“When you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war within yourself.”
-Cheryl Richardson
Check in with your body. Do you feel grounded, centered, and calm? Or, like most people, do you feel a tension in your chest, stomach, shoulders, neck, back, or somewhere else?
Most of us are walking around carrying tension as if this is the only way to do life.
It is not.
We don’t have to accept this.
Season two of the podcast just launched; in this season we will regularly be asking – what can our bodies teach us? What can we learn by listening?
For our first conversation, I want to discuss one of the ways to create more peace in your life by choosing 10 seconds of courage.
Your peace may be on the other side of one 10 second decision to choose courage. The courage to speak up for yourself.
There is a great quote by Cheryl Richardson that I have been repeating to myself for years,
“When you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war within yourself.”
Many of us are walking around with wars and conflicts in our bodies.
But it doesn’t have to stay this way.
On the podcast episode this week I give five real life examples pulled from my own life and client experiences over the years. Real moments where peace looked like:
- Seeing a DM that felt like there were some undertones covering up some pain. Choosing not to reply, but to dial their phone number immediately and get to the bottom of what that comment was inferring.
- Opening up the voice memo in a text message, clicking record, and word vomiting to get it out. Knowing it was messy. Knowing it could have been handled better. But knowing that if you didn’t go on that tangent right then, you would probably bury it again like you had for months.
- Choosing to turn on a reality TV show in the middle of the weekday afternoon rather than doing a task for the sake of “productivity.” Letting people around you feel whatever they want to feel about your small act of rebellion that was a big act of self-care.
- The 10 seconds it takes to write your boss an email and say, “I have something important to discuss, when can I get on your calendar?” Knowing that the requests on your list are not easy asks, but they’re the only path to you staying sane and not forfeiting your physical and mental health any longer.
- Choosing your workout over the convenience you provide to the other people in your home or office. That choice to drive to the gym before the house takes 10 seconds to decide whether you get in the turning lane or stay straight. Or maybe it was the 10 seconds to decide not to reply to the next email but actually leave work on time.
Either way, you know if you keep neglecting yourself in the name of serving others, this whole ship is going to sink. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not next week. But this path of neglect isn’t sustainable. Whether it’s six months, a year, or two years down the road, eventually this story doesn’t end well.
What 10 second decision will bring you closer to your inner peace?
You can listen to the full episode here.
If you are ready to do the work to find your inner peace and tired of trying to do it alone, one-on-one coaching may be a great option for you. The first step is to schedule a Roadmap session.