THE HEART OF LOVE
Keeping Love Alive
By Dr. Scott and Shannon Peck
Here is a big love question: What keeps love alive for you in your most important relationships?
If you get this right, you are in for a great love life — so let’s explore
together how to keep love alive. Here’s what is at the top of our list. See how
your own list compares.
Love stays alive when there is respect and appreciation.
These two wonderful qualities add greatly to our self esteem and dignity. When
we are being respected, we feel worthy and valued. Have you told your loved
partner or loved ones lately what you most appreciate about them? These are some
of love’s biggest gifts to share, and especially during conflicts. Try
expressing your appreciation for your love mate when the next conflict arises
and notice how quickly the conflict leaves. Respect and appreciation may seem
very basic, but they are the foundation of keeping love alive.
Love stays alive when kindness is dependable and consistent.
When there is dependable kindness in a relationship, it feels good to come home.
When kindness is inconsistent, it can feel terrible to come home. We all have
frustrations and times of anger, but love can only stay alive when we value our
partner more than we value venting our feelings. One moment or day of strong
anger can rip apart a relationship. Steady kindness, even under stress, keeps
love alive. Of course you need to get your feelings out, but it can be done with
kindness. This level of love wisdom takes each partner to a higher practice of
genuine love, the kind of love that stays alive!
Love stays alive when there is a heart connection.
Love thrives when hearts are open. Love shrivels up when hearts are closed. For
many, speaking from the heart is a love skill never learned. Perhaps their
parents never shared feelings. Or perhaps they were hurt in a past
relationship. At some point, however, it becomes vital to learn how to share
your feelings — and, again, with kindness, not anger. When two love mates share
what is going on deep within their hearts, and do so with tenderness towards
each other, the sparks of love re-ignite at an even deeper level. Love not only
stays alive. Love grows!
Love stays alive when both partners promote positive feelings with each
other.
In love relationships, partners have immense influence on each other’s
happiness. A positive attitude creates and strengthens feelings of well being
and happiness. A negative attitude creates frustration, anxiety, and even
depression. There are a zillion ways to promote positive feelings in love. Love
mates can direct conversation to positive things, focus on solutions rather than
problems, and share uplifting inspirations with each other. Hearts stay alive in
a positive environment. Try praising your love mate today.
Love stays alive when there are shared activities.
People who fall in love and establish a relationship often have different
interests. Love partners who keep love alive make the extra effort to look for
mutual activities that perpetuate and bind their love. It can be as simple as
going to movies together, having a regular date night, or taking walks together.
The key word here is “together”. When “togetherness” starts slipping away, love
becomes separate, distant, and cooler. Successful lovers look for, invent, and
create shared activities. It’s no wonder their love is alive!
Love stays alive when there is joy.
Would you rather spend your time with someone who is sad, depressed, angry, and
withdrawn or with someone full of joy and enthusiasm? That, of course, is a no
brainer. After awhile, love partners often drift away from expressing joy with
each other. Joy is a state of mind. It’s a decision we make and maintain as best
we can — and often with a lot of effort. Of course we are all challenged in
life, but we can make strong efforts to override stress and hard times, and even
laugh together. Joy, even playfulness, uplifts spirits. Out of nowhere today, go
into your playful or joy mode and share it with your love mate. Notice the
results. Joy keeps love alive within your own heart and it is a powerful energy
that keeps love alive in a relationship.
Love stays alive when partners honor each other’s highest purpose.
When two partners honor each other’s highest purpose for being alive — and
explore that frequently, love takes a quantum leap. It takes an environment of
genuine love — kindness, open feelings, and dependability — to feel relaxed and
free enough to explore the bigger dimensions of our lives. What is the highest
gift you have to give to the universe? How can I best support you? These become
the questions between two partners forging love at the level of soul. This is
love alive at the highest level of infinite possibilities!
Welcome to the heart of love.
© Copyright 2006 Scott & Shannon Peck
Dr. Scott Peck & Shannon Peck are Co-founders of TheLoveCenter, a
non-profit educational organization dedicated to “Raising universal love
awareness & Awakening a world of Love Masters”.This column is based on their new
book, “Love Skills for Personal & Global Transformation: Secrets of a Love
Master”, available at bookstores and Amazon.com and also at
www.TheLoveCenter.com. For more love, and information about our new School
of Love, visit:
www.TheLoveCenter.com, email:
TheLoveCenter@aol.com , or call
1 (858) 792-6018.
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