You Can('t) Experience Peace
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Good day, good people. I'm glad you're here with me again for another episode of Imperfectly Phenomenal Woman. Usually on this podcast, I have different guests and I'm talking about limiting beliefs that hold us back from living fully and authentically, right? My plan for this set of episodes, like since relaunching is to

The third week-ish of every month, I'll do a solo episode. And then on the fourth week, I'm always going to rest is the plan. So no episodes on the fourth week. But this week, I'm supposed to do a solo, right? This is one of the first times where I'm like, I don't know what I want to talk about. But then I heard this song on Instagram and it

immediately noticed that it put me in this like state of peace. Like listen to this song and just breathe while you're listening. Look around you. Take your time. No matter how you try, the more that you give.

♪ No more he'll give to you ♪ ♪ Oh, just keep on giving and loving and living ♪ ♪ And he'll give it all back to you ♪ ♪ You can be my God given ♪ ♪ No matter how you try ♪

and recently i've been noticing that i will land in states of peace far more often than usual like probably at least once a day for the past few days i notice that i'll be experiencing a moment of peace

And so even right now, after listening to that song, I got up, went to my window. Right now the sun is setting. I think I plan on doing this episode until the sun sets. I looked out my window. I have a pond right outside of my window, like some seating outside of my window. And right now I see a duck going by. Yeah.

There was this couple outside and they were sitting on the bench and one person had their head on the other person's shoulder. And I'm just like, wow, wow. I'm sitting here surrounded by my plants. There's this bird flying by. Like what a beautiful existence I live.

It's just such a dope and amazing thing. And I think I just want to talk for a second because honestly, the sun sets so fast. So we'll see how far I get. I want to talk briefly just about the feeling of peace and how you can find peace in embracing imperfection. I think for majority of my life, I didn't know what peace actually felt like. Peace feels like, for me at least,

This weightlessness, my breathing is done with such pure, clean ease. Everything around me feels still. There are no racing thoughts going on in my head. For the most part, my mind is typically mostly blank, which is a very rare occurrence for me. Very rare occurrence. But in those moments of peace, everything is still.

Like in those moments of peace, I get to notice the smallest things like even right now, I guess my air must be on or something and it's slightly moving my curtain just with the teeniest of movement. It's super gentle. And even just watching something like that can give such peace in itself.

Or just sitting here, taking a moment, listening to that song, looking out of the window, having a mundane moment where there's nothing that has to be done. You just get to sit and rest and look out the window and be like, yo, what a beautiful life I live. Despite all the struggle and suckage and just ridiculousness that goes on in the world,

I pray for you that you get to just take a moment to experience peace for yourself. Now, a lot of the time we don't get to experience peace because we might be going through things, right? You might have bills that you need to pay that are hard to meet. Your kid might be tugging on your jacket. Someone might've just passed away for you. But sometimes you might just be able to catch a slim moment

where you can just be. And sometimes you have to actually create that moment for yourself and know how to create that moment for yourself. So for example, this particular song that I was listening to, the piano in the background,

really created a moment like you have to create your moments of peace for you it might be intentionally going and taking a bath maybe it might be setting a candle lighting a candle um I think music is really really helpful for me the sun is moving y'all the sun is moving I feel like I'm almost done with this podcast already it amazes me how quickly the sun sets but you have to know that

What calms your nervous system? Some just popped in my spirit that for some of y'all, it might be some form of a drug. Potentially consider shifting to something else to replace that if you think that that would be helpful. Do things that are good for your body, friend. But when it comes to the imperfection piece of it all, because I was thinking about how this podcast is called Imperfectly Phenomenal Woman, right?

Being able to call it that and make that my personal brand too has been such a lifesaver because it gives me grace. It gives me the grace to make mistakes. And I know that I will make mistakes. It comes with the course. Even now, like I'm partially worried about the sound of an ambulance that I hear in the

I decided not to go in the room that I typically record in and think that you might hear my refrigerator. But then at the end of the day, it's like, this ain't that serious. I'm just sitting here with a mic recording a podcast. Like, it's okay. We don't have to. Don't set expectations for yourself that are unnecessary.

Because a lot of the time, the expectations that you set for yourself that are unnecessary are the things that keep you away from achieving your peace. I'm definitely guilty of this. The expectations that you're trying to live up to for others and these unrealistic ones that you've set for yourself, they keep you away from your peace. I just want you to know you are enough as you are. Embrace your imperfect self.

just as you are. Set up environments that allow you to experience peace. Start to get to know yourself better in a way that you are able to explore your peace, how that might be created. For me, every single time I do a four minute meditation, I feel better by the end. Every single time. It's how I start my morning every day. But what works for you?

Try things out. Get to know yourself. Embrace your imperfection. You are enough. And you deserve to experience peace. I see the tiniest sliver of the sun now. It's going down behind the trees. I don't know how long this recording lasted, but now the sky is fading from a light blue into an orange. There's a person walking down the sidewalk.

I hear the birds chirping. I see the ripples in the water. I hear the white noise in my apartment, which always bothers me on episodes. The street lights just went on like immediately as soon as I just said that. And it is officially wind down time for me. This week, can I give you a challenge? I want you to try the four minute meditation.

For me, I do it as soon as I wake up, kind of ish. I brush my teeth. I have a whole very long extensive morning routine. But four minute meditation is a part of it. At some point in the morning for you or even before bed, whatever time works best for you, honestly, set your clock for four minutes. Get quiet.

and just allow yourself to be. Things might come up for you that make you uncomfortable. If something comes up, I want you to acknowledge it. Be aware of how you're feeling. Do not ignore it. Pay attention to it. Ask yourself what that is. For some of y'all,

That might happen. And for others of y'all, you might just breathe a little bit easier. Even now, I don't know why this podcast episode turned like very like meditative therapeutic. I don't know, something like that. Even now, take a deep breath, like the deepest breath that you've taken all day. I want you to take it right now. So breathe in and breathe out. You go, you make this a great week, girl. You got this.

Love you. You know where you can find me. I am at IPwomanpodcast on Insta at lauren.e.will if you want to connect and I will chat with y'all next week. Farewell. The sun is down.