Repost: Sprinkle some love on it

This is one of my favorite posts from last year and in honor of February, and Valentines day, I am re-posting.  I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.  And, this month, in all your interactions, sprinkle a little more love on it and see what magic we can create!

 It is one of my favorite times of year, Valentine's Day!  And, I love Valentine's Day, partly because I am a romantic -   I adore flowers and cards,  going out to dinner.  But I relish in the idea that there is a holiday created specifically to celebrate love.  And, not just romantic love, but human love.  Remember when we were kids and we brought in Valentine's for each of the kids in the class?  It was so uplifting to walk away with 20 little cards, some with stickers, some with candy, but all with a cute, sweet, loving message about how great we are, even if some card company came up with that message; it was fulfilling to read it all the same.

This Valentine's Day (aka Month), I invite and encourage you to be the source of love in your life.  I am not sure if you have noticed this in your daily interactions, but people are in dire need of being loved.  And, providing that love is as simple as validating who they are, appreciating something they did or simply giving someone a hug.  The other day, I was at a hotel restaurant.  The women serving us, Brenda, was not very friendly.  I just smiled and was polite to her.  Finally, when everyone had cleared out and it was just  the two of us, I took her my plate to save her a trip to my table.  As I handed her my plate, she mentioned how tired she was and how, after working a full shift, she had to go home and cook for her son, who was hosting a Super Bowl party at her house.  I just stood there and listened to her.  I showed interest asking her what she would cook, and remarked how lucky he was to have her as a mom.  She smiled and started telling me about her famous chili recipe. This interaction took about three minutes.  It does not have to be difficult or time consuming to sprinkle a little love on people.  And, opportunities to do so exist everywhere!

There is so much conflict, fighting, tension, traffic, anxiety and fear out there!  And, not enough smiles, 'how are yous?', 'it's oks', and 'nice to see yous'.  The world is in deep need of these right now.  Now, more than ever.  We are in a time where we are fixated on someone being right and someone being wrong, good and bad, and there is little acknowledgement of the real truth - we are all in this together.  We are one human family and whatever happens to a part of our family impacts every single one of us.  So, instead of being the one to talk about what is wrong (and, yes, I understand there is quite a lot to say about) talk about what is right.  And, if you don't feel ready to take on the whole world, then take on your office mates, your family, the checkout person where you shop, or the driver in the car next to you.  Let someone merge during traffic, even though they drove all the way to the end to cut in... I know, they don't seem like they deserve love, but the truth is all of us have moments where we don't seem like we deserve love, and that is when we need the love the most.

This month, I encourage you to get past the flowers, candy, and cards and go deeper into true, unconditional love.  Make a list of the three to five most important people in your life and ask yourself have I loved them to the best of my ability?  Have I been present to them when they wanted my time or attention?  Have I told them how much they mean to me?  Have I helped them with something they deem important (versus something you think they "should" deem important)?  Have I given them a hug or a kiss lately?  And, have I given them a gift (handmade or store bought) specifically to bring a smile to their face?  These are the five ways most people experience love.  This month, I invite you to do all five of these things for the three to five people in your life you care about the most.  If you want to learn more about how people experience love, check out the 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman, guaranteed to change your life and the life of those you care about most!  http://www.5lovelanguages.com/

There is a common spiritual belief that as you give, so shall you receive.  And, I have found this to be true in all areas of my life.  Whatever I tend to give the most of, is what I tend to have the most of.  When I coach people on manifesting money, the first lesson is always to give money away, it always comes back to you... multiplied.  The same is true for love.  Give it away for free.  It is not your job to determine who is deserving of your love.  That is a waste of time and energy.  Your job is to freely give love.  Remember, sometimes the person who seems to be least deserving of your love is the one who needs it the most.  This month, stretch yourself.  See if you can freely give love to one person, who you believe does not deserve it.  I guarantee the impact on your life will be monumental.  Because, someone may be withholding love from you too, and the only way to open the door to this withheld love is by opening the door to the love you are withholding from others.  This month, in as many situations as you possibly can, sprinkle some love on it.  And, as you do, you will experience love returned to you in ways you could never anticipate and in quantities you could not imagine.  It is always important to love yourself first.  If you do not, then there is no excess love to give to others.  But, even if at this moment you are not feeling like you have any love to give, I promise, if you rally and follow the steps below, the person who will benefit the most is you!  When you give love out, it exponentially boomerangs back to you.

Are you ready to sprinkle some love on it?
1.  Make a list of three to five people who are the most important to you.  Ask yourself, have I loved them to the best of my ability?  Then, select one person who you may feel is not deserving of your love or kindness. 
2.  Do the following five actions for all of them in the next month:
 - Be present and attentive to them in your next interaction
 - Tell them (using words, cards, email, text) how much they mean to you and one thing that you like, love, admire or appreciate about them
 - Offer to help do something for them that would make life easier for them (ask what this is and do what they ask, not what you think they need)
 - Give them a hug or a kiss
 - Give them a hand-made or store-bought gift (this could accompany the words/card idea above)
3.  In each interaction you have with another, see if there is anything you can do to sprinkle some love on it.  For example, smile at them, look them in the eyes and thank them for their help, compliment them, look at them and tell them to have a nice day, and if none of those work (such as with drivers on the highway) just wish them well (in your heart) as you drive past.

I am sending all of you a heart full of love this month and always.  May the love you give return to you multiplied!  Now, go out there and sprinkle some love on it!

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