That said, I would like to share some thoughts for all you single people out there this Valentine’s Day as this will be my very first ‘single’ Valentine’s Day in twenty four years.
selfish THINKING
Admittedly, leading up to the day, I was bothered by the threat of a holiday meant for lovers, and here I was without one. Not having a special card or trinket to exchange with that special someone and having no need to make plans to spend an evening together. I have not been in this position for as long as I can remember. What a sad place to be.
Or is it really?
As I thought on it more, I came to realize that thinking this way is selfish, I was thinking only of me and what I could get from this holiday. How would my emotions be met? Who would give me love? I had not stopped to think about how much love I have to share with the world or how many people I could share love with. Keeping that love to myself is selfish. How could changing that focus for just one day add meaning for others? What could I do to make a great day for someone else? How could sharing an act of love with a neighbor start a ripple effect? How could I start to change the world? What can I do?
I started to get excited!
today’s WORLD
Day in and day out we have become accustomed to seeing images of hate and violence on every form of media we open. Turning on the daily news, we see coverage of neighbors fighting over varying beliefs. Opening up our Facebook, we see friends calling each other out for seeing things from different views. Scrolling through our Twitter feeds, we read short slams and jabs at anyone with a difference of opinion. But these are only painting the picture in our minds of the virtual world we live in. These are the images and ways of the world as it is put before us, not the world we have the choice to create.
I challenge you first to stop taking in this view of the world and take a look around you. Is this the reality of most people you interact with on a daily basis? I can say that for myself it is not. Further more it is not the world I would choose to live in, nor is it the type of world I would choose to create were it in my control.
So what is life like in the world that we can create?
What are the people that we encounter daily really like?
To answer these questions, we have to look to the real world.
the real WORLD
Turning off the media, we have a chance to listen intently to the conversations around us. Picking up the phone, we have a chance to ask questions of our friends so that we can seek to understand why they feel they way they do. Taking a step out our front door, we can see our neighbors love for the places we live in and the care they put into the world we all create around us. Walking down our street, we can feel the love and compassion that one human being has for another in need. And if this love is not obvious, then I am challenging all of us to put it out there.
It is estimated that over fifty percent of Americans are now single. That means that over half of us have a choice this Valentine’s Day to either mope around about our loneliness, or step outside and show the world the real power of love.
Just think about that. Half of us. Every other person you encounter. One out of every two…
Just imagine a day where every other person you meet, smiles, opens the door for you, greets you, shows love. How would that make you feel? Would you like to be surrounded by this? Are you willing to be one of these people? Can you handle the challenge? How will you wake up the day after Valentine’s Day? Will you be depressed by a night alone or energized by the interactions and good deeds you did the day before?
the PLAN
Of course I will be challenging myself to step out a bit this year. Here are my five steps to a better world this Valentine’s Day. Some will be easier than others and as this lies ahead in the future, I can only speculate as to how it may go. I throw these out there just to get some ideas in your head on simple steps we can do in our own neighborhoods, circles of friends, or communities that can start a ripple across the globe.
- Call a friend I have lost touch with
- Visit with a stranger in a coffee shop
- Make a nice dinner (not burnt) for my kids and their friends
- Buy a homeless person a meal
- Help someone with something (carry groceries, run an errand, hold a door)
Your ripple today could turn into a wave that gains momentum in the ocean, working it’s way around the world until it lands on a distant land as a tsunami of love.
Thank you for sharing the love of this journey with me. I appreciate all of you as well as your likes and shares. Please add your ideas for simple ways we can all make the world a better place in the comments below.
Andy Vargo is a motivational speaker, life coach and comedian who challenges you to ‘Own Your Awkward’. He is the author of the Awkward Journal series, host of the podcast, Own Your Awkward, and shares thoughts and ideas in his blog and video series available at awkwardcareer.com.
Originally published on LinkedIn