7 Rumi Quotes to Live a More Fulfilled Life.
Rumi is a 13th-century Persian poet whose work is timeless. I wouldn't consider myself a connoisseur of poetry, but his work has profoundly impacted me and offered a grounding perspective on living a more fulfilled life.
Here are some of my favourite quotes, and I hope they provide some soul food for you and a different perspective on what a fulfilled life means:
"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray."
If you asked me the question, 'how do I find my passion?', this is the answer I would give you. Your passion is not something to be discovered but the energy that ignites within you when you're doing what you love.
Some questions you can ask yourself as a reminder of what you already know:
· If you walked into a bookshop, where would you naturally gravitate?
· What do you love to learn about?
· What would you do for free?
· Who inspires you?
· When does time disappear for you?
When you follow the breadcrumbs of your curiosity, you will always find your muse, even if it's not how you expect it to be.
The critical step is to allow yourself to be drawn by what you want to do, not what you think you should do.
"Live life as though everything is rigged in your favour".
This quote is the mantra I step into every day with – to expect the best. Rather than anticipate the worst-case scenario and bring it into the present and start living it, I choose to believe that the universe has my back.
When life doesn't go according to plan, I figure that's in my favour too. Rather than view life as happening to me, I know it is happening for me and trust that my most significant setback will provide my next level of growth.
Worrying is practising the worst-case scenario and bringing it into the present moment. How would your life shift if you adopted this mindset? What if you rehearsed success and lived every day with contentment because it's all rigged in your favour anyway?
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it".
This is a big concept - it's not about finding love but starting with yourself and asking the tough questions about why you may not let it in.
Often we adopt beliefs early on in life that people can't be trusted or will always hurt us. Are you holding onto an old belief or still holding onto hurt from a previous relationship?
If you've built a solid steel wall around you, perhaps consider making it out of prefab or play dough, so it's malleable enough for you to let someone in slowly.
Rather than fear what you will lose if you open your heart again, focus on what you can gain.
"The wound is the place where the light enters you".
We often see our past mistakes and setbacks as negative. What if you adopt the view of making your mess your message? Embrace being a wounded teacher - your experience has given you the insights to share and help others fast-track your mistakes.
The wound is your most outstanding teacher - thank it and take the lessons it gave you, no matter how painful it may have been. Without this experience, you wouldn't be who you are today.
"Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."
Ultimately the only thing within your control is your inner world which includes your thoughts, beliefs, state, emotions and where you place your focus. You can't change other people, but you can always take action one micro win at a time to change yourself.
Rather than trying to create fulfilment by changing your external world, focus on what you can do to shift your inner world.
What if you could see your life as choice management? If you don't like your body, you can change it. If you don't like your work, you can change your attitude towards it or change what you're doing.
The secret to fulfilment is progress and creating momentum toward your goals.
Trying to change others will only frustrate you and the other person!
"I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think."
This is the ultimate definition of freedom and fulfilment. The ability to do your work with love and enjoyment and not worry about being judged or not being perfect.
True freedom is not relying on external approval or validation to know your self-worth and that you're enough.
How can you sing like that bird and be completely free? Honour your past wins, celebrate your successes and walk into every situation feeling enough without it being conditional on the outcome. Happiness is a choice; choose it today. For no reason, just because you can.
"Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk."
Gratitude is a superpower because it shifts your focus from lack to recognising and appreciating the resources available to you.
According to Harvard Health, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness in positive psychology research. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Remember, you cannot be angry and grateful simultaneously, so when you face a challenge or uncertainty, ground with gratitude.
One more for luck.
"When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety; if I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without pain. From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me. There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it."
I often find myself walking the tightrope between visualising what I want and moving into flow and then getting frustrated when it doesn't arrive on my timing plan and how I expect it to.
This poem reminds me to enjoy the present moment.
To focus on the fantastic work I am doing, not the clients I haven't booked yet or the opportunities I am still waiting for. I can choose to try and force life to go according to my plan or tell myself, 'it's on its way,' and relax into my days and enjoy what's in front of me.
When I let go of the illusion that I control life, I can walk the path of a more fulfilled life.
Warm wishes,
Lori