Poor or rich, it matters not to the person whose fulfillment comes from within. If you feel satisfied, or even pleased with your lot in life, whether poor or rich, you will fare much better. Once you realize that contentment, what is referred to as happiness, is an inside job, nobody and nothing can touch you. They might take away your conveniences which certainly would hurt at first, but even conveniences, that which makes life comfortable and easy, does not amount to happiness. When I say happiness, I am referring not to joy, not to the effervescent elevated mood we get when we are pleasantly surprised. I am referring to peace. Peace is an absence of worry or concern. It is the refusal to give in to anxiety or depression. It is a constant abiding in love. Love-unconditional love only accepts. It never rejects, isn't this so? When you love your children, you try to love unconditionally for who they are, and not what they have done. When you love your pet, it is unconditional because they cannot repay your kindness. Real love loves without measure. When you love this way, not expecting anything back, the result is always peace, because peace is the result of love. Therefore, to experience calming peace we must be in love with something. It could be a mate, a pet, a family member, a friend, or even God. If you love God with all of your heart, even if you are on a desert island, you can experience abiding love and its product, peace.
Why does love generate peace in our hearts? Peace is an inner knowing, an inner belief that everything is going to be alright. The world may fall down around your ears, but when your purpose is to love a calm will overtake you. For instance, when you spend time with beloved pets you will be awash in love and consequently, peaceful. This is why when couples break up there is such heartache. Because they made their beloved the object of their love. When the source of love is stolen away, so goes the peace. When we are without peace it is nothing but anxiety and depression, which is unpleasant. This is why some hop from one relationship into another. It is not that they did not feel genuine love; it is that they do not like the discomfort it has thrown them into. The solution to breakup is not to replace your beloved, but to learn how to replace anxiety and depression with peace! Even love of self can be the motivating factor to move forward in life. Give yourself the love you wish you had received, and you will see that peace naturally follows.
In times of economic hardship, you must make your mind up to rise above the inconveniences, including homelessness, hunger, and the like. The only way to defeat fear in dire circumstances is to remember who you are. Refuse to be swept away by fear. Refuse to be defined by fear. You are not a "loser" because you are unemployed, homeless, or hungry. You are exactly the same worthwhile person who once had a full bank account. You are exactly the same fabulous person you have always been, temporarily without work, without a home, or a bank balance. I say temporarily because at any moment your luck may turn, and those things may be restored. You see, bad luck is mostly temporary. Bad circumstances come and go. Have you noticed that? Some days are good while others are bad. You must not be of the mindset that all is lost. As long as you have your brain, eventually you will get back on your feet.
Have you ever heard a rags to riches story? Mine is such. I was born in a small town outside of Mexico City, Mexico to humble parents. We were not dirt poor like some Mexican peasants of the time, for my father always found work. But money was always tight, so I never knew affluence. It wasn't until my art became internationally recognized and my paintings sold that for the first time, I had my own money! I felt so grateful for the recognition that the artistic community was paying me, sometimes I wanted to pinch myself. But money was never the reason I became an artist; I would have painted whether I sold them or not. Loving to create was my motivation and key to keep going.
When I was confined to a bed, I made my mind up to rise above my circumstances by having a scaffolding constructed that allowed me to keep painting. I am one of the only international artists who painted from her bed. Because when you love something, you will not let bad circumstances keep you from doing it or being with it. Your integrity will figure a way around the obstacles. When I painted, I lost track of time or if I had not eaten for the day, and I lost the pain that plagued me, for my attention was focused solely on what I loved to do. My advice to you is, do not let any person or circumstance trick you into thinking that you will be lost without them. You will need time to grieve, yes-but that does not mean you are permanently without direction. You may be homeless, without a penny, but do not fear it. Instead, pour all of yourself into solving the problems and into whatever it is that you love, and peace will alight on you. For peace is really love, and love is really peace. And peace overcomes anxiety and depression, it always has. When you experience peace, you are not experiencing any negative emotions, are you? But peace will not simply "happen." It does not come as a result of favorable circumstances, because it can also comfort you in the bad times, too. Throw yourself whole-heartedly then into loving something completely, whether it is your spiritual life, a loved one, a pet, or learning to love yourself, and reject the thoughts that tell you that you are any less than others, or that it will always be hopeless. There are no forever circumstances; they can change quickly. Tell yourself the truth: I have no need to fear as long as I have something to love, and something to give.
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