Siti here!
My mission is to help you find your inner peace through art.
As we enter the new year, there are things we need to do to improve our lives. If you are the type of person who likes to plan everything, you’ve most likely listed some things you’d want to achieve in the coming year, and are already starting to do them as part of your daily routine.
To achieve inner peace, I had to get rid of some things:
Reduce and/or Closed Social Media Accounts
Starting this year, I took a hard look at gradually either closing some social media accounts or reducing the usage of them. I’m not a heavy user of social media, to begin with, except for business. However, I find, no matter how disciplined I am when using social media, that I can’t help but scroll the feed unintentionally and waste my time.
As we progress into more modern technology, we are becoming a slave to smartphones. I’m grateful that I never owned a smartphone. Weird, right? However, I’ve seen what it does to most of us. It confines our thoughts and focuses our attention on its small screen.
I want to live a peaceful life, without the bombardment of social media (e.g what to post next, how to engage with my subscribers, followers, and fans). Remember, those people are not YOUR people and these platforms can shut down your accounts anytime they feel like it, and many people have experienced this. So now I’ve stopped caring about who follows or subscribes to my social media accounts because I understand that it’s not my platform, to begin with. So, this is what I ask myself personally; am I the controller of my social media, or are these platforms using me to increase their profits?
USA National Flower Print
‘Fired’ Online Coaches
This is a big one. I fired coaches that I’ve been following. I also even stopped listening to ones that I’ve already bought courses from; There are so many coaches and so-called experts you don’t know who’s right and who to follow anymore. They learn from each other to make their content better and then slam the other. They catch your attention because they have the latest online marketing strategies. They promise you that if you buy their courses, you can make a lot of money in a short time. You’ll notice people change as they become more successful. You can track them by simply watching their videos or reading their blog posts. And in the end, it’s the dollar sign that matters.
So what does it do to you? You start to doubt yourself and your ability to run your own business. You compare yourself to other business owners and what they do in their businesses. and in the end, you feel insecure and unmotivated.
None of this matters if you are confident in what you’re doing and in your marketing strategies. I’ve been evaluating my marketing strategies before and after I bought or followed these online coaches and I’ve realized that the traditional marketing strategies still work in the digital age. The less you learn from what others are doing in their business and instead find your own way to conduct your business, the better. Because only you know what you want and what your goals are.
Family and Friends
Don’t get me wrong. Family and friends are important in one’s life. But I personally feel that Covid has tested us on so many levels, including familial relationships and friendships. For instance, since everyone is staying at home, everyone is using the Internet to stay connected. Connecting to your families who are far away in another country should be just a click of a button, right? Picking up your smartphone and sending a quick text would make it feel like you cared for the other person. However, in my case, it always seems like I’m the one initiating the conversation. In the end, I’m wondering why I’m the one who always reaches out first, and that hurts me. Unfortunately, not everyone is like me.
So, evaluate the people in your life — whether it’s family members who can’t stand you because you try to earnestly advise them or friends who never contacted you after a major turning point in your life. If you are the only one who initiates the phone calls, texts, or emails, then they are not true friends and they never really cared about you. Accept that fact and move on. Get rid of that extra baggage, thinking about them will only distract you from what’s really important.
Now, here are three things I do to increase my inner peace that have proven to work for me:
Connect to My Creator
God says in the Quran, ‘those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of God. Surely in the remembrance of God do hearts find comfort.’.
I listen to my heart more these days, no noise from the gurus, coaches, or social media. I want to connect with my Creator and read His book, the Quran. I want to learn in-depth about my religion so I can achieve my inner peace and guard my mind at the same time. Yes, it’s not easy, as we are constantly being distracted with everything around us. So, it requires high discipline and it’s a work in progress. My personal routine is waking up before dawn to pray and lately I have even been waking up an hour earlier than usual and I thank God for that. This means I have more time to connect with God at such a peaceful time. This is the time I pray, do zikr(remembrance of God), recite the Quran, and/or simply talk to Him and ponder. The only being you need to talk to and pour your heart out to is to your Creator, the one who created you. He knows you more than you know yourself. By doing that, I’ve gained the inner peace and strength to move on in my life every single day.
Quality Time with Immediate Family
I spend quality time with my husband and my younger son at home and doing things as a family. I’ve been working from home since the birth of my eldest son in Malaysia and homeschooling my children here in the United States for over a decade now. I love working from home and homeschooling my children and growing as a family together. And yes, family is very important to me.
But, I know a lot of families have been struggling to work from home since the lockdown started 2 years ago. And on top of that, parents needed to learn to homeschool their children. I understand your struggle because I’ve been through that stage before. But I can tell you that if you accept your responsibilities with an open heart, you’ll create a harmonious environment for your family. Here’s a tip for you: for working at home, think of your home as your workplace. Stay-at-home moms, you’re the CEO of your home or a manager that’s in charge of your ‘employees’. Make it fun and enjoyable and don’t forget to put aside some time every single day for ‘me time’ for you. Parents, please exercise patience with your children. Think about when they were cute little babies, you were their first teachers who taught them how to talk, walk, and more by God’s leave. So have fun with them while they are still young.
Create Art
Art has proven to cure depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Personally, after I left the portrait business and moved to painting still lifes, I learned to really look at my surroundings and be aware of everything. That has also made me want to go for walks more and be close to nature. It ties back to my connection with God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. And when I’m behind my easel, I paint with a heart full of joy, knowing that what I’m painting is God’s gift to mankind. I paint flowers, fruits, and sometimes food. I spend a lot of time on my paintings. This has given me peace and a sense of fulfillment.
Now if you’re not an artist, which I don’t believe because I believe everyone is an artist, you can still draw, doodle, or paint for your own enjoyment. Try it. It will give you inner peace.
How did you start your year? What did you do to achieve inner peace? Time is of the essence here. I’m always a very conscious person in regards to time. I want to leave you with this verse from the Quran about time. In the Quran, God says, (Chapter 103, 1-3).
By time, indeed, mankind is in the state of loss, except those who believe and do good deeds. And advise each other to truth, and advise each other to patience.
Give priority to yourself first, connect with God to achieve inner peace, and don’t wait. Do good work for yourself and serve others. You’ll be rewarded by God Almighty.
Siti
