Cultivating Peace - Supporting Others

Finding Peace, Harmony, and Joy

Over the years I have learned lessons that continue to shape both my personal and professional life –especially, the importance of cultivating peace within myself in order to fully support others. I have been fortunate to learn from many people. I watched them lead by example--with kindness, compassion, humility, and care for others. They gave me an understanding of what it looks like to lead from one’s character and show up in support of others.

Even so, it took me a long time to feel truly at peace and aligned within myself. I spent many years focused on achievement, productivity, and doing what I thought was best for others -- even if it often involved neglecting myself.

A significant turning point came when I took a six-month sabbatical. I moved to a small house in the mountains of North Carolina where I slowed down, hiked, meditated, journaled, read, and spent hours sitting on the porch just listening to birds and enjoying the view of the mountains. That chapter became the beginning of a purposeful practice of reconnecting with myself and cultivating inner peace.

Returning to everyday life, I had to learn how to maintain that sense of peace while navigating work, relationships, responsibilities, and uncertainty. I discovered ways to carry pieces of those mountain days with me -- through daily walks, time in nature, meditation, reading, and reflection. Over time, I came to understand that peace, harmony, and joy are not destinations we arrive at once and for all. They require ongoing attention and practice.

Moving from Personal to the Community

In recent years, I have had the tremendous privilege of working with the Euphrates Institute's Peace Practice Alliance (PPA), a six-month peace leadership program. Through this work, I've met peace leaders and change-makers from around the world – in many cases from incredibly challenging circumstances, affected by violence, conflict, injustice, or poverty.

A core component of the Peace Practice Alliance is developing a personal peace practice. Participants explore approaches such as meditation, prayer, movement, mindfulness, time in nature, and deep reflection -- identifying what helps them stay grounded and resilient. They are reminded of the interconnectedness of their state of inner peace with all those around them.

The PPA Participants consistently describe this inner peace work as one of the most transformative parts of the program, even years after they’d completed it. These daily practices help them become more present, compassionate, resilient, and effective in both their personal lives and as peace leaders. As I first learned for myself during my sabbatical: taking full responsibility for peace begins with ourselves.

Supporting Peace in Others

When we consciously cultivate peace within ourselves, we naturally bring more patience, kindness, and understanding into our relationships.

Taking responsibility for peace does not end with our own inner work. As we learn what supports our own peace, harmony, and joy, we create conditions that support those things for others as well. We begin listening more deeply. We encourage rest in cultures that celebrate busyness. We create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and cared for. We choose compassion when it would be easier to judge.

For me, taking responsibility for peace does not mean being inactive and blissful. It means returning, again and again, to the practices that help me reconnect with myself, with others, and with what matters most.

I am still learning how to do this more consistently in my own life. Like everyone, I continue to experience challenges, uncertainty, and periods when peace feels harder to access. But something has shifted within me— I more easily find joy, even in the darkest days, and I have found a deeper trust, even when I lose my footing, I can find my way back. And that, in itself, brings me peace.