When I learned this exercise, I felt like I discovered I had another arm.
I was always looking for someone else’s hand, never realizing I had one all along.
(Probably best to read the instructions first)
- Close your eyes and think of a time when you felt the most loved.
It could be at any point in your life, past or present. Remember when someone else made you feel completely loved.
Embrace that love and accept it.
It could be a friend, lover, or family.
Think of how they make you feel. Try to feel that love again.
Remember how it made you feel.
It could have been this morning, last year, or when you were younger.
Depending on your love language, a gift, something they said or did, might also be associated with these memories.
Think of and meditate on that love.
Revel in it for a minute.
Ok, go!
Feel That Love Again!
When you’re done…
- How did that feel? Did it make you smile? Do you feel it in your body? Where?
- Does it give you butterflies? Make you emotional?
- Or is it just a wonderful memory?
Take another moment to feel that love.
Ok, that was the easy part! Lol
Now I want you to love someone else.
I want you to give love.
The recipient should to be special, but not a child because of the natural love and bonds that occur with your offspring. The focus of this part of the exercise is someone that you choose to love.
When you’ve come up with someone, I want you to focus on loving them.
Meditate on sending them love. Think of how much joy they bring to your heart.
Wherever they are in the world, send them all the love you have for them.
Now revel in that. Keep sending them love.
When you’re done…
Did you notice we need no “love language” for these thoughts?
You were just sending them love.
The beautiful loving light, the energy of love.
- How did it make you feel?
- Did it make you smile?
- Did you feel it in your body? Where?
- Did it give you butterflies?
- Did it make you emotional?
- Or were they just thoughts?
You should be all full of love now!
Now consider both thoughts.
Think of the differences in the way you felt when you felt loved, and when you gave love.
Chances are, when you gave love, it was more encompassing, more or a full body experience.
I have found it impossible to feel unloved when I am loving others.
You see, when we look for someone else to fill us with love, we forget that we are love.
We forget, that between humans, the only love that will never run dry (or away! LOL), is the love you have and give.
I no longer fear losing something that can never be lost.
When there is no fear of loss, there are no insecurities.
Until learning this, I blamed others for not making me feel loved. I figured they just didn’t truly love me.
They would do something to make me feel loved, and soon after, I need something else. More!
I’ve called it the Swiss cheese of my self-esteem. Their love always fell through the holes. I needed more and more!
Discovering that only I could fill my cup, and nothing felt better than loving others, I had finally found something no one could ever take away again.
My love.
Instead of searching and hurting over what I perceived I wasn’t getting, I just had to give it.
It all finally clicked. I realized if love was lacking in my life; it was because I wasn’t being loving. If I wanted to feel more love, I had to give more love away.
No one could ever say or do anything that could take away that love.
It is mine and depends on no one’s validation, acceptance, or even presence.
My love is not dependent on theirs.
My love doesn’t require them to do anything.
I can be filled with love any time I decide, simply by loving someone else.
Love matters most when it is freely given, in huge doses, as often possible
The only way to feel love abundantly is to give it away.
I learned that a foundation, where I loved myself enough to be able to give that love away, I knew I would never go without again.
We must choose to be strong in peace, not weak in violence.
We must choose to be kind and serve, rather than remaining lazy in neglect.
Love is the true strength.
