Spring is Almost Here – Love is in the Air
- Are you ready for love?
- Can you feel it?
- Are you giving your love freely and openly?
- Do you live in a loving world?
OR
- Is something in your life upsetting you?
- Does someone else stop your love?
- Do negative people block your love?
- Are you feeling unlovable because you lack…?
What Is This Thing Called Love?
Men and women have pined for love, written about love, created books and movies about love, and so many of our songs are all about the ups and downs and emotional anguish of unrequited love. “What is this Thing Called Love” was a popular song written by Cole Porter for the musical Wake Up and Dream, performed by Elsie Carlisle in March 1929, almost 90 years ago. Men and women have been seeking love and it remains a mystery to most of us today.
As far as I am concerned, LOVE is the most important “thing” we can aspire to and attain in life. If we create truly loving relationships with the people we know and at the same time feel love and compassion for all humanity and all living beings, what could possibly be more fulfilling than that?
Brendon Burchard, leading online teacher and marketer and New York Times bestselling author of The Charge, The Millionaire Messenger and Life’s Golden Ticket, talks about his near death experience as a teenager. He recalls thinking about 3 things when he says: “At the end of our lives we will ask: Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?”
but what stands out most for me is when he asked “How have I loved?”
How Have You Loved?
How would you describe yourself if someone asked you, “Are you a loving person”? Would your immediate response be “Yes, I care about people, I treat them kindly and with Irespect, and people feel good being around me.” If you asked 10 people in your life to describe you, would they corroborate your self-description? Would they automatically say
“Yes, what a loving, caring, respectful and empathic person”?
Or would some friends, perhaps, say that while others would share some personal hurts and upsets resulting from your words or attitudes or behaviors? Would your colleagues at work describe you as loving or difficult? Would your family describe you as caring or distant? And would your most intimate partner smile with delight at all the love you contribute to his or her life?
Get Ready for Love
What Brendon Burchard realized at that turning point in his life is that it’s not too late. We can make a firm decision to love, right here, right now. We do not have to wait until our final moments to say “I love you” to the one or two people who have remained in our life. Right now, today, we can begin expressing our love. But there is a catch. We have to actually FEEL that love. And many of us have been so blocked and suppressed for so many years that we cannot easily access that love. We may feel it superficially, online with our distant friends with whom we do not have daily, moment to moment, interactions. We may feel it toward our friends who listen to our problems when we connect on the phone or meet in person from time to time.
Love is a skill, a developed skill. Love is a habit, an ongoing habit. Love is a decision, a commitment, and a goal. Love is a process, a learning and growing and expanding experience. Love is so simple but often not easy to feel or to express.
Are YOU Ready for Love?
GET READY FOR THE LOVE LESSONS
COMING SOON
In the meantime….
Warmly,
Dr. Erica Goodstone
Latest posts by Dr. Erica Goodstone (see all)
- Aging Beautifully - October 6, 2024
- How Are You Feeling? - August 12, 2023
-
Love Vs Hate How Much Love Can We Share To Eliminate Hate? - July 23, 2022
HI, Love has so many meanings, it can hurt us, it can make us cry, it can be an inspiration, it can cause us so much pain but in the end, i still believe that love is what makes the world happy… Thanks for sharing. Great Read
Sherill,
I agree. Love does make us happy and helps us to feel more secure in this uncertain world.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Talk Sweet Love comes Automatically.
Good advice, Dr. Erica!
Love is an action verb, and often involves a sacrifice as we purpose to do things for those we love, even when it’s the last thing we feel like doing.
I am so blessed to be married to a man who, I think, is one of the nicest, most generous, least selfish people I know. Before we were married 33 years ago, his father warned me to be careful not to take advantage of him, because he will do just about anything for someone he loves. This has proven to be so true! I can learn from him, but I’m not always a good student.
Willena,
How fortunate for you to have had the wisdom to choose such a caring and wonderful life partner. Your whole family is lucky too. So many couples struggle because one person is unwilling to share and give freely, always expecting to receive something in return for personal effort. Many people feel entitled to receive what they believe they want without thinking that their partner may be just as entitled. The first key to a successful relationship is the capacity to give, to want to give, as your said – “even when it’s the last thing we feel like doing.” We need to think of long term goals and how our partner will feel, rather than what feels good for us in the given moment.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hello Dr. Erica, Wooo Hooo Love is in the air. Oh so love that saying! Love is meant to be shared in oh so many ways.
What a wonderful Post, one more people need to read about. Thank you so much for sharing…
Chery :))
Thanks Chery,
Spring is the season of love – plants come out in all their glory, people come out of their homes after a long winter and bask in the sun. Love is around us all the time but we feel it more when the sun is shining and the flowers bloom.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
I feel that love is what makes the world go round. This is a very aspiring post! Love is the good and the bad, the thick and thin!
Kyle,
I am excited about the new 30 Day Love Challenge because maintaining a state and awareness of love, every day, every moment of every day, is a definite challenge and not easy to accomplish. We have so many stresses in life and so many things that do not go exactly the way we want. Love and a loving attitude can improve any situation and the opposite is also true.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Hi Erica,
I do believe the world “Love” can be used loosely unless one probes deep inside. Love is something we live by.
I love to live love. To me it is the main reason why we do exist on this planet. It has to come from the heart and one must be able to give without expectations. That’s when you know you are walking it.
Yes, I do believe it is a skill because one needs to rid things that may “block them” and also have the ability to be empathetic. Sometimes it takes many skills, depending on the person to lead a loving life.
I cannot speak for myself, but people always say that “Donna is a loving caring person” and sometimes I am taken aback because I don’t realize it.
Make sense?
-Donna
Donna,
You are loving and caring in so many ways, naturally. When we do something naturally, without effort, we don’t realize that so many other people do not do this naturally.
For example, you take the time to reach out to others, to comment on their posts, to say more than a few words and to really show your appreciation. You learn something and you freely share it and teach it to others. You are dependable. When you do something, you do it wholeheartedly. And you share what is true for you so openly. I guess you can tell that I really like, admire and respect you. And of course, I see that you are a loving person because you appear to love life.
Many people join a group and expect others to come to their Facebook or LinkedIn page, to comment on their wonderful stuff without feeling a need to reciprocate. Or if they do, it is a quick “like” or just a few words.
So I am preparing my 30 Day Love Challenge to help those of us who may not so easily love or may currently feel blocked by others in their life.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
My life is based on love!
I found Dr. Erica me giving love to each person who passess and enteres my life. That is unconditional love. Was a challenge most times, until I found the truth about loving myself and reflect it on others.
Not waiting to celebrate their lives, after they have passed. Yet, doing each day when they come to mind. Express myself daily with gratitude is sharing real love from the heart.
My relationships are more solid and transparent. Based on being me 100% and understand that sometimes. Love will hurt because it is mixed with so many emotional up and downs. You do not hold back truth based on love. That may hurt for awhile. Yet, it is needed.
Thank you Dr. Erica for sharing your love for others each day. You are one person, I would not hesitate to seek when needed.
William,
You understand what love is and what it does for you and for others. So many people do not. They think small, “Me, me, me” and they do fine when they receive what they expect. But when they don’t, they can be hell on earth to deal with. And they often only want love from those them deem worthy, dismissing others unfairly. Once we comprehend the power of love, we learn to love and appreciate every living being, including our self. Then we are able to share our love freely and allow it to grow.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Dr. Erica,
I agree to love oneself is an area we must realize. Before we can love anyone else.
My compelling emotions. Led me to return for adding my realization of loving our self.
Thank you.
William,
I continue to realize just how important self-love is and how pervasive the lack of self-love is in our society nowadays. We watch the media and compare ourselves to these created images. We do not even know the real people, yet we often feel inferior.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Very inspirational post when it comes to love. I believe love is of the heart and flows from within. And as you say it is a skill that has to be learned and practiced and every one is capable of loving. Thanks for sharing .
Siphosith,
Love is what we all long for but somehow distort and often actually push away from us. We CAN learn to love and it is so completely freeing and wonderful.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica