When Peace is Hard to Find

My philosophy on peace is that it doesn't start outside of us. Waiting for a leader to bring peace is fruitless. Thinking peace will come when your kids finally understand how badly you need it is wishful thinking. Hoping your partner, neighbor, or friend will finally recognize that you need some peace is pointless. Plotting ways to get that annoying coworker to disappear is energy wasted.

None of these people are stealing your peace.* Your peace lives in you. Your job is to tap into it. To seek it. To nurture it. To protect it. And to know how to return to the peace waiting for you — deep within your heart.

I believe strongly that if each one of us — all 8.3 billion humans — could focus on finding and nurturing the peace that already exists inside us, we could create dramatic shifts in the world. But I know that's dreaming big.

So here's what the research actually says. Harvard's Erica Chenoweth studied 323 nonviolent campaigns and found that active participation by just 3.5% of the population was enough for a movement to succeed — without a single exception. In world population terms, 3.5% is only 290 million people. University of Pennsylvania's Damon Centola found that when 25% of a group commits to a new norm, the majority rapidly follows.

The good news? Simply by reading this and considering that your capacity for peace starts within, you are already contributing to that shift.

Peace already exists within you. Right now. Feel the beat of your heart. That rhythm — that steady, faithful pulse — is where peace actually lives. You don't manufacture it. You return to it. If you can't feel it yet, pretend that you can. Start there.

Inner peace is your birthright. The path back is simpler than you think, though not always easy.

It starts with small moments. Notice your breath. Notice what you're taking in and how it affects your sense of peace. When possible, reduce the stimuli that pull you away from it.

Notice where you're holding tension. Are your hands open and relaxed, or are they clenched? Let them fall open.

Is your breath slow and deep, or rushed? Breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth.

Listen for birdsong. Wind in the trees. The sound of water.

Feel the sunshine on your face, the cool mist of morning air, or the crisp chill of a cold day on your skin.

Bring your attention to your heart. Listen. Can you feel that rhythmic beating?

Peace is already in there, waiting and hoping you'll tap in. Sit with it. Nurture it through breath, through avoiding unnecessary drama, through being intentional about what you allow in. Your inner peace is sacred and abundant.

This is your peace work. This is how you make a difference. Peace is noticeable and contagious — and everyone wants it, but few know how to truly access it.

I've been practicing my own return to peace for the last few months. I lost it for a time. But peace was still there, inside me, waiting for me to reconnect.

If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

I'm considering offering a small group experience focused on helping you start to tap into your inner peace — a few sessions over a few weeks on Zoom, with activities tailored to your individual interests and needs. We'll practice creating and nurturing the inner peace that is already waiting to grow inside you.

Get in touch by email (support@bethwonson.com) or visit my website to be sent an invite.

Peace is your birthright. Let's find our way back to it together — and begin creating the shift.

NOTE: I want to acknowledge that some people are experiencing real harm at the hands of others. If someone is causing you physical or emotional damage, please reach out to a qualified professional for support and protection. That is a different conversation — and an important one.