All real growth begins in the gap between stimulus and response. Not by controlling what happens, but by choosing how we meet it. Playfulness is what keeps that gap open—because play doesn’t trigger resistance the way protest does. It sneaks past the defenses of habit and makes change possible. … More Living in the Pause: An Attitude of Playfulness Toward Change
To be serene isn’t about managing and manipulating your environment into peace, for most often you yourself are the element of chaos, and your attempts at bringing peace is the very cause of disturbance.
Alternatively, one can find serenity by a simple act of reframing the will, the wish, and the goal:
If I want perfection to be the goal and wish that it’s the case, then by reframing what is as the perfect state of things, then the goal is already achieved and my wish instantly fulfilled. And if I will what already is, then I’m doing as I wish, for my wish, too, is what already is.
The cause of suffering is to wish things to be otherwise than they are, and that’s insanity to wish something that has already appeared in a certain form to have appeared differently. … More Spiritual Fragments: Play & Minding One’s Own Business
Then take a deep breath and look away from the script into the now, and tell yourself “I give myself permission to experience my own bliss right now. It’s mine unconditionally and I don’t need any reason to tap into it.” Remember that you ended up here because you told yourself the exact opposite of this, and it worked! So, replace the script and brainwash yourself with it, and there’s no reason it won’t work. So, embrace your bliss; it’s all yours. … More Embrace Your Bliss; you don’t need permission for it
NOEMAYA 