Are You In Love With Your Life?

What do we mean when we say we are in Love? How is the love for my child different than my love for a partner or even my love for chocolate? If love is so good then why does it have so much pain? Ever ask yourself these kinds of questions about Love? Well I have and probably have hundreds more like them.
What I have discovered is that real Love is more a decision than an emotion. It is fun and easy to get caught up in the good feelings of romance and passion though mature Love is deciding that another person is valuable and worthy of our time, energy and resources. When we do things for others out of a place of Love and not responsibility and obligation it becomes a joy, easy and effortless and it is always worth the giving whether we get something in return immediately or not. The problem often arises when we give more from the "feel good" emotions of passion and romance and not get much in return. This is where the pain or hurt comes from because we are giving from the wrong place and reasons and expecting the love to be returned.
Loving your partner is a daily decision to be lived through your actions, words and deeds. It is not enough to show up on Valentine's Day with roses and hope that you make it until next year. Mature Love must be shown through the way you live your life, by opening your heart to someone and letting them share your life regardless of the amount of fear or uncertainty. It is only through this act of vulnerability does real Love succeed, prosper and grow. Showing another the Love, respect and care you have for them by being open, vulnerable and giving is a wonderful way to live life, one day at a time, and brings enormous gifts in return.
A loving relationship is not 50/50 it is 100% by both partners or it is more care taking and not caring about. Caring about another does not mean that you place your interests last because that never works for any one. It takes loving yourself first to truly be in Love with another and caring for your own needs at that place. To find Love with yourself you must be willing to receive true Love from your Higher Power, from God. It is only in this space of unconditional Love that real Love for our selves, our lives and others can occur. It is through the Divine energy of the Universe, The God Source, that we can first experience the type Love that each of us desires. When we allow our selves to receive that Love fully, then we learn to Love ourselves with the same amount of consideration and finally we are able to Love others with out fear that something will be taken away or that we will be hurt or left. True unconditional Love can never be lost, destroyed or taken away because Love is God and God is eternal. The Love you make a decision to give will never be given away needlessly, it always will be returned to you in abundance, maybe not with the one you gave your Love to, but it will always be returned to you multiplied.
The best way to Love yourself and to Love others is by the life you live. Living a life of joy and expressing your best self through your relationships, through the business your in and in your daily interactions with the world is the gift of living a Loving life. Life takes on many rewards and blessings when we allow God's Love to flow through us, to heal our hurts, to open our heart to others and to live life in the present moment of joy. It is not possible to Love another any more than we Love our selves and it is not possible to allow some one to Love us any more than we Love our selves, so the best that we can do for our life and for others is to fall in Love with our selves first by letting go of the pains of the past, trusting the unconditional Love of God and take care of our selves from that space and then being our best in all of our relationships.
If you find your self alone when you would rather be with another or if you find your self in a place in life where Love is missing the best you can do is fall in Love with you! Love attracts Love. The more Love you are willing to be open to and the more Love you are willing to share with others, the more Love you will receive for your self. Love is not selfish nor is it selfless; Love is God in action and acting through you on your behalf. Make the decision to allow the Love of God to reflect in your business, play and relationships by enjoying who you are and what you do. When you find that the work you do or the relationship you're a part of does not feel like Love then make a decision to allow God in, to find your real joy, allow others to find theirs and watch Love grow or more importantly watch You grow in LOVE!
copy right 2008 Sherri Hughes