“Love. Love. Love. All We Need is Love.” Hogwash!

 

“Love. Love. Love. All we need is love.”

 

This refrain from the old Beatles’ song is mirrored in a thousand other sources. From the minister in your church. From your mother and father. From yourself, and so on. We are always reaffirming our love as if we could create it through our speaking alone.

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Love is always there if it's unblocked

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Love is absolutely great! But love is what spontaneously arises when there is nothing to block it, when there is no resisted fear. Love, as a spontaneous feeling and expression, is not something that can be created on top of resisted fear with the words, “I love you.” Love is not something that can be chosen directly.

 

The experience of love springs forth as a byproduct of choosing courage. When we choose courage, our self-esteem improves. When we feel good about ourselves, it follows naturally that we love others.

 

Unblocking self-expression to feel love

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When you choose courage to speak up, instead of feeling resentment, then you create an opening for love.

 

Unblocking making requests to feel love

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When you choose courage to ask for a raise, instead of complaining to yourself, then you feel better about yourself, your boss, and those around you.

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Unblocking saying "no" to feel love

 

When you choose courage to say “no” to a friend, instead of giving into feelings of obligation or resentment, then you keep the relationship clean and bright.

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Unblocking asking for partnership to feel love

 

When you choose courage to ask a spouse about an unspoken problem you two seem to have, instead of leaving it to fester, then you provide a space for love to blossom.

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Unblocking the expression of your feelings of liking and love for another to feel even more of it

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When you choose courage to openly express your liking or love for another, then you feel better about yourself and that feeling of liking or love grows even stronger.

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Unblocking your reluctance to set boundaries to feel love

 

When you choose courage to establish and maintain good boundaries with others, then you create a garden where love can grow.

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Unblocking your reluctance to go for a life that inspires you to feel love

 

When you choose courage to consistently pursue a life that inspires you, then you will automatically feel goodwill and love for the fellow travelers who share the journey with you.

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Choose what you can choose...the rest will handle itself

 

We cannot directly choose love. But we can directly choose courage.

 

When you choose courage, the experience of love is one of its by-products.

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So let's say what's much closer to the truth,

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"Courage. Courage. Courage. All we need is to choose courage!"

 

Choose courage three times today and notice that, each time you do so, your experience of love both for yourself and others grows.

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