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I was recently sent a copy of Shortcuts to Inner Peace: 70 Simple Paths to Everyday Serenity by Ashley Davis Bush. As Amazon puts it, in the book Ashley "helps readers learn how to hit the pause button amidst the chaos with a spirit of mindfulness-linking fast, easy, and restorative respites to ordinary everyday activities. Once people begin to integrate these shortcuts into their daily lives, they begin to happen automatically. And when that happens, inner peace will no longer be a brief state of mind, but a way of life." After reading the book, I won't claim that inner peace is my way of life (though I wish it was!), but I have a feeling that it would be if I followed all of Ashley's advice.
The book is filled with "shortcuts" -- little things you can do every day throughout the day -- for creating inner peace. I was a little overwhelmed by the quantity of them (and how many I actually wanted to try!), but I started out with just a few of them and they have already helped me feel more peaceful. As Ashley said, the shortcuts "help us develop new habits of pausing, habits of redirection from stress," and, more importantly, Ashley's shortcuts help readers stay present in the moment.
Though I didn't make all of Ashley's shortcuts daily habits, I did try most of them as I was reading and they helped me to stay more present, more focused on the now. Ashley puts it like this: "When reside in that place called peace, we have a full throttle experience of the present moment and therefore have no worries about a future and no hang-ups about a past." This proved to be very true! Whenever I tried one of Ashley's shortcuts, I was instantly calmed and brought back into the present moment. And the fact that Ashley includes so many shortcuts in her book makes it much more accessible to everyone; there's at least one shortcut you can incorporate into your day that will help you stay more present and peaceful.
The beauty of Ashley's book is that it brings inner peace down to a manageable level. You don't have to be a meditation guru or a yoga fanatic to find inner peace. With the help of Ashley's shortcuts, you can find inner peace within you pretty much anywhere -- waiting in line, washing the dishes, even in the middle of an argument. Incorporating the shortcuts into our daily lives makes them something we're actually likely to do -- and something we'll do more often, making it a habit rather than an exception.
A few of my favorite shortcuts include:
- Stop Drop and Roll (for when you're stopped at a red light)
- Cheesecloth (for when you're in a crowded environment)
- Almond Joy (for when you're eating a snack)
- Double Take (for when you're feeling bored/restless)
- Take Dictation (for when your thoughts are driving you crazy)
- Watch Your Mouth (for when you're using negative words)
- Half 'n Half (for when you see the glass half-empty)
- Outstanding (for when someone asks how you're doing)
- Don't Bug Me (for when you kill a bug)
- Rags to Riches (for when you think you need more $)
- Myku (for when you need to be present)
- Fair-Weather Friend (for when you talk about the weather)
Want to know what the heck those things mean? Check out the book and see how you can cultivate inner peace in your life -- no matter what situation you're in. If, like me, you're looking to be more peaceful -- or more present -- I'd recommend reading this book. It's a quick read and it really helped me to put some of the things in my life in perspective while giving me tips on how to be guided by inner peace (instead of outside chaos!). Learn more about Ashley and the book on the Shortcuts to Inner Peace Facebook page.
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