Here we are once more, on the brink of a New Year. We are entering this New Year having just experienced a heart-breaking end to the old. And yet, we would encourage you to look forward with commitment to growing in your ability to love and be connected – to yourself and your sense of purpose, to your family and their success, and to your world and its commitment to caring for all people.
In George Valliant’s new book, Triumphs of our Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study, he summarizes his 50 years of work and the 70 years of the study – tracking the lives of 268 Harvard students through the course of their lives. He talks about how life is long and in those long lives, a lot of difficult and destabilizing things happen but, to quote Valliant, “people who don’t learn to love early pay a high price.”
We know that love seems an odd topic for your Monday Morning Business Coach and because we are committed to helping you create a life that nourishes your soul so that you can nourish your world, we believe it’s a really important topic as we head into this new year.
Spend some time today thinking about the people that you love and how you demonstrate that love in your thoughts, words and actions.
We are not only talking about your partner or children, we are asking you to think about the neighbors who matter to you, the coworkers who make each day better, the bosses who make the difficult decisions that you don’t always agree with but respect, the shop keeper who always has a smile and kind word. Honor that you love these people and let them know they matter as you go about your life. Letting them know they matter is as good for you and your health and happiness as it is for them.
If you reflect on your life and are disappointed in what you find, make a commitment today to start to build love into your life. Start with how you treat the people you live with, work with and live near. Offer your smile and warmth to the folks at the counter. Make 2013 a year of deepening love in your life and you and the world will be better because of it.