If everyone were living their lives in love, no one would be living in lack because a life of love is a life of sharing, caring, taking care of others, and leading a life heart first. A life of love is one that is full of service to others, genuine service, not one for show or for the press, but the real-life of love. It is one who treats everyone as someone worth loving, as if no one is a stranger. It is a person who you can feel the love and joy in their presence before they ever speak. It is a person that everyone is drawn to because they lift everyone up that they meet.
This person serves the world in their own overflow; they never have an empty cup because they know that love is a flow; it is a never-ending fountain. The more love we give to others, the more we have to give. Love is something that never goes missing because it never runs out.
Do you know a person like this? Are you one? If not, why not?
A life of love, who is the person in your life that comes to mind when you think of someone who leads a life of love. What does that look like to you? What qualities do that have that sets them apart from everyone else? Is it a kindness, a smile, a graciousness, continual forgiveness, a caringness that is deeper than most? You feel safe around them like you can be your true self, and they will not judge or laugh at you ever. They are not self-seeking, conniving, or manipulating you at any time; they truly have your best interest at heart.
What kind of life do they lead? Are they feeding the hungry, healing the broken, volunteering to love on rescue animals or ocean clean-ups to save dolphins from the toxic plastic island, helping out orphans, and digging wells in third world countries?
Why do you think they do these things? Is it for self-gain, or is it simply because they are a good person and it is the right thing to do?
What does a life of love look like for you? What could you do more of in your life or less of to be considered a person who lives a life of love by others around you? Would there be more acts of service in your life? Would you be kinder to people? Would you stop littering, stop taking things for granted, stop being grouchy to your coworkers? Would you start smiling more, pay for the person behind you’s Coffee, start living in gratitude?
Who says you’re not an example of a life of love to someone around you already, and you don’t even know it? I bet you are; it could be someone you pass by every day with a smile, it could be someone who watches you feed a stray dog every day, it could be a person who watched you pick up someone else’s trash that they missed the can with. What if you already are the best person in someone’s life? I guarantee you already are. Now, what are you going to do about it?
How can you become an example of love to EVERYONE in your life? I know a few things that really stick out to people that you can try.
- Start learning people’s names and using their names to address them with a handshake, knuckle bump, or high five and, of course, a smile.
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Start learning one thing in each interaction about someone else’s life. People are far more open with others when they know they care. Don’t say, “Hey, how are ya?” And walk away, not caring about the answer. Start asking people how their wife, kids, dog, job, or whatever you talked about last time are going.
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Eye contact. This one I used to struggle with big time. And it’s still a work in progress, mostly because I’m usually multitasking, but I’m really trying my hardest to be engaged when someone is talking to me. The best way to show someone you actually care about what they’re saying is to listen with your whole body, eye contact included.
Listening to hear them, not to answer or advise them, or trump them or one-up them with a story about how your experience was better or worse or bigger than theirs, but listening for real. Caring about them and what they are saying.
You can learn a lot about a person if you just listen to them, ask questions, let it be their turn to talk, and fully get out whatever they are trying to say. Listen to more than their words, listen to their bodies, and listen to what they are saying without saying it. Give them a safe place just to be who they are. That is so rare these days. Be that space for everyone.
A life of love is NOT judging, snarking, snickering, ignoring, cold-shouldering,
Inspired? Let us know! What thoughts did this bring up for you?