Plan to Love
Happy New Year!
We are over the threshold and standing squarely in the new year now. And it feels good to look around, take stock of things, notice what’s here, and get a sense of this place and time.
Perhaps we’re feeling hopeful, energized, even - dare I say – optimistic? As we know from recent years, we never really know what’s coming, but we humans are wired to find the light, to bounce back, to hope. Maybe you are feeling that.
We’re ready to go. We’ve got our words for 2023. (Mine’s spaciousness, creating room to live into my purpose and giving and honoring room for others to live into theirs. What’s yours?) Maybe we’ve created our vision or action plan. Perhaps we’ve adopted new habits like walking at midday, eating less meat, or scheduling meetings with a 10-minute buffer in between. Perhaps we’ve cleaned out closets and taken a carload to the Goodwill. Okay, so I may have just described my start to 2023! I’d love to hear yours.
Whatever we’ve set out to do, now we are waking up each morning looking to bring all those intentions and plans to life as they intersect with the realities that unfold. Some of those realities will be energizing, others will be challenging. After all, life will happen, won’t it?
Yes, it will. We can grimace at that, or we can breathe into the truth of what it is to be human on this planet.
I feel hopeful about 2023, but not because I think it will be without challenges. In fact, I’m fairly confident 2023 will have plenty of unexpected changes, perhaps some heartbreak, a few crises, and plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Guaranteed.
But a good life and a good year are not defined by a lack of challenges. Rather, a good life is defined by what we do when we experience those challenges.
More clearly, a good life is defined by the love we live when we experience those challenges.
Contrary to popular belief in Western culture, our success as humans is not about completing action plans or achieving performance goals. Our success as humans is based on how we love each other and ourselves in the midst of the real experiences of being human, at work, at home, and in our communities.
That’s it. Our love is the measure of our achievement.
So where does love show up in your plans for 2023? What is the love you might choose to live?
If you hadn’t thought of it that way, that’s alright. You can now. Because there is nothing magical about whatever was planned or about intentions set 11 days ago any more than those plans and intentions set today, or next week, or in October. In any moment, we can pause in the space between insight and action, take a breath, and then…
…turn to love!
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Dear Reader,
I am so glad you are here and part of this global community. It means a lot to know that you too are interested in and committed to more love and less fear at your work and in your world. If you want to receive our blog in your inbox be sure to register here.
We hope you will keep coming back to this space and to the other resources we open up this year to support you in your quest to turn to love. This space will be filled with many diverse voices with stories, perspectives, ideas, and resources for encouraging your pursuit of more love in 2023. We have some wonderful things in the works this year!
And we’d love to hear from you about how you are putting love at the center of YOUR work. Reach out, won’t you?
With love and spaciousness,
Renée
