Finding Peace in Business - Letting Go of the Chase and the Illusion of Control

The Search That Never Ends

Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “When I sign more clients, hit my targets, or finally get on top of everything, then I’ll feel at peace”?

Many business owners know that feeling. The hope that when a goal is reached or a milestone is ticked off, peace and contentment will follow. I lived that story for years in my career and in my business.

When I got to the top of the career ladder there was nothing there.

No fulfilment, no sense of being enough. Just emptiness.

From that place I kept searching, whether in relationships, hobbies, or later in business. If I could just get enough clients, finish my to-do list, or reach a new target, then I would finally feel okay. Yet the cycle never ended.

From a 3 Principles perspective, this makes perfect sense. The feeling we are searching for is never out there. It has always been in here, within us, beneath the noise of thought.

Why Peace Cannot Be Found in Milestones

Goals are not the problem. The challenge comes when we tie our peace of mind to achieving them. Each time we reach a new level, the relief is fleeting. Soon the mind is back to chasing the next thing.

You may have noticed this yourself. That temporary lift when you reach a goal, followed quickly by the next wave of striving. It is exhausting. It is also an illusion, what my colleague Clare Diamond calls an “unachievable want.”

When we say, “When I have this, then I will feel better,” we set ourselves up for struggle. On the way to the goal, we face resistance, fear, and self-doubt. The inner critic pipes up, and the journey feels heavy. Then once we arrive, the promised peace slips through our fingers.

What we can see when we consider this via the 3 Principles is that all our feelings are created by thought in the moment, not by business results.

The Illusion of Control

Another way this plays out is through control. Many high achievers, myself included, grip tightly to outcomes in business and in life. We believe that if we can control enough, we will finally feel secure.

In truth, all that controlling only creates more noise in the mind. More lists, more pressure, more exhaustion. The peace we long for never arrives.

Clarity and calm emerge naturally when we loosen our grip. When we stop trying to micromanage the future and return to presence. From a 3 Principles perspective, this is where our wellbeing is always found. Not in perfecting outcomes, but in recognising that our state of mind is created within, moment to moment.

If you would like to explore this more deeply, I have created an Insight Timer course called End The Search For Peace And Connect To It Now. It is a gentle invitation to stop striving, pause, and reconnect with the peace that has always been within you.

Emotions as Guidance

One of the most freeing insights for me has been seeing feelings not as problems to solve, but as guidance.

When you feel tense, anxious, or heavy in your body, it is not proof that something outside you is wrong. It is simply a signal that your mind is caught up in unhelpful thought. That is all.

This simple understanding can change how you navigate your business. Rather than battling feelings or trying to fix them, you can let them inform you. You can pause, breathe, and reconnect with presence. From there, the next step often becomes clear.

Beginning From a Good Feeling

So how do we stop the chase for peace and release the illusion of control? By beginning from the good feeling that is already here.

Start with presence. Feel your feet on the floor. Take a breath. Notice what is already within you, before thought creates its stories.

From that place, decisions become lighter. Growth feels easier. Resistance softens. This is what I mean by a well run good feeling business.

Peace is not a destination. It is not hidden in your next achievement or waiting at the end of your to-do list. It is never created by success. Peace is always within you, never more than a breath away.

Next Steps

If you would like to explore what it means to create a well run, good feeling business, I invite you to book a clarity call with me. Together we can look at what this approach might mean for you and your business.