Do you Dream of a more peaceful world?Here is MY (UNSOLICITEd) ADVICe to you...

I’ve never been a fan of unsolicited advice. In fact, I think that unsolicited advice often backfires. On the other hand, if someone *asks* for advice, it can be helpful, BUT often the person asking for guidance already knows what’s right for them in their heart and is just seeking confirmation.

But gosh, sometimes it is difficult to hold back when we know what others *should* be doing! (That's a little self-deprecating humor for those of you who don't know me very well yet!) So that's where having a blog/email list/group comes in handy - I can say what I want here! 

This is the logo from when I taught Hypnobabies. I called my business “Hypnobabies4Peace” and my tagline was: Peaceful Births, Peaceful Parenting, Peaceful World. My cousin helped me make the logo and asked me if I really believed that – more peaceful births would lead to a more peaceful world?

My answer was – and still is – a resounding YES. Now, the first important thing is to define the word “Peace”. A Peaceful Birth does not have to be “pain free” (although pain free births are possible!) A peaceful birth doesn’t mean that everything goes “according to plan.” The essential components for the most satisfying births are: 1) an informed, empowered woman and partner and 2) a supportive care giver. And when a woman and partner feel content in her/his heart, body and soul about how the birth of their precious child went - isn't that the essence of Peace? Two simple things… Simple but not easy to secure unfortunately.

The same can be said of Peaceful Parenting. Peaceful parenting doesn’t imply a “perfect” home or relationships. It doesn’t mean “quiet” or that there isn’t chaos. Peace is found within each of us, and when parents do their personal work (mind, body, spirit) they are powerful, positive leaders and influences in their home.

I absolutely believe that “World Peace” begins with each individual. And I also believe that humans are complex, messy and most of us have been hurt along the way. The most difficult harm to undo is when we are mistreated as children. Because this damage becomes part of our psyche and influences everything we think, say and do - often for our whole lives if we don't do the work to heal. That's why I am so passionate about the power of parenting to change the world. Because the less harm inflicted on children - which they have to later heal or undo as adults - the more likely we are to thrive collectively.

So my (unsolicited) advice that I really wish people would heed is to do 3 things:

1. "Know Thyself" - aka Do your personal work. Dig into yourself and find what hurts and do your best to heal it. Mind, body, spirit – it’s all important work and it is the best thing you can do for yourself and the world. 
2. Find people that can help you and that inspire you. Don’t settle in this area, because the people you surround yourself with are powerful in your life - they can hold you back or lift you up, so choose wisely!
3. If you become a parent: Learn about peaceful parenting (parenting without punishment/reward, connected parenting, attachment parenting etc. There are many names this goes by). Also, yes – this starts with birth. Give yourself, your baby and your relationship the best start possible – starting in pregnancy (if you’ve been doing number 1 you will have a great jump start on this!) I highly recommend the program Hypnobabies for preparing for birth. I used it for 2 births and taught it for almost 5 years. This way we do our best to “get out of the way” of our children so they can grow up healthy and whole. Can you imagine a world filled with people like this?

Do you dream of a more peaceful world? I’m sure you do. I can’t imagine there are many humans that don’t!

It’s not really complicated. But we do need to each commit to the work.

That’s it. My unsolicited advice to the world. The beautiful thing? When you do these things, your life flourishes! Every day I get up and try again to do 1, 2 and 3. I will never be perfect - none of us will be - but the practice and journey are beautiful and worthy.

I’d love to hear what you think of my advice! Does it rub you the wrong way? Or have you already adopted a similar philosophy to guide your life? I want to hear it all!