My dear friends,

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive, both in-person and online is,  “what was is like growing up with Peaceful Barb as my mom?”

I’ve always felt incredibly grateful for my mom’s insights, wisdom, and nurturing throughout my life, and even more so, blessed that we work together, today.

As many of you know, my mom began her journey towards inner peace and wellness upon entering a treatment center for bulimia before I was born. It was in treatment that she learned about meditation, mindfulness, and mind-body practices like yoga. From then on, she committed her life to self-study, introspection, and research to uncover a path towards inner peace.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been talking about meditation and mindfulness, and mostly the power of living in the present moment, and I credit so much of who I am today because of the seeds that she planted within me as a child.

This week, I wanted to help answer that often-asked question of life with Barb, by sharing some of my favorite life lessons she taught me, and ones that have shaped my life today. I hope these lessons serve you as much as they continue to serve me.

1. You can’t control anything in the outside world, but you can control your reaction to it.  Once I finally understood this to be true, I was set free of the need to try to control the external forces in my life. The awareness and knowledge of knowing what I can control, gave me my power, and helped me to shift my focus towards more productive and healthy things.
2. Never do anything when you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired (HALT). A lesson my mom learned in treatment, always remember to HALT. Are you hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired? If so, it might not be the best time to have difficult conversations or make important life choices. Tap into your needs and care for yourself in this way to aid in your relationships with others and with yourself.
3. There is peace in the pause. Life can feel like it goes by quickly, and we are often forced to keep up with the pace. Usually, we are accustomed to rapid responses and knee-jerk reactions that tend to lead us to saying and doing things that aren’t always in our best interest. One of the best practices we can get into, is to take a pause when we are asked to react or respond. There is power in the pause because we can reconnect and truly understand what the aligned response is in any given moment.
4. Be where your feet are. It can feel trite to always say live in the present moment, we hear it so often but what does that actually mean? If you can remember to be where your feet are you can bring yourself into this moment right here, right now. Learned from one of her favorite teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh, being where your feat are means that your mind isn’t escaping to the past or the future, it’s truly grounded in the present.
5. The relationship you cultivate with yourself is the most important relationship you can have. Be your own best friend. It’s common for us to spend a lot of our time focusing on the relationships we have with other people: how to be the best friend, partner, spouse, or relative. But how often to we turn that energy inwards and intend to treat ourselves the same way we would treat a loved one? We are the ones that we spend our whole lives with, and how we treat ourselves matters. By becoming your own best friend, you enable yourself to be the very best person for all your other relationships.

Let me know which lesson is your favorite!

xo, Michelle

Michelle Maros is Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life's Creative Director and resident writer. She has a degree in Journalism from Indiana University and is also a certified holistic health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and registered yoga teacher with trainings with Anuttara Yoga Shala and Strala Yoga. Michelle has a deep desire to help people find happiness in all areas of their lives, and truly believes the Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life movement will bring lasting change to the world. Michelle splits her time between Florida and New York City and loves connecting with people from all over the world. If you'd like to contact her, she can be reached at 

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