Well, we all know the song “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” And my answer to that song is: “EVERYTHING!”
Our dreams, our aspirations, our goals—when we dig down to the center of what is driving us, it truly is love. When we think about the things we desire most in life, it’s love that shapes our intentions. Love for ourselves pushes us to grow. Love for our families inspires us to create stability and security. Love for the world motivates us to give back and make a difference. Love is the invisible force guiding our choices, whispering in our hearts, and lighting the path forward.
Why Love is the Key to Finding Meaning
When love leads the way, we find meaning in even the smallest actions. It reminds us that our journey isn’t just about reaching the destination—it’s about how we walk the path, the connections we make, and the joy we create along the way. Love is the answer to our “why,” and it’s the energy that keeps us moving, even when the road feels uncertain.
As children, when we dreamed of what we wanted to be when we grew up, we saw things we loved and imagined becoming a version of those things in the world. Whether we said we wanted to be a doctor so we could help people or a pilot so we could fly our parents around the world, our vision was driven by love—love for ourselves and love for the ones around us.
So, what does love have to do with you right now? Well, as adults, we tend to let the opinions of others and the social conditions of how we must operate dictate how we fit into our social circles and larger communities. But what if we didn’t do that? What if we truly listened to our inner child? I mean, really listened. How are we treating ourselves? Are we kind to ourselves, or are we calling ourselves names because we made a mistake?
When we pause and truly listen to our inner child, we can uncover a powerful truth: love starts within. How we speak to ourselves, how we nurture our dreams, and how we handle our mistakes all reflect the love we have for ourselves. If we allow negativity or self-doubt to dominate, it can cloud the pure intentions that love brings. But when we choose kindness, compassion, and patience with ourselves, we begin to unlock the limitless potential that love offers. We can then focus on living our most authentic selves, experiencing things in life that we only thought lived as part of our dreams. The truth is we can experience all of it, if we want to; life is full of limitless opportunities, but we need to first stop putting the restraints on our own beliefs and start believing in ourselves.
Self-Love Is a Relationship
Remember to love yourself. Self-love isn’t just a spa day, hitting the gym, or meditating from time to time. Self-love is an actual relationship with yourself. Everything you need is inside of you before it projects outward into the world.
If you’re experiencing inner turmoil and beating yourself up, it’s no surprise that your day might go sideways. Have you ever been in a miserable mood, only to find your day becoming chaotic? Maybe you had a bad day at work, stubbed your toe, burned your dinner, or felt like the people around you were driving you crazy. Here’s the truth: you do have complete control over your life. I know—it doesn’t feel that way when you’re in a funky mood. In fact, you probably don’t even want to hear someone tell you that you have control over your life and what you’re projecting into it. But you do.
We all need to remember to be kind to ourselves during those little moods and nurture ourselves until we slowly creep out of the darkness. It may not happen all at once. It could take an hour, a day, or even a year. We all have different levels of things we need to address in order to see the light.
You Are Loved
Remember, you are loved—by others, by the universe, by God, and by you. The journey to self-love isn’t linear, and it isn’t always easy. But it’s worth it. Be patient with yourself. Speak kindly to yourself. And let love lead the way, always.
