A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...

For every negative thought I have, I have to come up with something great that is the opposite of that thought. I love this picture of myself. Goodnight! 

The Real Love Story

It's not often that you come across guidelines for living a real love story. In The Path To Love, Deepak Chopra provides a quick rundown of the difference between someone who is living their love story and someone who is not living their love story, and it made me realize that I have a long journey ahead of me. It was not discouraging though. It was actually rather empowering.

Here are the differences according to The Path To Love:


People who live a love story:

• Have learned to separate their actions from their beliefs that they are lovable.
• They can give on all levels.
• They don't expect anything in return for being good. 
• They don't judge or live in fear of judgment.
• They do not expect others to make them feel loved. (The Self is the ultimate source of love.)

People who are not living their love story:

• Feel numb and traumatized.
• They feel valued for what they do, not for who they are.
• They live on distorted beliefs 
• They have failed at love and are too tired to try again.

I would say I am somewhere between the two. How about you? Are you living a love story?

Path To Love Challenge

Last week I was talking to one of my girlfriends about some dating issues she was having. She had a very negative outlook on life at that particular moment, and she was basing her self-worth on a few failed relationships. Although I know how amazing she is, and how so not amazing these other people are, I could relate to her. I've had my relationships where I wondered where I had gone wrong and what I could have done better to make things work. I have felt like absolute zero before, but I always told myself that I deserved to be happy.

I asked my girlfriend one simple question: Do you love yourself? Her response was just as simple: No.

Reading that hit me hard, but I would be lying if I said I had no idea what she was talking about. I have dealt with self-doubt and self-hate more than once in my life.  

I got married in November, and although I love my husband, I felt as though there was something missing in my life. I thought marriage was going fill that void, but it didn't, and I went into a bit of a depression when I realized that. The truth is, I am my own worst critic. I've had my days where I was downright mean to myself. I picked myself apart and made faces at myself. I've even let the way I feel about myself get in the way of me participating in some activities. So if someone had posed that same question to me, I couldn't without a doubt say that I do love myself. 

When I came to this realization, I decided that there was no way I could be of any help to my friend if I couldn't even love myself. 

So I sought a bit of help from the experts, and I came across a book called The Path To Love by Deepak Chopra. The first line read: All of us need to believe that we are loved and lovable. I brought the book home, and spent a good two hours reading and taking notes, because I was having so many "Aha!" moments. He talks about how the greatest source of love is The Self. "The Self is the highest value and it deserves love without exception." 

Love is meant to heal.

Love is meant to renew.

Love is meant to inspire us with its power. 

Love is meant to make us feel safe. 

Love is meant to make us certain with no doubt.

Love is meant to oust all fear.

Love is meant to unveil immortality.

Love is meant to bring peace.

Love is meant to harmonize differences.

Love is meant to bring us closer to God. 

Those are powerful words!! I'm only about a quarter of the way through the book, and I decided that I want to start a "Path to Love Challenge" for myself. I want to create an environment of love within myself, because I would like to start a family, and when my children are inside of me, I want to be able to radiate love toward them, not only with my thoughts, but with all of my soul. (I know this may sound a bit "granola" as my dad would call it, but this is very important to me.)

My husband and I decided that we were going to start trying for a baby in October, after we run the Long Beach Half Marathon together.

Everyone's Path To Love Challenge is different. There's no time limit, and there are no penalties. 

How it works for me:

-I will start my mornings with meditation on the heart. Deepak Chopra has a whole chapter dedicated to this, and he tells you how to get started.

-I will not have negative thoughts about myself as I am looking in the mirror and getting ready for work.

-Throughout the day, I will nourish my body with nutritious food that I have prepared myself.

-I will smile more and try to be a positive force throughout the day.

-I will exercise daily because I love myself enough to be as healthy as possible. I will continue to train for the half marathon, but I will also incorporate yoga in my workouts. 

-I will spend at least an hour a night reading and reflecting on my Path To Love notes.

-I will go to church, because I would like to grow my relationship with God.

-I will be a source of love for others.

This is my challenge.