You’ve probably heard it before, books have been written about it, and it bears repeating that patterns of behavior impact our lives.

Most people don’t take the time to investigate their lives and see where their patterns of behavior have an adverse impact. When you’re on a quest for Inner Peace, though, this deep introspection, assessment and realignment is vital. Look at your life and see where you create the very things that have you complaining, feeling frustrated and getting annoyed, anxious or upset. For the most part, this process shows you patterns of behavior, beliefs and views that cause you to lose your sense of Inner Peace.

Identify patterns

Take a look at your life to identify any patterns that might be there. Identify any behaviors or events that could be grouped together in any area of your life. Everyone has patterns so do your best to be objective. Look for areas of annoyance, frustration, complaints and areas that make you feel badly about yourself. When you identify the patterns that push you into these feelings you can take action to change them.

You may be able to identify patterns through your driving habits and experiences. Are you always late and, rushing to your destination? Do you find yourself behind drivers that are too slow, or too fast? Do you get frustrated with other drivers or experience road rage?

Look at your work experiences.  Are you often late to work? Do you ever think you’d like to change jobs to get away from a coworker or boss? Have you changed jobs and found yourself annoyed for the same things you found annoying about your past job(s)?

You can also take a look at  your relationships. What kind of patterns can you find? Your closest relationships will tell  you a lot but you can also find patterns in your casual relationships, too. Look for areas where you hear yourself having the same or similar complaints about the other person. What frustrates you or what ways do you find fault with them?

Look at your relationship with yourself. How do you treat yourself? Do you keep the promises you make to yourself? Do you complain about yourself, your looks, your abilities or perceived lack of abilities? Do you beat yourself up or berate yourself when you think you’ve done something wrong?

These are some general places to look for patterns but they can be in any or every area of your life. Look for patterns that take you out of your place of Inner Peace. This isn’t something that you complete in an afternoon. This is a process so be easy about it, take your time and make it a goal to enjoy and appreciate this work you’re doing, with the understanding that it might not always be easy, but it is incredibly worthwhile.

Next Steps

The identification of your patterns is a huge step so acknowledge your work and appreciate what you’ve accomplished, every time. Once you’ve identified a pattern, it’s time to start dismantling it and replacing it with a new pattern that works to keep your Inner Peace in place.

Identify what had you create the pattern. Did you learn it from your parents, teachers, friends or siblings? Did you put it in place to protect yourself from harm or criticism? Take a look and see if you can identify when you first started the pattern. This will help you heal whatever prompted you to put it there.

Heal the events or experiences that had you put the pattern in place. This  might be something you need to do several times. You can heal through meditation, guided visualization, smudging, Reiki, yoga, or whatever your preferred healing method. You may find that you need some help figuring everything out. There are many professions that help people with this type of healing so reach out if you feel the need.

Decide what habit or pattern you want to put in place. You want your new pattern to move you toward and help you maintain a centered, stable, chosen state of Inner Peace. One method is do a quick prayer or meditation before you start driving. You can also take a minute to bless other drivers along your journey. At first you may need to remind yourself to this. Put a sticky note in your car as a reminder.

You’ll know you need to bless someone when you first feel yourself getting angry or frustrated. The habit of blessing others instead of complaining about them can be a powerful, life changing exercise. This one step alone impacts your inner state so try it out.

Make the choice to create a loving, accepting, compassionate relationship with yourself. Looking in the mirror is always a good exercise and a great place to start. It takes practice and persistence but the payoff is worth it as you find yourself start to appreciate who you are.

Now is always a good time to look at your life. Identify the patterns. Realize they are patterns of your making. Since you created them at some level of consciousness, you can uncreate them and create new ones in their place. When you do that, you change. When you change on the inside, your outer world changes, too.  Take charge of your life. Begin today.

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