We can all agree that the most precious gift of all is LOVE.
To give and receive love is the greatest feeling on earth. The expression, “Love makes the world go round,” is about how important and essential love is to being alive in this world.
Love is the essence of life. Without it, life can become boring, meaningless, and unpleasant. Can you imagine a world without music, poetry, art, dance, and creativity?
Love is the basis for having healthy relationships and contributes to our health and happiness. The more you love, the more meaningful your life becomes. And like any relationship, love requires respect, commitment, work, and patience.
Love is an action. It is not passive. It’s about learning, growing, healing, and continuously searching for ways to become closer and understand each other. It is not just words or feelings; it’s what you do. One needs to show love through their actions.
Love has tremendous power to transform lives.
Love brings us peace and comforts us, especially when going through the rough spots in life.
Love gives us strength and courage to overcome the challenges that may come our way.
Love is the greatest weapon to cast out fear. Love is the opposite of fear. There is no fear in love. Fear says you can’t do it. Love drives out fear, but saying you can do it; so stand up to fear, feel it, and do it anyway with lots of love.
Love is the power behind our hopes, dreams and goals.
Love can mend a broken heart and soul.
Love makes the beauty of the world shine through, just like a rose stands out despite its thorns.
Love gives us a greater sense of belonging and purpose.
Love helps our body release the feel-good hormone, dopamine, that boosts our mood and energy as well as reduces our stress level and reinforces our immune system.
Love promotes a stronger sense of self-esteem and self-confidence.
Love is a powerful unifying force. We have all seen examples in life of how love can move mountains.
Love is unconditional. We give love freely, without any expectations for anything in return. We love the person for who they are, despite what they do. A word of caution here: it is important to know that unconditional love is not about being a doormat and letting people walk all over us and continue hurting us. It means we recognize unhealthy and toxic relationships and are able to move on if they are abusive and not able to respect our boundaries.
Love is about acceptance, and a big part of that is forgiveness. We are all flawed human beings, and we all make mistakes. Embrace the flaws and imperfections and learn from them.
Forgiveness is about making peace with the past so we can live fully in the present. As we make the decision to let go of the pain instead of holding on to it, we allow our soul to grow and learn the lessons of love.
Unconditional love starts by loving oneself. We cannot give to others what we do not give to ourselves.
We are all searching for love. Unconditional love is being kind, compassionate and nonjudgmental. It makes us vulnerable as we open up to share our true thoughts and feelings, and communicate freely.
On the other hand, there is conditional love, which most people mistake for true love.
Conditional love comes with strings attached. Love is only given if we comply certain restrictions, rules, and terms. In order to receive love, it has to be earned.I t is very judgmental and sets up impossible standards to live up to.
Conditional love is manipulative and controlling; “I’ll love you if…. “I’ll love you if you don’t gain any weight.” “If you want my love, you have to do as I say. If you don’t, it means you don’t love me.”
Even when we have done our very best, it is still never enough.
We are always to blame and are often not supported.
Conditional love can become abusive and lead to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.
While unconditional love is about be selfless, conditional love is selfish.
Unconditional love makes one feel secure and safe while with conditional love, one feels threatened and intimidated.
It goes without saying that one can end up feeling mentally drained and physically exhausted by never being able to be oneself and always having to keep up with the demands.
A loving relationship is filled with understanding and honesty. It is a process that involves constant readjusting and plenty of opportunities for learning. It’s hard work, but worth it.
As social beings, we have an innate need to connect with others and create meaningful relationships. Humans cannot live in isolation, nor can they live without some form of love, affection, and appreciation.
Love is as vital as the air we breathe and the food we eat. Social interaction builds a strong sense of community, which plays a crucial role in our overall wellbeing and happiness.
We come alive and thrive when we feel connected and are able to share our stories, feelings, and love.
Allow yourself to experience the magic of love as it fills your heart and lights up your world. Love permeates everything we do. Everyday, choose love and let it shine through you. Empower yourself with this unlimited source and create a powerful life.
Love is the medicine we all could use a good daily dose of.
To quote the Beatles, “All you need is love.”
Antoinette Giacobbe
