contemplate purpose

Do not weigh pain and misery, contemplate love, contemplate friendship;

Do not mull over tyranny and neglect; think of all those who have their eyes fixed on you.
Surname all grief "grace"; transmute pain and anguish into joy,
And ask from joy all happiness, all security, all peace.
Demand that security, that peace, demand them,
Choose the company of those withdrawn in love.
Listen to those who open a path to you: listen, and don't say a word.

~Rumi

Good Monday Morning Friends.  Please enjoy a lil dose of inspiration from Rumi.

This passage reminds of the yoga sutra (I'm blanking on the actual number) that encourages us not to dwell on the negative, but to cultivate the opposite quality.

I would add that it's important to look at this with some more perspective.  I'm not certain that it's healthy to immediately and automatically shift from the negative to the positive.  I am a believer that those negative, dark spaces offer us valuable opportunity for insight, change, and growth.

When we think the

same stories

same fears

same beliefs

over and over and over....

this doesn't facilitate positive patterns.

For me the work is briefly (five minutes max) making friends with my fears. 

Then giving them a swift kick in the ass and sending them on their way.

Choosing to cultivate happiness and peace in the ways that work for me.

That always comes back to my values, how I want to show up in the world, and the vision I have for my life.