InnerSelf.com

The Beatles song, All You Need Is Love summed it up quite nicely. Love is all we need, but it is usually not all we want. Unfortunately, some of us confuse love with other things. We get the wrong idea about love. We use our love to manipulate, control, and otherwise misappropriate our energies. We think that only a select few are actually deserving of our love -- such as our immediate family, friends and lovers.

When we realize that we are connected, that we are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God, we will begin acting appropriately. We should be able to give love to anyone -- the homeless person in the street, the serial killer on death row, the corrupt politician on TV, the child molesters, rapists, thieves, and other criminals in and out of prison.

It’s time to replace our fears with loving thoughts and stop worrying about becoming victims of crime. Let's all start to improve the world in which we live and eliminate fearful thoughts because what we think about about expands. We control our surroundings through our thoughts and create our own realities. If we see a world of hate and fear, then this type of world will be our reality. If we choose to see a world full of love and wonderful, loving people, then this will become our reality. The choice is ours.

First Things First

The first step toward living a loving life is to begin to love yourself. Begin to develop a genuine acceptance of yourself. This includes your body, behavior, your past, and everything else. You must be able to embrace and accept yourself just as you are and celebrate the fact that you are here. You are a beautiful, loving, important person and have a specific purpose for being on this earth. As soon as you believe this and know it, you will begin to see a change in yourself and others. Why? Because everyone around you is a mirror of yourself. If you live your days in a hostile, angry way, then you will surround yourself with the same type of people. If, on the other hand, you are positive, loving and peaceful, you will begin to see these qualities in others.

When ending a love relationship, some of our reasons for doing so are usually along the lines of, "We grew apart" to "We fell out of love." Additionally, some of us blame the other person for having certain qualities or personality traits that we simply could not stand, such as being too dependent, controlling or jealous.

We fail to look to ourselves for the answers. We rationalize that the problem must be with the other person, because we are okay. You know, we are fine. We automatically say it every day. How are you? I'm FINE! In truth, if we really were fine we wouldn't be here anymore!

Then we go through a healing process (maybe) and we begin to look for another special someone. When s/he finally comes, we usually don't notice that the new partner has the same "qualities" as the old partner. We are blinded by the "love" process and fail to see that this is the same test only it has arrived in a new package. That's right, a test. You see, if we fail to learn our lesson in a relationship, then the universe is going to give us another chance. This is why we cannot seem to find Mr. or Ms. Right. We are looking in the wrong place!

Give To Each Other

When we are in a loving relationship or marriage, it is very special because we are blessed by God. The reason that we join is because we want to give lovingly to each other. It remains this way until we no longer have anything to give and are unable to grow. The misconception that we need to stay together "until death do us part" is an illusion. Death is not an ending, it is a continuation of life in another fashion. Therefore, when we view relationships with definite beginnings and endings, we are mistaken. The connections are still there, although no longer in the physical world.

We all remain to be influenced by those that have touched our lives in special ways. Whether positive or negative, we have much to learn from those with whom we choose to relate. Once we stop finding fault and begin to focus on the purpose for which we were united, our lives will be more loving, kind and glorious.

Recommended book:

Be the Change! Change the World. Change Yourself.
by Michelle Nunn (editor).

Through poignant and intimate stories as well as the advice of hundreds of citizens, business and civic leaders, sports figures, and celebrities, BE THE CHANGE! challenges readers to take their own journey of service and discovery.

Click here for more info or to order this book

About The Author

Michelle Starkey is a student and teacher on the path as well as an aspiring author. She lives in Pembroke Pines, Florida with her husband and two children.

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