The older I get, the more important Serenity seems to be. I remember all too well the days of raising children, working full-time and still tending to my spouse and home. It was exasperating!

After my “attitude adjustment” a few years back, I have consciously worked toward a life of more peace, happiness, contentment, and well—Serenity.

When I look back to reflect upon just how this transformation came about, I realize I made small incremental changes that created real and (hopefully) lasting change in my life.

These are the ideas and actions I’d like to share to help you live a life with more Serenity!

First, learn to breathe, really breathe. Focus on your breath and nothing else. This will help you quiet your mind and learn to be still. Stillness leads to calmness which helps to retain control of your emotions as you let them flow through you. It also helps deflect the negative attitudes and comments from others. Learn how to find your own quiet place inside and how to go there whenever necessary.

Start to see life through the lenses of gratefulness. Find the bright side of everything. In other words learn the skill of turning a negative situation into a positive one. Realize that you face challenges to teach you a lesson. By embracing them, you start to realize that life is happening for you, not to you.

Stop responding with knee-jerk reactions. Instead, breathe, relax, and go to your quiet place. Think about what happened as if you’re a fly on the wall. Is it really that bad? Is that terrible thing even happening now? Is it affecting your life or is it just the “thought” of it that’s bothering you? After careful consideration, you may realize that your hasty response is not really helpful to you or the others involved.

If you make a mistake, give yourself grace. Apologize, learn the lesson, and move on.

If others make a mistake, forgive their error. Keep their actions separate from your feelings for them. Don’t condone their actions, just don’t hate them for it.

Learn to let go. You don’t have to control everything. Let God, the Universe, or your Higher Power work out all the details.

Be happy where you are—hopefully learning and growing on your journey of life.

Serenity can be accomplished by each of us, but we must learn how to incorporate these steps into daily life so much so that it’s engrained in our soul and becomes our default action. Once it’s automatic, you will experience a much more serene and peaceful life. 

You will have learned to live a life of Serenity.