Why Peace of Mind Is the Real Measure of Success

By Daphne Stanford

Published November 16, 2022 | 9 min read

Peace of mind is an elusive state.

It evades many of us because we just don’t know how to find it.

It’s much easier to achieve a peaceful, Zen-like state when our outer worlds match the calm of our inner worlds.

However, we can’t wait for peaceful moments to outweigh the stressful ones to achieve inner peace.

Peace of mind feels like your brain is:

calm
at ease
not consumed by worry

The difficulty of working toward ‘success,’ can launch us into moments of self-doubt, frustration, and questioning.

Perhaps we are measuring the idea of success with a faulty ruler.

Tell us what peace of mind means to you in the comment section below.

Your goals are part of the journey to achieving peace of mind

Whatever goals we may have—yearly, monthly, or lifelong—are part of the bigger picture.

The ability to appreciate the moments along the way to our destination will make or break our ability to enjoy our lives.

As the saying goes, “it’s not the destination but the journey that makes up most moments in our lives.”

Think about it.

What happens if we put all our energy into achieving specific goals rather than appreciating all the moments along the way?

How much will we have enjoyed our lives when we finally reach our last moments?

Not that we shouldn’t strive toward our dreams.

However, we should strive towards peace, despite whether we achieve each goal or not.

Here are seven reasons peace of mind is the true measure of success.

1. Our Health

I can’t stress this enough (get it?).

According to the American Medical Association, stress is the leading cause of death.

The Huffington Post even featured a handy little infographic that visually illustrates the physical ways our bodies are affected.

The long list of physical manifestations includes headaches, anxiety, jaw tension, increased heart rate, digestive disorders, obesity, decreased sex drive, insomnia, muscle tension, drug addiction, alcoholism, and suicide.

It’s best to deal with stress at the moment rather than afterward.

For example, attending an evening yoga class after a stressful day may not be the best solution.

This doesn’t mean that yoga is not a helpful activity.

Yet, instead of putting a Band-Aid on the wound, it’s best to eliminate (or learn how to cope better) the source of your stress.

This can mean leaving a chronically stressful situation, such as an unhealthy relationship or job.

Or, it can mean dealing with a source of tension in the body or a sore subject with a friend.

Then, at the very least, you will have dealt with the problem instead of continuing to avoid it, numb it, or cover it up.

2. The Greater Good

In other words, who are you helping besides yourself?

If we think of corporations or companies as people—as does our current tax code—the leap from self to company or organization isn’t too difficult to make.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves, “Can I find purpose in earning profits?”

It is possible to find purpose in the business world?

Most of us occupy this space since we live in a capitalist society (the United States).

It’s probably safe to say that capitalism trumps democracy in our current state of affairs.

Therefore, we simply must ask certain questions about our companies, organizations, or personal endeavors.

For example, “What is the greater purpose of my organization?” or “Is the world a better, safer, or healthier place because of my company?”

A few ways you can help increase your company’s sense of corporate social responsibility is by working to implement ‘green’ policies that are more sustainable.

Examples include eliminating unnecessary waste, implementing a recycling program, or helping to organize community outreach efforts.

You can also make it a point to implement more diverse and inclusive HR hiring and company-wide policies.

This will help ensure greater equality among all employees rather than simply a select few.

3. The Bigger Global Picture

As easy as it is to forget this, we don’t live in a bubble.

This means that our country is not the only country in the world.

Our purchasing choices as consumers—including how and where we spend our time—matter more than we might realize.

I’ll never forget how I felt after returning from my trip to Kenya when I was 16.

I remember being shocked at how materially rich I was, compared to the vast majority of people I met during my stay.

However, I also noted a different ‘wealth’ that many Kenyans seemed to possess: spiritual wealth.

There was so much depth, richness, and joy in everyday interactions between people who lived there.

I realized that my little purview—my window onto the world—had expanded exponentially.

It’s relatively easy to expand your own global perspective.

Try joining the Peace Corps or participating in another kind of volunteer trip.

There’s also the possibility of expanding one’s business or entrepreneurial efforts to a global market.

For example, becoming a travel blogger or expanding one’s physical business to a second country.

Ideally, you’ll not only expand your worldview but also your language abilities!

4. Peace vs. the Corporate Ladder

At the end of your life, it is said we regret the things we didn’t do more than the things we did.

That’s why we should never allow our need for acceptance or social standing to overshadow the things that make us feel truly alive.

If opening an artist’s collective in the middle of the city truly excites you, create a plan to make it happen!

Don’t allow fear and a stable job to crush your dreams.

There are countless stories of Wall Street executives who quit their jobs to move to the country and live on a farm or of closet musicians who finally began putting time into their music and eventually became professional musicians.

5. Inner Desires vs. Others’ Expectations

Similarly, there are many stories of people with deep desires to become actors but whose fathers were doctors who expected their sons or daughters to follow in their footsteps (“Dead Poets’ Society,” anyone?).

However, just because your mother wants something for you doesn’t mean you have to pursue it.

Don’t live your life according to others’ expectations of you, lest you are riddled with resentment and regret by age 50.

You may find yourself surrounded by people you once had a lot in common with but who no longer understand your priorities or goals.

Perhaps a change of scenery or social networks is in order.

Breaking away can be painful at first.

However, you’ll sleep better and have peace of mind knowing that you’re no longer cast in a supporting role.

But you’re now in the starring role of your own life.

6. Something Unexpected Along the Way

Have you ever found your expectations utterly subverted or debunked?

That happened to me when I embarked upon what I’d believed would be a lifetime of teaching English about twelve years ago.

I believed I’d found the career I would stick with my entire life.

By choosing education as a career, I’d chosen wisely since I’d never had trouble finding a job.

There’s always a need for teachers, after all—right?

Much to my dismay, my teaching experiences bore no resemblance to the rosy, idyllic picture painted by the aforementioned “Dead Poets’ Society.”

Rather, I spent most of my time craving a moment’s peace away from nightmares about unruly classrooms, grading, and lesson planning.

During my first year of teaching, I began writing poetry very early in the morning: before dawn and before I got to work planning the day’s lessons.

My early morning writing resulted in my decision to apply to MFA programs, which led to my acceptance into the graduate MFA program at the University of Oregon.

So, all is not for naught.

You may discover something unexpected on your way to your destination.

Your destination—or endpoint—may change.

Try paying attention to your feelings when going where you think you want to go.

You may discover that it wasn’t really where you wanted to be.

7. Community vs. Self

Is your definition of success shaped more by the level of happiness or satisfaction you feel, personally, or by the health and happiness of your community?

Have you found that you’re happier when you’re part of a community of people with common goals?

The World’s Happiness Index lists six key factors that come into play when measuring ‘happiness’ levels (a subjective term, of course):

GDP per capita,
social support,
healthy life expectancy,
freedom to make life choices,
generosity, and
perceptions of corruption

All six factors were scored relative to a hypothetical country called “Dystopia,” populated with the world’s lowest incomes, life expectancy, and so forth.

Denmark came in first, followed by Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway.

The United States came in at number thirteen, which is still relatively high on the scale.

Denmark scored 7.526, the U.S. came in at 7.104, and Syria and Afghanistan were among the lowest-scoring countries.

Basic niceties like individual freedom and healthy life expectancy are par for the course in the U.S. and Canada.

But it’s difficult to find peace of mind when your country is under siege with missiles raining down upon you.

Perhaps the easiest point to make here is that security and social support are more important than we might think and that we should never take these luxuries for granted.