Principled Life = Peaceful Life

The overarching umbrella to all other things are principles.  Living by principles tells the story of who you are.  It certainly feeds our emotional, intellectual needs and even our spiritual needs.  It affects our relationships for better or for worse. It is the very soul and conscience of who you are and who you want to be.  The peaceful feeling, knowingness and energy you will have tells you that you are living right by your principles.  

Making decisions based on correct principles cultivates wisdom, integrity, trust, sincerity, honesty, confidence, perseverance and dependability.  All good things.  We are all busy, and have life demands, circumstances and situations that test us.  Reacting to those situations isn’t peaceful.  Living and practicing a principled centered life is essentially “doing the right thing”…and we all know that is sometimes the hardest thing to do.  Here are some great reasons to stay on track and live right. 


10 Benefits of Living a Principle Centered Life:

1. Self Awareness.
2. Confidence.
3. Your own life and experiences will validate your decisions (no need to be validated by others).
4. Others' attitudes and behaviors will not affect you.
5. You listen and act on what you may call your intuition, your gut instinct, conscience or the holy spirit. (how many times have you said “if I would have just listened to myself...”)
6. You will view change as an opportunity to contribute.
7. You will serve and build others up. 
8. You interpret life experiences as opportunities for learning.
9. Emotions and circumstances are less likely to drive your decisions (they will be based on principles).
10. Clarity.  You consider the big picture, outcomes and long term results of your actions, decisions and choices.

10 Actions to Peace:

1. Slow down.
2. Pray, meditate and spend time listening.
3. Pause before you speak.  Allow time for your and mouth and brain to connect.  It is OK to say “That is a good thought, would you mind if I think about it and get back to you?”
4. Clarify.  “If I understand you correctly, I hear you saying...____; Is that right?”  I have read that in 80% of our conversations, two people are talking about two different things and think they are in complete understanding.  This is because we tend to project our own life experiences and perceptions into what we are hearing.  
5. Educate yourself.  No ignorant decisions allowed.  If it is a big decision, it is good to consult with experts, and others whose input you value.  There is no need to deal with tough decisions on your own.  This is different than looking for validation.  This is education, knowledge and consulting.
6. Collaborate.  Very little in life is conquered alone.  It is nice to have others to share in your life experiences.  
7. Prioritize. Make room on your weekly schedule for the bigger things you want to accomplish (A nice analogy is that you won’t tackle the bigger project that is due if you get stuck in your less important e-mails, or, you can’t organize your closet if you first unload the dishwasher everynight.  What are your bigger goals?  Schedule time for those bigger goals each week).
8. Keep your appointments and commitments to yourself and others.  Allow time to prepare.  Allow flexibility for people and your relationships.
9. Fill your buckets.  What do you value?  What areas in your life are out of balance?  Is it a disconnect with your spouse, your children, your girlfriends, church, alone time,  group time, charity, exercise, planning healthy meals, reading a good book, planning for a vacation, or making time to make your dreams come true?  (Did I just stress you out?!…take one at a time). Schedule time to fill those.  
10. Keep a gratitude journal.  It is positive reinforcement to recognize the good in our lives.  Writing down what you are grateful for takes the emphasis off less pleasant things and places it on the good.  Each night write down three things you are grateful for.  At the very least, it can be a hug and a kind expression to someone in your life that you deeply care about.  

Health Inspires.

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