"THE LOVE YOU GIVE IS THE LOVE YOU RECEIVE"

“Love has made me laugh and made me cry; it has made me sing and made me scream. While one shade of love broke my heart another shade of love restored it. Love, in all its shades…”

While scientists debate how much of the human brain we use to think, it leads one to wonder how much of the human heart we use to LOVE. And why the need to love and be loved? Can we love more than we do? Are we all born with the same capacity to love? When pertaining to love, the questions are endless.

Love fuels passion, hope and desire. It generates creativity giving us purpose and making us feel alive. When we think of love, we primarily think of romantic love yet love comes in various shades, all unique, all part of fulfilling us with whole enriched lives. However, like the even exchange of the breath, the love we give is the love we receive.


Tips on Loving and Being Loved:

• LOVE BEGINS WITH YOU: Your inner voice is where your story of love begins: It is hard to feel worthy of love if someone is criticizing you all the time and especially if that someone is talking in your head. Stop self-loathing; it’s a waste of time. Stop comparing yourself to others and feeling like a victim. Dare to be proud of yourself, look for your strengths, watch for the negative talk and stop it.

• GRATITUDE REFLECTION:   Like any muscle, the heart get stronger with exercise. Gratitude reflection is a great exercise for opening the heart. Take two minutes each morning when you open your eyes and two minutes each night right before you close them to give thanks. Just go through the list of all the things you are grateful for—beginning with your ability to feel gratitude for the job that gets you out of bed each morning.

• DECLARE LOVE:  Give passion to everything in your life. Love your walks, your gardening, your age, the family you created, the weather patterns where you live. Grab onto it all as if you might lose it. See through a child’s eyes. Be thrilled and excited about life. Find miracles everywhere. Use the word love more often when describing aspects of your life.

• LITTLE IS BIG: A big heart is full of endless possibilities to show love in little ways.  Engage in small acts of kindness that cost little money, if any, and take little time. It is amazing how effective small acts of kindness are and how long they are remembered. Open doors, smile, call a friend that is hurting, put a card in the mail, pick up an extra coffee, make “just because” gestures part of your daily life. Don’t think it, do it! And yes, we all have more time for this than we know.

• LOVE LIKE THE OCEAN: You have the ability to love like the seven seas reaching around the world and back. And like the ocean putting passion into each and every wave, all your love matters and makes a difference. We are all capable of grand love.

• THINK HAMMER INSTEAD OF NAIL: At some time in our lives we will all experience pain and hardships. These experiences hurt and lead us to build walls around us to protect us from others. Yet, pain and hardship are great tools for opening the heart. You must have courage and strength and allow your hardships to open the flow of love in your life.

• UNDERSTAND MOTHER NATURE: Mother Nature bestowed us with romantic love so we can reproduce, maternal/paternal love so we can care for the next generation and friendship so we can connect and protect one another. However, in addition to the bonding gift of emotional love, Mother Nature intended love to serve us in many ways. One way is by easing anxiety. The next time you find yourself in a situation with a coworker, stuck in traffic or angry at a stranger, stay in the love. Witness how calmly your body reacts and how much more you can handle in your life.

• CUT OTHERS A BREAK: Most people are coming from a place of exhaustion and/or feeling unappreciated. People are overwhelmed and lonely, andEmotions 101 is not taught in any school. Regardless of how easy someone’s life may appear, they have their personal hardships. Simply cut them a break.

• REMOVE THE DEBRIS: Think of a river heading home to the sea. As she voyages forward her journey is hampered if debris gets in her way and clogs her up. Anger, resentment, fear, judgment and blame are debris hampering the flow of love in your life. Self reflect, take responsibility and open your heart to love. You can find tools to release the debris by reading books, watching lectures, praying, forgiving others.

• LET GO: Many people rarely if ever hear the words, I love you. It can be scary and awkward, but the more you say it the easier it gets. Just say: I love you to your mother, father, sister, brother, friend, anyone you love. End conversations with I love you. Just see how good it feels and how well it is accepted. Witness the love being returned to you. And remember to say,