For Renewal: Extend Love

Unleashing human potential is loving past yourself.

~ Mary Julich

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

~ Lao Tzu

A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.

~ Thomas Carlyle

As we begin the weekend, my thoughts turn to the power of love in our lives.  I am fortunate to work with an amazing group of individuals whose motivation for all that they do in life, including their businesses, is love.  I’ve heard them express that purpose publicly in business settings as recent as yesterday.

I rarely, if ever, hear business leaders talk about love as a main purpose for why the business was formed.  Profit is usually the first objective. Profit is important and necessary, like blood is to the body, but just like blood it is not something that inspires greatness.

For renewal today, I encourage you to turn outward towards those you love.  It could be a spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, or just the person you meet on the street.  First, I encourage you to pause and see them.  Not just look at them, really “see” them as a person, just like you, on a journey through life.  As you really see that  person, look for the good.  Look for something that makes you smile.  What is it?  A laugh?  A funny face?  The pure joy of a child?  Capture that image in your mind like a picture.  You will likely feel something.  It will likely be happiness or even love.

After you have experienced the moment turn outward and extend love to that person.  How?  You will know what to do.  It will likely be a thought that comes into your mind.  Act upon that thought.  Don’t hesitate.  Do it right then.  As you do, you will amplify the moment and edify each other in the process.    It will be a gift for each of you.

Choose to extend love.  Choose to love past yourself.  Choose greatness.

~ SLE