Love has everything to do with our own heart.

Many times we project love. We make someone else the object of our love. We use others to supply us with love. We let our feelings be dictated by the way we are being loved, or not.

When I catch myself in this pattern, instead I look inside and ask myself hard questions about love.

I ask myself.

1. How can I be better at loving?

2. What is the quality of love I’m giving others?

3. What are the signs of love in my life and how can I be better at receiving love?

As I’m waiting for my answers, I sit in the fire and take a good hard look at my own role in love. I ask myself hard questions about refining my own ability to love. I ruminate on them. I let them stew, until I find inspiring answers.

When I practice this, the answer becomes clear.

Be. More. Lovable. 

It’s all about the way I strengthen my loving interactions with others.

How to be more lovable.

1. Give someone a hug. A good and juicy one—swallow the love down into our heart.

2. Smile at a stranger. Make eye contact—practice makes better.

3. Write a love note on the mirror. We can be our own best friends.

4. Practice the be your own best friend yoga asana: paschimottanasana (sitting forward bend).

While in this pose, meditate on being our own best friend. Trust me—it works!

5. Listen to a love song. Here’s an old favorite love song of mine. There are thousands to choose from.

6. Read quotes about love. Again, thousands to choose from.

“We love and we say goodbye and then we love again.” ~ Rachel Brathen

7. Pet a dog. A cat works too.

8. Eat heart healthy food. No joke. Oatmeal is a great heart healthy way to start the day. Steel cut oats are high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, folate and potassium. Oatmeal can decrease levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.

9. Eat food cooked with love. When we ingest food cooked with love, it nourishes our heart and spirit—it’s infused with affection.

10. Talk about love. We have many opportunities everyday to chit-chat with people. Why not make it meaningful and steer the conversation toward love? Love is a perfectly human emotion and everyone has something to say about it.

Take action. Be in charge of the love that’s inside. Find the love within and then share it.  

Three truths about love.

1. Love is everywhere.

2. I am loving and lovable.

3. Love is the most powerful force in the universe.

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Author: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: courtesy of Andrew Wyatt