PERSONAL LIFE MAINTENANCE

When you really sit to figure out this life, if you think deep, you will realise that peace, rest and health are the best. 

These are the most scarce commodities. Do not mistake the apparent calm you see in many places as rest. Mind you, wealth does not guarantee rest and peace. Some wealthy live in fear, insecure and always look over their shoulders. The peace and rest I speak of are inner qualities of a state of mind free of fear, insecurity and the fear of retribution. These, no money can buy, if you lack them, your apparent comfort becomes a dungeon. Oh, the wonder of lying down and resting in bliss. You have no care, you are at peace with yourself and with others. This is bliss. Access to this bliss is determined by many factors, some you have no control over. Pray to GOD to help you in that area. The ones you have control over : your values, your relationships, your manner of speech and conduct, your choices, etc, are things you can control to ensure you maintain the inner peace and rest you need. Weigh everything you do on the scale of peace, rest and health, throw the excess load away and keep your rest, peace and health. Opportunities to lose your peace, rest and sound health will always come: quarrels, revenge, anger, crave for what is not yours, etc, reject them all. Many offers will rob you of peace, rest and health; reject them all, just as I always do. Accept only the good offers that will not rob you of peace, rest and health. Instead of losing your peace and rest, overlook things that can bring them. Forgive. Stop overstretching, you will suffocate your inner peace and rest. Do not engage in financial dealings that will strip you of sleep. If it is not consistent with peace, rest and good health, throw it away. Opportunities to get angry come my way daily, but I overlook many. This is not because I am a fool, but I know lack of inner peace and rest kills faster than many things. Everywhere I go, I try smiling. Each day, I try making friends. The simple truth is this, before you were born, even before your great ancestors came to the world, this world has been a mess and will remain a mess until the end of this totally messed up world. You cannot change it. I am a leader, and have been a leader for many years. My experience has shown me a perfect person does not exist. I know this, this is why I try my best to keep improving daily. I have seen flaws show up suddenly in people, most times reactions to certain seen and unseen stimuli, all these are the constants of life we must live with. If you do not understand that each day will throw at you loads of surprises even in people you cherish, if you do not understand that vulgarity, coarseness, lies, cheating, coldness, etc, are things you will meet daily everywhere you go and you react in anger or vengeance to all these things, bottle them up in your mind or always determine to 'hit them back'; you will exhaust your supply of inner peace and rest.  Your body will eventually manifest it and you will die very fast. If you think there is any level you reach in this world that exempts you from insults even from those who shouldn't, you are deluded. Ask Presidents and rulers, they receive the most insults. Judges have their share too. People insult GOD daily. No one is exempted. Therefore, insulate, ignore, overlook, avoid, maintain, look at those things that could annoy you in people and tell yourself "I met the world this way and I will leave it this way" and keep smiling. Your fighting, anger, quarrels, hatred, bitterness, stone throwing, etc, won't change anyone. There are several other ways you can remedy unfavorable situations and still keep your peace; I try to take those other options. One of which is to pray about it, eat good food, lay my bed and go to sleep. Another option is to simply walk away. I once stopped at a roadside clothes store to look at a shirt. I asked the man selling it the price and he mentioned a very high price I couldn't afford. I had to go. As I moved on, he got angry at my refusal to buy and began releasing verbal missile of insults at me. I simply walked on. You get the point. Others have killed each other over such. Many have landed in prison or hospitals due to fights activated by such. They stopped to reply and fight. You met the world this way, you will leave it this way. Read your history books, nothing new. Maintain ! Another way to keep your inner peace and rest is to always be kind and good to people. Do not become what the world has become in your own space. When they are bad, they hurt themselves. Don't join them or act like them lest you hurt yourself too. When you are kind, loving and caring, you help yourself. Make your choice. If you cannot properly navigate this world, it will strip you of inner peace, rest and eventually health. You cannot control many things, but do your best with the ones you can control in your own space. Expect dissapointments, betrayals, etc, simply move on to other relationships. The good part is many who are nasty today, if given the chance will still get over their nasty habits and become your best pals. Give people chance, they can still change for better and many do. You may have your own bad side too, though you have a sincere mind; the most important thing. What if people have written you off too ? They gave you a chance and you forged ahead. A sincere person at heart might make mistakes today, even insult you, but with time, he or she will outgrow it if given the chance. Same for you too. When such persons eventually outgrow it and realise how you tolerated them, they will love you for it. They always end up as those most faithful to you.

Smile. Be happy. Have fun. Be content. Sleep well. Your life here in this world is brief, it will soon be over. Insulate ! Create your own space of peace and rest. You can never change this world. It will all end one day, says the Bible. Yes, eat well too. Some pics to refresh you. (c) ARTICLE BY TOSIN OKE