Serenity

The dictionary defines serenity as the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. Now that the formality is over let me share my own personal experience of serenity. If you have been following me you might recall me mentioning that a good way of growing is to participate in challenges. I recently participated in a book reading challenge, if you want to call it that. I watched daily videos over a 12 day period as we read the book ” As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen. Now I am no literature nerd, so this book was rather challenging to read even with having someone else explain it to me. I know that I will have to read it several times over to fully appreciate it . I did however get the gist of the book which wad, our thoughts are our biggest weapon…its up to us to decide whether we want to use our thoughts to grow or to stay in our mediocrity. This is a very simplistic summary of the book so I recommend that you read it so that you can come up with your own opinion about the message.

It was a tough book to read but it did contain some of the best writing I have ever come across. It is a poetic book that is filled with a lot of wisdom. I am still dissecting the book word by word and will continue to do so for a while. Again a key nugget of wisdom was the important role our thoughts play in what we end up becoming in life. Before I get off point let me get back to my purpose of writing this post (Serenity).

I was required to read the final chapter of the book “As a man thinketh” which is titled SERENITY. I had to read it for 5 consecutive days as well as write down the chapter word for word for 5 straight days. Now I can’t imagine that every one that participated in the book reading challenge carried out this activity but I sure did. My o My how grateful I’m I that I did so. Serenity sure is calmness of mind. My interpretation of the reading is that an evolved being is one who has mastered the art of serenity. This is a person who is able to stay calm in the midst of chaos. One who people want to deal with out of respect because they value and appreciate the calmness of the person. Serenity means you are beyond reproach. you are able to take things in stride.

You are serene because you realize that tempers dont get you anywhere and you keep a cool head when things are going south. I know mine is a very simplistic summary of some of the best writing in the world but the key take away was calmness of mind trumps high tempers any day.

Based on this exercise I have decided I will make an effort to always remain calm and serene where my life is concerned. I understand it will take time but I also realize that functioning on anger, stress, and high tempers is not good for the soul and if I can do something about it why not give it a try. I am therefore making a pact to function at a higher level by always aiming to be serene, and I encourage you to choose calm over stress whenever the opportunity arises.

With Love and Gratitude

Dr Fatsani Dogani