Do you feel a feeling of inner peace as your life unfolds every day? If not, the following will help guide you in that direction.

We all would love to feel peace in our hearts. But, when the silence in your head won’t shut up, you need some tools to help you. With the ability to slow down your mind, you can find the inner peace that illudes you.

How we define unhealthy habits:

1. They are chasing happiness with retail therapy, hopping from one thing to the next, never really finishing—continually changing appearance.
2. Holding on to the past. Blaming yourself continually for things that have already happened. Blaming yourself continually.
3. Holding onto toxic relationships. Allowing people into your life that don’t deserve to be there.
4. Choosing to be the victim in every aspect of your life. “I can’t get the promotion; it’s all rigged.”
5. You were trying to impress people with your fabulous home, car, and clothes you could not afford. Make sure everyone believes you have it all together.
6. Total self-reliance thinking you can do it on your own when asking for help would help!

By now, you should get the idea of what can cause you to have no inner peace. Or if you do, it’s very short-lived.

Learning to become mentally strong is a process. At first, you will suck at it for sure! When you cannot allow yourself to quit. Give yourself time to learn and apply what you learned.

Rinse and Repeat (as the shampoo bottle says).

Allowing yourself time to learn will make for meaningful change. Don’t quit when change becomes difficult. Remember, you are old; you are comfortable with the status quo. Your brain will buck like a horse; if you get thrown, get back on the mental horse. Eventually, you will break that stifling habit.

Face any fear you have with change. Meet it head-on and be determined. Practice will help you eventually overcome any fear. You may dip your toe in the water before jumping completely. That will be okay; be sure to jump!

Don’t stay in a place of comfort. Test your limits. The world will open to you like a beautiful flower if you do. Slots where you feel discomfort will dissipate if you move through that fear. Give yourself time. Nothing changes overnight.

Be comfortable in your skin. Don’t worry about what the hell everyone else thinks or does. Be you! I had a pair of jeans that were old and worn out. At the time, it was all I had. So when people would tease me about them: “I paid more for these jeans with a distressed look, what the hell are you talking about.” After, those friends would ask where I got my jeans.

When you are mentally strong, you will have no compunction about asking for help. You can value assistance instead of fearing support.

Know who you are. Finding yourself through meditation can open your heart. Allow you to see not only yourself but inner peace. Joy and zest for life are yours. It worked for me and will for you.

None of this is hard unless you make it hard. Practice, Practice, Practice!

You are stronger than you know. Begin this journey!