A lot of people, especially in this era, measure wealth by looking at certain numerical values. They look at the size of their bank account, the kind of car they drive, the lifestyle they flaunt, the kind of house they live in, and all of that. They tend to believe that the more possessions they have, the more status they have, and the more successful they are. This makes them to live their whole life running around for things, working long hours, buying things that they do not even need, trying to show off. What they fail to understand is that all these normally come with a high cost, including a mind full of constant noise, stress, anxiety, etc. You have to understand that true wealth is not just about what you have in your pocket, but what you have in your mind.
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Choosing peace of mind and simplicity is far better than chasing the things that you may never get. This is why it is said that a quiet mind is a form of riches. I have come to realise that chasing status is actually very expensive, and never ends. When you get one, you will immediately begin to look for another. If you buy something luxurious just to impress someone, and you see them having something better, you will immediately begin to think of what next to do to maintain the impression, and the cycle continues. This will make your mind to be crowded by so many thoughts, like money, bills, opinions of people, how others see you, etc. Imagine having an expensive watch for example, yet your mind is calculating how to buy a designer shoes just to maintain status.
This is why a quiet mind becomes very important. A quiet mind does not mean that your life is boring, neither does it mean that you are empty. It means that you have set yourself free from unnecessary noise, including noise within you. When you sit to eat, for example, you are feeling the taste of the food, not worrying about what tomorrow will bring. When you go for a walk, you are feeling the beauty of nature and observing the trees, not checking your phone for social media notifications. Having a quiet mind is one of the things that show that you are contented with what you have at the moment. You do not need to have external approval from strangers for you to feel valuable. It is this Internal peace that creates a deep and unshakable sense of security.
It is worthy to note that simplicity comes with freedom. In order to build a quiet mind, you have to willingly choose simplicity. That is, removing the extra things in your life that want to contend with your peace. This can start with the very basic physical things, like cleaning your messy room, cutting down unnecessary expenses, and other mental activities like saying no to a social event that you do not want to attend. It also includes staying away from negative energy, avoiding peer pressure, online gossips, and things that may weigh you down. When you simplify your outer life, your inner life will will become calmer.
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In order to create a quiet mind, there are things you can do, and habits you can form to help you. You can create a quiet moment in the morning. When you wake up in the morning, spend a few minutes of your day without checking your phone, and without running to social media. This helps you to meditate about very vital things of life. The second one is to learn to practise gratitude. You will not have everything in the world, but appreciate the ones you have. Then in addition to this, you have to mind your company. Mind what you say and do outside. There are times that you need to stay silent, not because you do not have what to say, but because it is not in every situation that you need to respond. Remember that this is not being weak, but being in control of yourself.
The true riches are actually resident on the inside. One of the things that hold so much value in the world of today is peace of mind. Someone who does not have much but sleeps well at night and has peace of mind, is actually richer than someone who has more but without peace. You should not allow the world to define what success means to you, rather focus on what brings you peace of mind.
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