Daily Archives: January 1, 2011

30 Days of Love and Appreciation

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I believe that love has the power to heal the world – you, me, and plants and animals too.

There is always a fountain of love within each and every one of us.

But sometimes we lose touch with that inner spring of love.  Difficult circumstances set us back.  Busyness sets in.  Negative emotions dominate.  Bad habits take over.

Love and appreciation may be there, but we don’t take a moment to feel and express it.

Whatever the case, we can rekindle our love and appreciation and gradually grow it bigger and bigger.

We all want to be happy, there’s no doubt about that.  Love, kindness, and appreciation are the simple path to happiness.  When we express these qualities, we feel happy.  What could be more simple?

I myself would like to be more loving and appreciative. So I’m going to focus on love and appreciation for the next 30 days.

This is not a complicated mega-challenge. I need simplicity in my life – not stress and complexity.  My plan is to send a loving and appreciative message to one person  each day for 30 days.  I see so few people in any given day.  That’s why messages are my method of choice.  But when I do see people, I will express my appreciation to them too.

Of course, I already express love and appreciation at least a few times a day and sometimes much more.   This is just stepping it up a notch and making it conscious.

I welcome you to join me in 30 days of appreciation and love – if you would like to.

If this might be fun and meaningful for you, please feel free to join in.  Your approach could take any form and be very simple. You could express your love and appreciation in person. Or you could practice smiling at others. Or you could gaze at others with love in your eyes. There are probably endless variations on this theme. See what fits for you.

I only have one rule – for myself – which is to be genuine.  I’m not trying to suck up to anyone.  I simply want to cultivate more love and appreciation until it becomes boundless.

There are no sign-ups, prompts, reminders, or daily check-ins.  Keeping it super simple, right?  I will write a blog post in 30 days (or so) to conclude and share any insights I have.  If you decide to join in, I would love to hear your insights at that point too.

Reflection:  The Power of Love and Kindness

For the reflection this week, I’ve chosen five inspirational quotes about the power of love and kindness to kick start 30 days of love and appreciation.

“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”  – Gandhi

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”  – Lao-Tzu

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain

“For true love is inexhaustible; the more you give, the more you have. And if you go to draw at the true fountainhead, the more water you draw, the more abundant is its flow.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

You could also take a moment to reflect on the presence or absence of love and appreciation in your life:

  • Do you feel a lack of love and appreciation in your life?
  • Is love an active and alive presence in your life?
  • Would you like to express more love and appreciation?  In what ways?

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This article is part of a weekly series of reflective exercises to help you – and me – uproot limiting thoughts, emotions, views, and habits. See more mini-mind challenges.

If you liked this article, please share the link with others.  Thanks so much, Sandra.