What would love have you do?

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What would love have you do?

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Listened to a Tim Ferris podcast today with Jack Kornfield, an author and Buddhist monk.

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Towards the end of the conversation, he was talking through a love and kindness meditation (highly recommend it if you’ve never done it) and ended with this line:

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‘Sometimes in the morning, I ask myself ‘what would love have me do today?’

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That’s a bar.

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In your life, no matter the circumstance, think what would love have you do?

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When you’re yelling at your kids or stressed about that next deadline, what would love have you do?

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Would it have you get angry and anxious or be appreciative and grateful for the moment in front of you?

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We’re too negative.

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Always looking for the bad in any circumstance.

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Looking for what’s wrong instead of what’s right.

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Why?

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Why do we allow negativity to fill our minds?

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Is it our upbringing, the news, our environment, our phones or the media?

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Or are we blaming someone else for our own problems?

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Are we afraid to look at ourselves?

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Are we afraid to look at the darkest parts of our mind and understand them?

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The only way to do that is to let go.

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Let go of all your thoughts, whether good or bad.

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Choose to focus your attention on the good.

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When bad thoughts come up, watch them and let them go.

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Don’t let them eat you.

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Don’t let negativity win in your mind.

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It’s easier to be negative than positive.

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Negativity sells.

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There’s a reason positive news organizations don’t get the same clicks as negative ones.

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Society loves watching car crashes and train wrecks.

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Instead, we must re-train our brains.

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Train it to look at the good.

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Appreciate the good moments.

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Look for the positive in all circumstances.

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At first it will be hard, but you’ll slowly notice how much of a difference it makes to your life.

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Was on my way back from the Jays game today thinking about how late I was going to get home and how it was going to interrupt my sleep when I saw a man help out an old lady get on the subway and hold her groceries for her.

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It made me smile.

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It made me remember to focus on the good.

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His actions reminded me, when faced with any situation, ask ‘what would love have you do?’

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