I was speaking in Phoenix, Arizona, for the Live the Life You Love Convention, when at the end of my talk, a young girl asked “You have been speaking about how to live the life we love. My question is how can I have the courage to die?” I was astonish by her question and replied, “Why do you need the courage to die?”

This is Peter Ng. Welcome to my motivational series – Awakening the Power within You – Seek the Peace Within.

“I am suffering from acute blood cancer and the doctors told me and my parents that I have at most 3 years to live. How can I have the courage to die? I am afraid.”

I think the question is not about courage to die but the peace to live. Do you have the peace? I guess you are angry – angry as to why you have such an illness; angry with your parents; and angry because you are confused. You may be spending many days feeling sorry for yourself or being jealous of what others have. Usually, we blame people and become angry with them, which only complicate and compound the problem. Worry, fear, and dread are classic peace stealers. Worry will not change anything; being upset will not change the situation; so why not find some way to enjoy the time? If we spend today worrying about tomorrow and worrying over all the ‘what ifs’, we find ourselves tired and frustrated. Worry definitely torments us. Reasoning, struggling, and trying to figure out everything in life will steal our peace.

We must have peace with ourselves before we can have peace with others. How can we enjoy peace with other people if we don’t have peace with ourselves?

In the battle of life, our weapons are love, peace, and joy, and the greatest of all is love.

First, let joy comes into your life every day. Be grateful and thankful of how things are working for you, and the people who cares for you. Don’t ever take things for granted.

Second, let peace reigns in you. The only answer to fear is to face it with courage. Courage is not the absence of fear – it is going forward in the face of it. Have the courage to live every day.

Focus on all things good. Remember, whatever is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. Are you speaking fear or faith? Death and life are in the power of the tongue. We can encourage ourselves with our own conversation, or we can discourage ourselves.

Don’t let events of life dictate your level of joy. It is the joyous attitude that is becoming your strength. Look and concentrate what you do have, not what you don’t have.

We will have lives we can really enjoy, not one that we just endure. Peace is a wonderful thing; it leads us into many blessings. Don’t let worry and fear steal your peace. When we focus too much on a problem, it only makes the problem stronger. Even when a person is sick, staying peaceful and calm, living with joy and love will help him or her to recover quickly.

If we will make a decision to approach every aspect of life, no matter what it is, with a pleasant, thankful attitude, we will see major changes for the better, even in our health.

Stop blaming others and circumstances unless you want to empower external factors to control your life. As we walk in love, avoid strife with people is an important aspect of peace. Strife causes stress that can even lead to sickness and disease. One of the ways we maintain peace is by maintaining peace with the people in our lives. One of the greatest factors of love is forgiveness. If we sow mercy, we will reap mercy when we need it. First, we need to forgive ourselves, and then we can forgive others. When you forgive, it puts you back in the present – where good things can happen to you and where you can take action to create the future gains for yourself. The word ‘forgive’ really means ‘to give up resentment for yourself’.

Make up your mind right now that all of life does not need to make you feel good in order for you to face it with peace and joy. Make a decision that you will not dread anything you have to do. Do it all with a thankful attitude, and don’t lose sight of how blessed you are most of the time. Let the peace within you shines, and let your glow be seen. Seek the peace within you!