Lesson #8: Love and Be Love
My 8th lesson is to just LOVE and be love. We have to love ourselves first before we can truly love others, and that comes from a place of respecting ourselves, and taking care of ourselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I have learned that we have to love our family and friends now and really appreciate them NOW, because we don’t know when it will be the last time we get to see them. As you know, I lost my mother at the age of 12 and I lost my brother 4 years ago. But I am filled with positive memories because they knew I loved them unconditionally.
It's important to love without expectations, because it releases you from disappointment. Putting conditions on your love will take you on a roller coaster, and you will be in this consistent tug of war with how you feel about someone. My biggest motto is,"I will love you, and I will meet you where you're at." Essentially that means: If your in a loving healthy space, I am right there with you giving you the same energy. But if you are in a negative space where you are not reflecting your most loving self, I will still love you, but I will protect myself and not tolerate disrespect or toxic energy. The more you practice love from a place of, “it doesn’t matter if you do this or that, I will still love you,” then we are more free and aren’t rattled as much when people don’t meet our expectations. A perfect example is my father. I shared with you guys that as a child and early adolescent, I experienced physical abuse from him. But one of the most liberating things that I did for my soul was to forgive him at an early age, and I decided not to carry the pain that he inflicted on me. I love him as a father and as a human who was struggling emotionally. Releasing and deciding not to carry resentment was an act of love for myself, and it allowed me to not be bogged down with anger or hate.
To be able to live your life with as much joy as possible, we have to let things go, and choose to love ourselves by cutting the cords of disappointment, resentment, and frustration. We should allow ourselves to feel these emotions, but then we should release them and let the order of life deal with it. I am not promoting that we should tolerate or put up with abuse of any kind, but I am saying, do not allow these experiences to impact your joy, your happiness, your life.
Lesson #8: Love and Be Love
Outfit Time: I found this adorable sweater on Amazon. It's so soft and comfortable! The pants are from Forever 21, and I love the fit and the plaid detail. The boots are from Nordstrom and I have enjoyed wearing these boots this fall season because they pair nicely with so many different outfits. Happy Tuesday!
