June 13, 2013

The ability to give and receive love is an essential skill in creating a balanced and joyful life.

I wanted to share with you a very simple concept that is surprisingly useful.

This is from a series of books called the Five Love Languages.

The author Gary Chapman asserts that we each have one, two or three ways that we are most naturally and easily able to receive love from others, and that it is essential for you and the people around you to know, so they know how to best love you.

When people around us express their care and affection in these ways we most appreciate, we feel loved.

On the contrary, if people are putting tons of effort into showing their love for you in a way you don’t particularly care for, you just won’t feel loved as much.

So figuring this out and communicating your needs with the people in your life is essential to maximize the pleasure of giving and receiving love and affection in everyday life.

The Five Languages of Love:

Words of Affirmation – Using words to affirm and complement

Acts of Service – Helping out practically, not using words. Allowing “actions to speak louder than words”

Receiving Gifts – For some people receiving gifts makes them feel most loved.

Quality Time – Spending time being given undivided attention

Physical Touch – For some nothing speaks louder than touch appropriate for the relationship.

Do any of these feel most important to you? Do some feel irrelevant?

How do the people around you show their love to you?

Is it what you want?

Do you know what your partner’s preferences are?

Do you offer them what they most want?

I know I love spending quality time, words of affirmation and touch.

Receiving gifts is not my thing, time and touch is far more important to me.

Knowing this my partner and I craft birthday and anniversary times around spending time together, most often going on a weekend trip away together.

I get a card with lovely heartfelt writing in it and a fabulous massage.

But we don’t exchange actual gifts, as nothing you could wrap would top spending time together!

But everyone is different.

What makes you feel most loved?

Can you communicate that information to those you love, so that you can receive another’s love more effectively and fully?

And of course it is so fabulous to know what your partner prefers.

As with all things, clarity and communication works wonders, so be sure to ask the people in your life how they best like to be loved and feel free to ask for more of what you like from those who love you so you can get so filled up with love.

That way you can be fully fueled and get out there and keep doing your thing in the world to the best of your ability!

May you know that you are so loved and may you give and receive love from others more fully!

Charlotte Mia Rose

June 10, 2013