All You Need is Love

“When others needs start to matter more than our own, and when others successes are more exciting to us than our own, we are beginning to experience love.” Author Unknown

Recently I had a sweet experience that reminded me of a very important life lesson. In fact, in many ways, this is probably the most important thing we can learn in this life. And if learned, practiced, and truly taken to the heart, it will have a dramatically positive impact on our life—probably more so than anything else.

About a week ago I was visiting a friend who for some time has been very discouraged with his job. Through previous conversations he had told me that he loved to write books and that he considered publishing some in hopes of supplementing his income. During my most recent visit with him he told me his book sales had exceeded all of his expectations and that he felt like he had “won the lottery.” I was and am so thrilled and excited for me. In fact, so much so that I was surprised about how happy I was for him. These feelings made me stop and think about them. I realized I wasn’t happy for him because of any other reason other than I sincerely wanted him to be happy and do well. Love was my motive that caused such emotions.

Perhaps because it is February and nearing Valentine’s Day, or perhaps it is because I am getting older and more sensitive but today I’m writing about love. Real love for our fellow men equals power in life. Love breaks down walls, builds enduring relationships, produces positive feelings, and creates an environment of safety. When love is present, things become easier. Love can move people to do some extraordinary things.

Now please don’t misunderstand me. I am not talking about romantic love but the love we have for others when we want them to be successful regardless of how it might or might not impact us. I’m talking about putting some else’s concerns, needs, and wants before ours. I’m talking about sacrificing for the good of others.

When it comes to tapping into the power of love, motives are everything. Just because we are helping someone with a difficult assignment doesn’t mean we are showing love. We can often do the right thing but for the wrong reason. This is not love. Love towards our fellow men means our sincerest desire is to help them.

So how do we develop this love? I think it takes time, patience, and practice. It is not something that happens overnight but is a continual lifelong pursuit. Two simple suggestions to help us on this path are the following.

First, learning people’s names goes a long way in showing people we care. I know a lot of us meet tons of people every day and many of us claim we are not good at remembering names but taking a few extra seconds to remember a name shows we care.

Second, free up time. When we are too busy to take time to show love to those around us then we will never be successful. Freeing up our calendars enough to have some flexibility will allow us to show love toward others. When a friend wants to talk, a co-worker needs some help, or our child would like a little extra attention, making sure we are not over booked can help us spend showing love toward others. In the end, the most important thing in life is not always about what we accomplish but rather the type of person we become.

Love matters, and it matters a lot. Most of us are too self-absorbed to truly love others. If we can learn to love others we will greatly enhance our satisfaction and success in life. Though maybe not quite like the Beatles were meaning it when singing it, in a lot of ways they were right. To be successful and happy in life, all you need is love.