Testimony One | zencowboy

Rhonda Mamola

60 years old- Controller, Office Manager

I work in a Medium Size Business with 100 employees, including 3 owners, and 12 managers. The size is based on statistics, but due to our type of industry, where a company the same “size” produces 100 manufactured orders to produce the same income volume, our industry averages 800 – 1000 orders per month to achieve the same income. I have always found the label Medium size a misnomer.

I share this with you as it reflects the very, very stressful work environment I am in. A day does not go by without some type of incident little or large. Whether a machine has broken, managers are temperamental, the owners are stressed, employee have problems, someone didn’t show up for work, or the delivery of material didn't show up.

Before meeting Alaric and learning the Living Peace philosophy, I used to have some very bad habits:

I always brought work home. My sweet husband would listen to me beret my job and everyone involved for a minimum of an hour, 4-5 days a week.
I drank or made other poor choices, to cope with the stress
I had terrible anger issues
Critically high blood pressure

In 2017, it came to a very vulgar head when I actually went nose to nose with another manager. He had been under my skin for some time. As my EGO judged him, his work ethics, his knowledge, and I was judging everything about him. That was my “breaking point”. I knew I needed to change something, I needed to change. Let me repeat that I NEEDED TO CHANGE!!!!

I was introduced to Alaric and his book, Living Peace, by attending Sunday classes. I dove right in and read the book in a week. Then as I was laughing out loud, I realized this was not a book you read in a week! I thought to myself, "This is a book you constantly refer back to, breathe in, and flow out."

After several weeks of attending classes, re-reading the book, and practicing the philosophy, I began noticing changes at work. The stress was still in existence, yet I was no longer part of it. I was now an observer. I did not find the need to let my EGO correct everyone and what they were doing, I only offered my opinion when it was asked. I found I was in a peaceful state of mind, I was in the present moment and performing my own task calmly and efficiently. The problems I had with the other manager no longer existed.

Living Peace Tenet Two: Mastery of Impulse. This tenet encourages us to develop greater self-discipline and cultivate willpower so that we may be in better control of our impulses, which then allows us to more consciously choose how we interact with life.

After a few months of teaching, I went into the office of the owners and apologized for the chaos I had brought into the business, I realized my anger issues, and issues with the other manager had caused disruption and disorder.

I no longer have issues at work, I don’t bring work home, my blood pressure is the best it has ever been. That other manager and I speak respectfully to each other, and work together from time to time to resolve problems.

I have let go of my EGO, and come from a place of peace, joy and love. My children now say I am the "Kum-bay-as" of everything. And what a wonderful place that is!

I don’t have to control everyone else, I don’t have to think for everyone else, or make everyone’s decisions for them.

Living Peace Tenet Eight: Release the Knowing. We are here to marvel in the diversity of life, creating our reality to fit our highest desires while giving others the same freedom. Once we understand and accept that we do not know what is best for anyone else, we can move on to releasing other forms of attachment that “knowing” manifests as.

My daughter who has attended several of the classes works in a very stressful job at a level 1 hospital. She has said numerous times “I wish Alaric would come to the hospital, and teach my co-workers the Living Peace Philosophy—it would make this department run so smoothly!"

Sensei Alaric Hutchinson and the teachings of Living Peace should be used at corporate retreats. I smile as I say that because in our society today, imagine if workers in the corporate world knew how to live peacefully within themselves, and bring calm to a chaotic situation.

Imagine how impactful these teaching would be in the work place, helping people and their careers become more successful by just Living Peace.

April 2018