With so much talk about war, poverty, and disasters of various sorts, you might sometimes feel there is nothing you can do to change world conditions. Yet there is! You can focus your attention on any subject with thoughts of Peace and Love.

Your thoughts create the conditions in your life. So, your job is to focus on the thoughts that create the conditions you desire to experience. Since 1990, I have sponsored a service project called "Targets for Peace and Love." This is a project in consciousness, with no meetings and no dues. The slogan for the project is "Peace is a Personal Choice." When participating in Targets for Peace and Love, it is important to check your intention, keeping it as high as possible. For example, you might say that your intention is "for the highest good of all concerned." While it may be tempting, it is not appropriate to participate with the intention of "fixing" something or someone. Your role is to identify the target and hold a space for peace and love to express.

During the month of August, the DailyAffirm Process explores the theme of Peace with five different types of affirmations and practice exercises. A new message is posted each day. The essence of the DailyAffirm Process is to proceed through the month with a series of different types of concepts, affirmations, and exercises to explore the theme. In order to fully embrace peace, it is helpful to acknowledge that the lack or opposite of peace also exists. The key is to differentiate and choose.

Here are the types of affirmations, with brief description of each, and examples of exercises to practice the ideas.

Releasing/Cleansing Affirmations for Peace (August 1-7). The purpose of Releasing and/or Cleansing Affirmations is to let go of unwanted and unneeded stuff. This week, these affirmations support you in clearing away non-peace and releasing resistance and contradictions to peace.

Identify a place that you believe is lacking peace. It may be in you or any place on the planet. Then look to yourself to identify any feelings you may have about this non-peace place. For example, do you feel resentment, anger, pity, regret, judgment, stress? Let yourself feel whatever you truly feel. Then release those feelings because they are the fuel of non-peace. Now, replace the non-peace feelings with more peaceful or loving feelings. In doing this exercise, if you feel only love, let your loving consciousness neutralize the non-peace thoughts and feelings of others.

Receiving/Accepting Affirmations for Peace (August 8-14). The purpose of Receiving and/or Accepting Affirmations is to open to allow something to be or to become. Open to receive and accept peace into your life.

The dove is a symbol of peace. What are the choices you need to make to be certain that the dove of peace finds harmony in your energy field? Are your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions peaceful? When they are not, be gentle with yourself and find peace wherever you can find it.

Being/Intending Affirmations for Peace (August 15-21). The purpose of Being and/or Intending Affirmations is to ground your purpose, especially your higher purpose. To be and to intend are different, yet interrelated. Peace opens you to more peace.

Take a moment to review your intention for peace. Perhaps you find it helpful to look at your over-arching intention for peace for this month. Perhaps you decide to look more closely at your intention for participating in the Targets for Love and Peace Project. Or perhaps you choose to examine more closely an intention you have set for a current situation in your life. To assure that peace is with you in your future, peace must be in your present.

Acting/Claiming Affirmations for Peace (August 22-28). The purpose of Acting and/or Claiming Affirmations is to bring something into manifestation or to direct the energy of your intention to a desired manifestation. Allow all your actions to be associated with peace. Then, move through the week energized by peaceful thoughts.

Identify at least two situations that are in need of peaceful energy: one in your own life and one someplace else in the world. In the Targets for Peace and Love Project, I call this a "Target." This may be a place that has experienced violence and is in need of loving energy. It may be a place that is recognizing a past sad event and therefore is in need of forgiveness or other release. Or it may be a place of illness, in need of healing energy. As you give this place your attention, give it your love.

Integrating/Embodying Affirmations for Peace (August 29-31). The purpose of Integrating and/or Embodying Affirmations is to allow the energy and meaning of the affirmations to merge with your consciousness. It is important to understand that it is a continuous process to allow peace to integrate into various aspects of your life. Do it, and then do it again and again and again.

Your breath is always with you, so breathing exercises can be done anytime, any place. Each time you breath in, breathe in love and peace; with each out breath, release fear and disharmony.

Consider how and where you can find peace in your life, right now.