To Love and be Loved

Love fuels passion, hope and desire. It generates creativity giving us purpose and making us feel alive. When we think of love, we primarily thinking of romantic love yet love comes in different shades, all unique, all part of fulfilling us with whole enriched lives.
However, like the even exchange of breath, the love we give is the love we receive.
Here are tips on loving and being loved
• Love begins with you: Your inner voice is where your story of love begins. It is hard to feel worthy of love if someone is criticizing you all the time and especially if that someone is talking in your head. Stop self loathing; it’s a waste of time. Stop comparing yourself to others and feeling like a victim. Dare to be proud of yourself, look for your strengths, watch for the negative talk and stop it.
• Gratitude reflection: Gratitude reflection is a great exercise for opening the heart. Take two minutes each morning when you open your eyes and two minutes at night right before you close them to give thanks.
• Declare love: Give passion to everything in your life. Love your walks, your gardening, your age, the family you have, the weather patterns where you live. Grab onto it all as if you might lose it. Be thrilled and excited about life. Find miracles everywhere. Use the word love more often when describing aspects of your life.
• Little is big: A big heart is full of endless possibilities to show love in little ways. Engage in small acts of kindness that cost little money, if any, and take little time. It is amazing how effective small acts of kindness are and how long they are remembered. Open doors, smile, call a friend that is hurting, put a card in the mail, pick up an extra coffee. Don’t think it, do it! And yes, we all have more time for this than we know.
• Love like the ocean:  You have the ability to love like the seven seas reaching around the world and back. And like the ocean putting passion into each and every wave, all your love matters and makes a difference. We are all capable of grand love.
• Understand the Mother Nature: Nature bestowed us with romantic love so we can reproduce, maternal/ paternal love so we can care for the next generation and friendship so we can connect and protect one another. In addition to the bonding gift of emotional love, Mother Nature intended love to serve us in many ways. One way is by easing anxiety. The next time you find yourself in a situation with a coworker, stuck in traffic or angry at a stranger, stay in the love. Witness how calmly your body reacts and how much more you can handle in your life.
• Cut others a break: Most people are coming from a place of exhaustion and/or feeling unappreciated. People are overwhelmed and lonely, and emotions 101 is not taught in any school. Regardless of how easy someone's life may appear, they have their personal hardships. Simply cut them a break.
• Remove the debris: Think of a river heading home to the sea. As she voyages forward her journey is hampered if debris gets in her way and clogs her up. Anger, resentment, fear, judgments and blame are debris hampering the flow of love in your life. Self reflect, take responsibility and open up your heart to love. You can find tools to release the debris by reading books, watching lectures, praying, and forgiving others.

• Let go: many people rarely if ever hear the words, 'I love you'. It can be scary and awkward, but the more you say it the easier it gets. Just say: 'I love you' to your mother, father, sister, brother, friend, and anyone you love. End conversations with I love you. Just see how good it feels and how well it is accepted. Witness the love being returned to you and remember to say 'I love you'.