I woke up this morning to the news that we’ve entered a war with Iran, and my mind started to spiral.

I’m sure many others did too, which is why I wanted to address it here.

So what can we do?

What would I suggest to a client who’s feeling anxious or afraid?

The first thing I’d say is this: that reaction is normal.

It means you care about your life and about what’s happening in the world.

The second question is: what can you control?

Is there any action you can take?

If there is—take it.

That might mean calling your congressman, offering a prayer, or simply holding the people involved with care and intention.

The last thing I’d suggest is doing something to restore your energy and calm yourself.

Who are the people you can talk to?

What are the things that give you the most peace?

Do those things. Reach out to those people.

And stop doing the things that burden your heart.

Yes, that could mean refraining from the news for a while.

Worrying doesn’t help—but changing your energy does.

And to change your energy, we have to take action.

Facing something as anxiety-provoking as war isn’t easy.

But these events will continue to happen in the external world.

We don’t have much control over that.

What we do have control over is ourselves—and that, believe it or not, is the real world.

There was a song I used to listen to with the kids at church when they were younger:

 

When there is light in the soul, there is beauty in the person.

When there is beauty in the person, there is harmony in the home.

When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation.

When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.

 

Notice where the song starts: light in the soul.

The good news is, we all have that light. It comes with being alive.

From that light, we can choose beautiful thoughts.

From beautiful thoughts, we create harmony in our homes.

And that’s how peace actually spreads.

We don’t start with peace in the world.

We create it in ourselves.

I would rather have a war outside of me than a war within me.

That’s why I wanted to share this.

No matter what’s happening in the world, we can choose peaceful thoughts and a beautiful heart.

From there, change happens in ways that are truly unbelievable.

These things don’t happen by default.

They take practice—just like anything else.

But they are absolutely possible.

I pray for everyone involved in this conflict—for the children, families, soldiers, and leaders.

May it be resolved in the greatest way possible.

And may a day come when we can resolve our differences through words instead of war.

Wishing you peaceful thoughts and a beautiful heart,

Bert