L.O.V.E. The single most important emotion out there, has gotta be love. Loving someone, loving yourself, feeling love from another and loving things give us that warm, tingly, deliriously happy feeling. Without love we are often lonely and unhappy…chasing a feeling, an emotion that makes us all feel whole again.

Being In Love…

Oh how I love being in love. Isn’t it just the best feeling EVER?! I’ve been deeply in love 3 times. One of those times affected me greatly, and I have written about it here. I feel lucky to have experienced deep love more than once …it gives me hope that I will experience it again (and that I have).

What is it about being in love that is so important to everyone? For me it’s the beautiful connection shared with someone. Being in a loving relationship with a man makes me happy. It makes me feel like I’m not alone, that I’m protected, cared for, cherished, really ‘liked’ by someone and that I have a partner in crime – a best friend – to always chat to, make love to, laugh with and experience and create beautiful moments with. Aaaah, it’s all flooding back to me – that lovin’ feeling!

Being in love makes me feel safe. It makes me feel like I’m part of something special and meaningful, and that’s really important to me…to have meaning in my life. Of course there are lots of other things that give my life meaning such as family, my friends, my business, my own self-love and self-care and making others happy, but being in love with someone is extremely meaningful to me, as it is to most of us.

Feeling Love From Another…

What a gift it is to be loved by someone. The love I have and feel from my family holds a big place in my heart. Nothing beats the unconditional love I feel from my family, my parents in particular. I can really piss them off with something, yet know they will always love me. And that feels good, right? To know that no matter what happens, your family are always gonna love ya! In most cases at least 😉

Love truly makes the world go round. Imagine what kind of a world we’d live in if there was no such thing as ‘love’. It’s hard to imagine and it makes me feel sad that some people miss out on love.

Friendships also make the world go round. We may not always tell our friends we love ’em, but the bond between close friends is a special thing, and sometimes our friends become our family. I think everyone needs to tell their friends they love them from time to time.

Self-Love

The most important relationship you will have throughout your life is with yourself. I wish I understood this when I was younger and even in my 20s and early 30s when I felt like I was searching for love instead of being happy on my own and with my life.

A beautiful thing happens energetically when you love yourself unconditionally. This self-love radiates out from the compassion you have embodied and people react differently to you. They will be drawn to you. Life will be drawn to you. And love will surround you.

‘Things’ I love…

There’s also objects, places, vocations, hobbies and activities to love. I make a concerted effort to invite and surround myself with the things I love…it doesn’t always work out that way of course, but I try to be mindful of it.

25 things I love include:

1. exercising & being healthy
2. good coffee & herbal teas
3. travel & culture
4. weekend trips away with my partner or friends
5. the ocean – looking at it, swimming in it, lying on the sand
6. food and wine
7. adventure
8. being cooked for (such a treat!)
9. baking Sarah’s Wilson’s sugar-free desserts!
10. flowers – especially when they’re bought for me!
11. yoga
12. summer
13. watching movies and relaxing
14. laughing!
15. breakfast!
16. writing for my blog and being creative
17. connecting with like-minded women
18. hanging out with friends
19. reading
20. helping others achieve their goals
21. educating people and myself
22. spirituality/personal development
23. arty stuff – acting, art, photography, theatre
24. fashion, shopping and homewares!
25. oracle cards & crystals

That took me about 2 minutes and I easily could have written more. Your turn! What are 25 things you love? Let it flow freely from you without too much thought. It’s a good exercise to do every so often to remind yourself of the little things in life you love and that make you happy 🙂

What is it about LOVE that makes YOU happy? Leave a comment below.