I want to talk about LOVE. Love has many meanings depending on who you are talking to. However, when love is rightly understood and applied it creates an environment in your life that makes quantum leaps possible in every other area of your life.
Now, I must confess that for years I thought of love as merely an action or a feeling. Something you did to or for another, or a feeling that you felt because of what someone else did. While these definitions might loosely reflect truth they really serve to confuse us about the true nature of love.
Love is an environment. Love is something you put on, and truth be told it has more to do with you, then somebody else.
Love is best understood as a full bodied garment that one must put on and wear at all times. It is not simply an action but a way of being. Sadly, many who read this will have learned a version of love that is lived through a veil of judgment. Judging is actually the opposite of love and should have no place whatsoever in the life of one who practices love. When real love is practiced on all fronts of a person's life they love not only all people but every happening and thing in their life. They are filled with gratitude for everything that is their life at all times.
They don't fight the flow of God's design in the universe but become attentive to it's song and learn to dance to its rhythm. This then creates the right soil for hope to take root and faith to work its magic. Here is where the gardening analogy comes into play. Think of creating your life like tending to a garden. If the soil, the environment, is good then anything will grow; and it will grow with ease. When the soil is hard, full of weeds, and generally poor, then you can still grow things but your selection of what you can grow is limited and it takes a lot more work.
When you and I create an environment of love in all directions, then manifesting and attracting the life we want is much easier.
Love leads to actions but it isn't an action. Love gives way to feelings but it isn't a feeling. Love may be expressed in a commitment but it isn't a commitment.
Love must be worn! You must practice love for yourself, this means forgiving yourself, love for your past, love for the place you are in life, love for your dreams, love for your design, and love for all you meet.
Sure you could keep working hard to grow a beautiful life out of guilt, worry, control, judgment, anger, bitterness, and fear. AND maybe if you work hard enough and make the right choices you will actually bear the juicy fruit you desire.
BUT WHY? Why kill yourself when there is a better way? FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE and the greatest of these is love.
I'd like to share a simple 5 step process that will help you find clarity and achieve your goals as painlessly as possible.
STEP 1 Analyse where you are now. Ask yourself these 3 important questions: 1. What's great about your life or job, right now? You'll want to make sure these elements survive any transition. 2. What are your skills and strengths? Consider taking a psychometric instrument such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The MBTI highlights your natural strengths and provides useful insight into the sorts of roles and environments which would allow you to flourish. 3. What motivates you? Identify your top values by reflecting on what you most enjoy doing, and asking yourself why that activity is important to you. For example if you enjoy writing, why is that? Self expression, creativity, or communication are all possible values you might respond with.
STEP 2 Where do you want to be? Paint a vivid picture of what you would like to be doing and where you would like to be doing it. Make sure this vision of your new work and lifestyle gives you the opportunity to express your most important values. Find something that symbolizes this endpoint for you. Maybe a photo, or a quote, or a clipping from a magazine. Display it prominently! If part of the problem is that you don't have a clear idea of where you want to be, try to pin down what it is you don't want. This is usually a lot easier! List tasks, environments, types of people, situations and topics that drain, irritate or upset you. Then turn it round - what would the opposite look like? If you have too many potential avenues, prioritise. Which one would you most regret never exploring?
STEP 3 Bridge the gap Turn your vision into SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound)and break these down into smaller steps. Assign dates. If you don't know what all of the actions are, who do you need to talk to, or what desk research can you do, to find out? Put your plan somewhere you will see it every day.
STEP 4 Remove obstacles What's stopped you achieving goals in the past? How can you prevent a repetition. What potential new obstacles do you foresee. How can you avoid them? What additional resources do you need: time, money, people, information? What do you need to do to put these in place. Isolation is a common obstacle. Enlist the support of family and friends and keep them informed and interested in what you are doing.
STEP 5 Keep Going! Create some momentum - try to do something small towards your goal every day. Be philosophical: treat "failures" as part of the learning curve. Celebrate as you tick off each milestone Perseverance is key. Keep your sense of humour, and remember nothing worthwhile is ever easy!
Both Craig Miller & Sarah Cooper are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sarah Cooper has sinced written about articles on various topics from Your Online Business, Web Development and self improvement and motivation. Sarah Cooper is a and personal coach who specialises in working with people who want to put their passions at the heart of what they do. Before qualifying as. Sarah Cooper's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.