Carolyn CJ Jones' toastmasters speech about opening your heart to experience inner peace.

We're excited to announce the latest video in our YouTube channel of Heart2Heart member speeches. We can all use more Inner Peace and Carolyn CJ Jones, who is a specialist in Forgiveness and Inner Peace shared some great tools with us in her speech at Heart2Heart Toastmasters Club.

Do you feel peace within your heart, or do the hurts and disappointments of life keep it closed? Many of us go through life with emotional barriers that shield us from pain. But these same barriers can also prevent us from experiencing true joy, love, and peace. The good news is that peace is always available if we’re willing to open the gates of our hearts.

In her speech Carolyn CJ Jones walks us through a four-stage process to guide us on this journey toward peace—drawing inspiration from her book, Opening the Gates of the Heart: A Journey of Healing.

1. Courage: Embrace Your Pain with Compassion

The first step to finding peace is courage—the bravery to face our deepest fears, doubts, and wounds. It takes courage to acknowledge our pain rather than repress it or place the responsibility for it on others. When we gently hold our pain with compassion, rather than push it away, we begin to heal. As she wrote in her book:

"Perhaps rather than cast the pain out of our heart or give it to another, it would be better to find the courage to touch that oh-so-vulnerable spot, to hold the pain tenderly, gently, with great compassion."

Courage allows us to stop running from our emotions and instead embrace them as part of our healing journey.

2. Openness of Heart: Lowering the Barriers

Once we have the courage to face our inner wounds, we can begin to open our hearts. We often protect ourselves from pain by keeping others at a distance. But this same guardedness limits our ability to fully experience the beauty of life. When we open our hearts, the world takes on a new richness.

"We spend our lives behind the barriers of a closed gate, protected from hurt. But if we allow our hearts to open, we will see things in a different light and grow through the barriers."

Openness allows us to experience the full spectrum of life’s joys and sorrows, helping us connect with others more deeply and authentically.

3. Moments of Wonder: Rediscover the Miracles Around You

As our hearts open, we begin to see the world with new eyes—everything becomes a wonder. The ordinary becomes extraordinary, and we find beauty in small, everyday moments.

"A beam of light falls upon metal. I look with awe at a star that appears out of nowhere. Has there always been such richness, such wonder, such beauty in the world?"

When we embrace wonder, we realize that life has always been full of miracles. They were just waiting for us to notice them.

4. Gratitude: The Pathway to Forgiveness and Peace

With a heart open to wonder, gratitude naturally follows. Gratitude shifts our perspective, allowing us to appreciate everything within and around us. This attitude of gratitude becomes the key to forgiveness—both for ourselves and others.

"When seen with eyes and a heart that appreciate, everything becomes more beautiful and pleasing."

Gratitude brings us closer to peace. Through forgiveness, we release resentment and free ourselves from emotional burdens. Finally, we find the peace we’ve been seeking—the peace that rises within when we love ourselves and others.

The Promise of Peace
The journey to peace begins with courage and continues through openness, wonder, and gratitude. At the end of this process lies the promise of peace—a deep and lasting sense of well-being.

"When I practice love for myself and others, the gates of my heart melt into dusk, and peace rises to greet me."

If you’re ready to open the gates of your heart, know that peace is waiting to meet you. All it takes is the courage to begin the journey. Are you ready?

Click here to watch Carolyn CJ Jones' speech on Heart2Heart's Youtube Channel.

This journey is not about perfection but about progress. Each step—courage, openness, wonder, and gratitude—builds on the last, guiding you toward the peace that already resides within you. Open your heart, and let peace in.

HealingJourney #InnerPeace #EmotionalHealing #Courage #Gratitude #Forgiveness #CJJones #OpeningTheGatesOfTheHeart

Whether you are new to Toastmasters or a Seasoned Toastmaster, you are always welcome as our guest at Heart2Heart Toastmasters Meetings. Our next meeting is a hybrid meeting on Saturday Jun 1, 2024 at 3:30 PT.

Our club meetings are the fourth Thursday of every month on Zoom from 6-7 pm PT and the first Saturday of the month is our Hybrid Meeting on Zoom and in person at Elegance at 2100 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, California from 3:30 PM to 6 PM PT.

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You are always welcome as our guest! We hope to see you soon!