I’ve spoken to a lot of people over the years.

We’ll talk about what they want in their lives more than anything.

After we dig through the superficial, vague BS answers (I want to be happy, I want to be rich), we almost always come to the same answer across the board (especially for those in midlife):

Peace.

They want to experience inner peace because they’re living lives that are anything but. They feel lost, disconnected, and like a boat with no rudder.

They’re experiencing inner turmoil.

Freedom pops up a lot as well; they’re two sides of the same coin.

Interestingly, everyone has their unique vision of what inner peace means to them – which is awesome.

But almost everyone believes there is only one path to get there – and they’re all wrong.

Everyone believes peace is on the other side of achievement.

When I (insert achievement), then I’ll finally be at peace.

Some of these folks have incredible resumes behind them, loaded to the gills with achievements, yet they don’t connect the dots that achievement doesn’t equal peace.

If it did, wouldn’t they already be in peaceful bliss?

Is just a little more really going to tip the scales?

The harsh reality is you can’t achieve your way to peace.

Especially when the achievements you’re pursuing aren’t a representation of your authentic self.

Earning 300k isn’t an authentic expression of yourself if you hate the work required to get there.

Inner peace is a function of authenticity, and it looks like this:

The amount of inner peace you experience in life is directly proportional to how authentically you live.

We cultivate authenticity when we take actions aligned with the unlived life within us, the painter, sculptor, writer, or whatever we left in the shadows of childhood.

If you’re living in alignment with a hand-me-down life blueprint, leaving your innermost desires behind to wither and die, you’re not going to feel very peaceful.

Borrowing from Steven Pressfield, who borrowed from Sun Tzu, we must engage in what I call “The War of Peace.”

Because, giving life to the unlived life within us and expressing our authenticity is a war.

We must battle the part of us that demands we stay in our status quo, leaving the unlived life untapped and undiscovered.

We must battle our inner demons, our imprisoning beliefs, our fears, and all the shit that does its best to confine us to the couch of complacency.

The peace we crave will never be found within complacency. We might as well expect a T-Rex to scratch its own back; that’s literally how ludicrous it is.

Peace lives on the razor’s edge of the tension we experience when we pursue authentic achievements.

If we want to craft remarkable second halves filled with peace, we must stop outsourcing the emotions we desire to the future.

Another harsh truth is this:  

“Then” doesn’t exist, and the next minute of life is promised to no one.

Here’s a simple yet counterintuitive starting point:

Follow Your Fears.

You want to write, but you’re scared – good.

You want to teach, but you’re scared – good.

You want to sculpt, but you’re scared – good.

Our deepest fears around our deepest desires contain the keys to crafting our extraordinary lives.

The sooner you begin your journey, the sooner you experience the inner peace you long for.

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