PERSONAL NOTE

Well, July for me was about work, friends, and lots of laughter. And while it is true that the cost of living in San Diego is quite high, our summer heat is milder than many areas. We have many outdoor and indoor activities (like Comic-Con) and are also in one of the most beautiful cities in the country.  If you are ever coming to visit, please let me know and I will give you some insider tips from a second generation native. 

ARTICLE

Protect Your Peace-It's Essential

We spend a great deal of time protecting the things we value. We lock our homes. We insure our cars. We password-protect our computers. We carefully invest our money. Yet many of us leave one of our most valuable assets completely unprotected—our peace of mind.

Think about yesterday. How many things competed for your attention? An unexpected email. A difficult client. A traffic jam. The evening news. Someone else's bad mood. A social media post that raised your blood pressure. Most of these events were outside your control. But what happened next wasn't.

Each day we make hundreds of tiny decisions about where we place our attention. The problem is that our attention often follows the loudest voice instead of the most important one. Not everything deserves front-row seats in your mind. One frustrating conversation doesn't need to ruin your afternoon. One mistake doesn't need to define your day. One negative person doesn't deserve to occupy your thoughts all evening.

Protecting your peace doesn't mean pretending problems don't exist. It means deciding that your emotional well-being deserves the same care you give everything else that matters. Sometimes protecting your peace means saying no. Sometimes it means turning off the television. Sometimes it means limiting time with people who drain your energy. Sometimes it simply means taking five quiet minutes before reacting.

I've often shared that stress isn't caused only by the events in our lives—it comes from how long we continue carrying them. Some people experience a difficult conversation at 9:00 in the morning and are still replaying it at bedtime. The event lasted ten minutes. The stress lasted fourteen hours.

Imagine if instead you asked yourself one simple question: "Does this deserve any more of my peace today?" The answer may surprise you. When you protect your peace, something remarkable happens—you become a calmer presence for everyone around you.

Stress has a way of spreading. We've all experienced walking into a room where tension was so thick it seemed almost tangible. The opposite is equally true. A person who remains calm during a challenging situation often helps others slow down, think more clearly, and respond rather than react. Your family notices it. Your friends will notice it. Your coworkers and clients notice it, even if they never say a word. When you choose patience over frustration, you make it easier for someone else to do the same. When you refuse to let one difficult moment dictate the rest of your day, you give others permission to let go of theirs as well. Your emotional state becomes contagious in the best possible way.

Protecting your peace isn't about withdrawing from the world or avoiding responsibility. It's about showing up as the best version of yourself—more patient, more present, and more capable of offering encouragement when someone else needs it most. One peaceful person has the power to change the atmosphere of an entire room. Imagine the difference we could make if each of us chose to protect that peace a little more intentionally.

Today, notice what is asking for your attention. Then decide if it earns your attention. Protect your peace as carefully as you protect everything else you value. Because when you do, you won't just change your own day—you may quietly change someone else's as well. 

COOL RESOURCE

Several years ago, I suggested this little book and it's still applicable.  If you are prone to hanging on to things, put this on your must-read list.  

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Stay safe, healthy, and happy!

Coach Jan