring more peace to your life every day
- Little-known yet awesome benefits of peace
(Is there something about peace I didn’t list that you want to know?
Click here and tell me!)
To get you started on a peaceful note this week, I’m gifting you a sample copy of one of my new
Gratitude Meditations tracks. It’s a quick, easy, guided audio that takes
less than 3 minutes to complete. You don’t need any experience with meditation to do it, either; all you need to do is click the link, download it, and listen. Just remember to do it soon; the link expires in 7 days. Here it is:
If you’d like to take the practice up a notch, consider how you feel before you listen to it, and then see how you feel after. I think you’ll be surprised at how much impact a few minutes can have!
I’ll give you another free tool for peace the next time I write.
But, if you feel like you can’t wait or you want more mindfulness, hop on over to my website
here to purchase the entire 28-track
Gratitude Meditations album. I love this album and it simply works. It is one of fastest and easiest ways to bring more peace into your life starting today.
Until next time, I bid you a peaceful day and week!
XO
Jaime
