I stumbled across a lovely site the other night that listed out some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

· A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

· An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

· A loss of interest in judging other people.

· A loss of interest in judging self.

· A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

· A loss of interest in conflict.

· A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)

· Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

· Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

· Frequent attacks of smiling.

· An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than (try to) make them happen.

· An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

I can see lots of areas where I’ve made tremendous strides towards achieving inner peace when I read this… but I also see areas where I still have a long way to go. Still, I think all of those are very indicative of being at peace and they are the things I strive for. I need to read this list daily to remind myself. In fact, I think I’m going to make them all pretty in Photoshop and print them out to put on my desk at work.

If you’d like the completed file for similar purposes, let me know.