Here’s the thing: we all long to be seen and loved exactly as we are. Not because we won a towering trophy for excelling at digikikidowhat. Not because we’ve got a big office and a fancy job title. Not because we don’t have wrinkles or do have money or might be the next “it” girl. We want to be loved simply for being our own wonderful, unique, chipped-but-valuable selves. Right?
So as Valentine’s Day quickly approaches (insert happy harp music here), wanna know the secret for being completely filled-to-the-brim with that kind of yummy love?
Give it.
What? Yep. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the way to feel deeply and authentically loved is to give deep and authentic love. The more you give, the more you get. It’s so simple to do, but oh-so-easy to forget.
If you’ve got 30 minutes to play along, I want to invite you to see for yourself. (You trust me, don’t you?! And chances are, this is just a gentle reminder for something you already know in your bones.) My Valentine’s Day Secret Juju Love Mission is a no-fail way to get that Hallmark swoon-n-glow — and to create that feeling for someone else at the same time. Win-win: yay!
All you’ve got to do to join this secret mission is to create one Love List for someone in your life and send it to that person anonymously via old-fashioned snail mail. What’s a Love List? It is simply a list of five or ten or twenty or one-hundred things you love about someone.
If you've been following Simply Celebrate for awhile, chances are you already know how to create a Love List. Scurry along and start another one, okay!
But for those of you who are new, here’s how it works: set a timer for 30 minutes, turn on some music you enjoy, and perhaps dig up a photo of the lucky gift recipient. (That’s for inspiration, but you may decide to include it as part of the presentation!) Next, get out a pen and paper and start thinking about things you love about this person. Let yourself be open to all kinds of thoughts that drop in. Let’s say this is a gift for your best gal pal. Don’t you just adore her hiccuppy giggles? Do you love the way she greets you with a squeal and a warm hug whenever you see her? Perhaps you love those Sufi poems she gave you, her swingy ponytail, the way she dances, or her blueberry muffins. Or maybe you love the memory of your college trip to Paris when you wore the blue beret and she donned the red one?!
Let yourself brainstorm about who she is, things she’s does, what you’ve learned from her, funny stories, and favorite memories. Give yourself permission to be as silly, sweet, sincere, or sarcastic as you want! This gift is about being exactly who you are and reflecting back to her who she is to you.
Once you have your list, you can present it as-is or get creative. I’ve got a free video and download that give some ideas on unique ways to present your Love List.
Will your best friend guess that it’s you who sent her this secret Valentine juju gift? Well, probably. But still, isn’t it delightful to have that moment of “Huh? What’s this? Who is this mighty envelope of love from? I bet Johnny Depp sent this to me.”
And don’t forget what’s in it for you! It is absolutely positively 100% impossible to create a Love List for someone without feeling a rising tide of no-giver-no-receiver-just-wonderful-love. (And if you have any experience with Zen at all, you’ll get it pretty quickly that these things on this Love List are all projections! You couldn’t see ‘em, if they weren’t a part of you!)
Need a little added incentive? The first ten people to email me and tell me about their experience making the Love List will receive a free audio-gram — another great ninja love gift! (Besides gettin’ that gift, you’ll also receive the pleasure of knowing how happy it makes me to hear from people who have made Love Lists!)
Ready. Set. Valentine’s Day Secret Juju Love Mission … GO!
Love list copyright Jill Lambert