Many people in the modern-day seek happiness and fulfillment. They want to be proud of their choices and be of use in some way they can potentially brag about. Here's the problem: most people are looking in the wrong places for this happiness and fulfillment. They seek it in the external world rather than turning inward and looking at themselves. They don't seek inner peace, causing happiness to be as elusive as a unicorn. To ensure you don't run into this problem, I've got two techniques to cultivate inner peace relatively simply that you can start using today.

In my previous post, I talked about the need to maintain balance in life. A key element of maintaining balance in life is inner peace. Without inner peace, balance is easily thrown off by the smallest of gusts.

It will take time for you to cultivate inner peace, but the journey is more than worthwhile. For me, it took about four years of using these techniques and I do not regret a single minute I've spent on this journey.

As mentioned earlier, these methods are simple and can be done as early as today. Here are the two techniques to cultivate inner peace.

1. Meditation/Deep breathing

There's a reason why meditating is always portrayed as something that wise, old, patient monks do. When we observe their behavior, it's as if they've unlocked the secrets of the universe and are able to live so freely and authentically. Meditation truly allows us to achieve this state of being as well.

Meditation has blown up in recent years as a way to gain mental clarity and strength. Once thought of as an activity for the religious people of the world, we now have many regular people worldwide practicing meditation on a regular basis.

Instead of pulling out a bunch of scientific resources on the effects of meditation, I'll be using my own personal experience to explain what I've observed to be the main benefits of meditation. So, how does it give you all these amazing benefits?

First off the act of meditation is literally like exercise, but for the brain. As you do more and more, you can go for longer and longer.

By doing meditation, you cultivate mental strength through an increase in mental focus. This focus is the main thing you progressively increase over time.

When first starting out, don't be surprised if you can only manage two or three minutes maximum before your focus gives out. Your brain simply isn't strong enough yet.

By repeatedly meditating day after day, you will build up this strength so that you can actually control your mental focus.

Second, meditation is like a mental cleanout. The act of meditating allows the brain the declutter from all the junk that's accumulated.

Over our lives, we will pick up unnecessary mental strain. This strain comes in the form of mental baggage, and it weighs down on us pretty heavily once it piles up.

Our fast-paced world makes it hard to ever catch a break long enough to truly unwind from this load. This is where meditation comes in.

You don't need to meditate for long to see the benefits. Anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes a day is enough, and 10 minutes minimum will bring the maximum benefit.

By spending just 10 minutes a day, you can get rid of years' worth of mental clutter in a fraction of the years it took to accumulate. Now that's value!

Finally, once you've achieved enough mental decluttering you'll be able to achieve a state of calm by simply taking a deep breath.

You will eventually get to a point where taking a deep breath is enough to get you to reset mentally. Ever since I've discovered this it's been a huge help.

Nervous about something? Deep breath. Have an urge you'd rather not? Deep breath. Starting to get upset at somebody? Deep breath.

Meditation allows us to cultivate this superpower, though it will take a long time to achieve. But it's worth it to be able to reset mentally with nothing but breathing.

2. Cold Showers

You've probably heard of cold showers by now from some self-improvement or fitness YouTuber. All of their points have merit. There are both mental and physical benefits to cold showers. However, seeing as this post is about inner peace, we won't be covering the physical benefits today.

Similar to meditation, cold showers help you to develop mental fortitude. It's blown up due to people like Wim Hof and all the different YouTubers covering the benefits of doing them.

From doing them myself, I can tell you that they do actually help. And as scary as it sounds, it's not that difficult to do.

So, how do they work?

Cold showers trigger an instinctual impulsive behavior. When you touch the cold water, you dart your hand backward to get away from the cold.

This isn't necessarily because the water is cold. It's because the body knows that too much cold is life-threatening.

In order to get the maximum benefit from cold showers, you need to cozy up to the cold rather than forcing yourself to take the plunge. As long as you aren't cozy with the cold, it will continue to have an impulsive effect on you.

By becoming cozy with the cold, you are rewiring that impulsive reaction. Instead of reacting as if you're in danger, you'll be able to observe and realize that it isn't so bad.

This effect cascades into other areas of your life. From being able to remain calm when having disagreements to neutralizing anxiety or annoyance, the effects will be felt.

As long as we are slaves to our impulsive behaviors, we will never be at peace. In combination with meditation, cold showers allow us to take control of our subconscious minds.

Inner peace is the only peace

In a world where we wish peace upon others, most don't realize that this is nothing more than an idealistic dream. The only true peace is inner peace, as this is the only peace we can control in our lives.

There is nothing wrong with hoping that others will find peace. What is wrong is trying to give it to others, because this will rob them of the opportunity to give it to themselves.

The strife in the world is wrought by those lacking inner peace. The chaos they experience in their lives seeps out as a means of trying to control their seemingly chaotic circumstances.

By achieving inner peace, you move yourself closer to becoming the type of person the world needs. A person who can actually make a meaningful difference.

- Karl