Since the dawn of time, humanity has been looking for love. Ancient cave paintings hint at the importance of love in the earliest of societies. Throughout history, as far back as the ancient philosophers of Rome and Greece, writers have been writing about love. For centuries, scientists have been trying to distill the essence of love and merchants have been trying to package and profit from this marvelous thing we call ‘love’.
What is love anyway? A word of many meanings, expressed in many ways. Is it cards, candy, and roses? Acceptance, safety and security? Physical, mental, emotional? Actually, all of the above. Plus, love also includes laughter, joy, faith, forgiveness, gratitude and much, much more.
Laughter can bring out the best that love has to offer us. Laughter and love have been shown to be invigorating, rejuvenating and will spread joy and positive energies all around you. Laughter, like love, is totally free, easily shared and brings great joy to many. Laughter is a marvelous way to share the wonders of life with those that you love. Have you shared a laugh with a loved one today?
Joy and happiness are marvelous components of love. We all want love, happiness and joy in our lives. Life is choices and the truth is that regardless of the external physical circumstances, you can choose to feel joy and share love, and happiness, with those around you.
Drs. Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks teach us: “At every moment in life and love, we always have a choice: to embrace that moment and the learning opportunities it is presenting, or to reject the moment and its learning opportunities. If you want to make the most of every moment, approach with a willingness to learn from even the most bewildering experiences.”
How do you do that when faced with a challenging situation? You can choose to focus on positive aspects and choose to feel joy. Giving gratitude, counting your blessings and helping other people are excellent ways to bring love and joy into your life. Today is a good day to give the gifts of gratitude, love, peace and joy!
Faith and love are present in every aspect of life. In the Bible, the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 1 through 6, teaches that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Living faith is belief combined with action. Faith combined with love, followed by action will bring even more love, joy and happiness into your everyday life.
Faith, like love, has many marvelous qualities. They both have the power to energize your day and send your spirits soaring. When you are out of alignment, fear and discord can take hold, sometimes before you even realize it. When you have faith enough to relax and let go of your fears, you open the door to allow even more love to come into your life.
Forgiveness is a vital quality of love. Dr. Robert Muller, who spent over forty years at the United Nations focusing his energies on world peace, teaches: “To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” Forgiveness can be applied to old friends, new friends, living or dead, and can be adapted to almost any situation to bring more gratitude, love, peace and joy into your world.
In his book, Love is the Answer, Dr. Gerald Jampolsky teaches us that we do not have to be in complete agreement with someone to love them. He gives an example of a woman that had an unhealthy relationship with a colleague she worked with. No matter how hard she tried, her co-worker remained negative and ‘just plain nasty’ to her. Things were going from bad to worse when she realized there was a better way.
She chose to feel peaceful, loving and forgiving towards him, no matter what the external situation was. She set a goal to only send positive, loving energies his way. She visualized sending ‘little love hearts’ with a white light surrounding him, silently thinking, “I forgive you. I forgive myself. I love you. I love myself. I release you, and I release myself.”
Almost immediately, she was surprised to find she had more peace and love in her life. She realized it was her thoughts about the other person, not the person himself, that caused her pain. And when she chose to do something about her own thoughts, she began to feel better.
You see, when you change your thoughts, you change your reality. Og Mandino said: “Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”
Gratitude, like happiness, is another significant aspect of sharing love. When asked about her success, Oprah Winfrey tells how her mentor had her begin writing something she was grateful for every night before she went to bed. At first Oprah was very resistant to start doing this, but later she reluctantly agreed to begin this daily practice.
A few years later, Oprah looked back and realized giving gratitude actually was the beginning of her meteoric rise to success. You can do this too – it’s very powerful. Why not start right now? What is one thing you are grateful for?
Today is a brand new day. Be happy. Be abundant with your love, laughter, faith and joy. Forgive freely. Share gratitude, praise and positive energies everywhere you go. Think of all the marvelous and wonderful love and kindness that you, your family and your friends have to share.
It is a good day to remind yourself to count your blessings, giving gratitude for the things you love. Look forward to building a successful life – filled with even more laughter, love and happy days to come!
About the Author:
John Carpenter Dealey is dedicated to helping people solve problems, recognize (and take full advantage of) marvelous opportunities available to them and helping people reach their dreams and goals with “ease and grace.” Visit his website at: http://dr-mastermind.com/home.php
John enthusiastically started his first business at age nine, joined his first MasterMind group in 1972, and became a “self-made millionaire” by the age of 27. If you would like to learn how to apply these powerful principles in your own life, sign up for a free subscription to MasterMind Tips ezine at: www.dr-mastermind.com/
