Are You Afraid of Love?

Love and success - the two things that may people want more than anything in this life. They're both concepts that lead to access, comfort and a sense of exclusivity - I made it. I belong. I'm one of the lucky ones.

Are you keeping yourself from these incredible feelings out of fear?

It's not uncommon in both business and love that we sabotage ourselves. We start to see fault in the positive and accentuate the negative because...well...we simply don't feel we deserve it. Instead of letting this happen to you, have a look at some tips and tricks you can use to keep from throwing yourself under the bus and keep moving towards the end-goal: a life you love WITH someone you love each morning you wake up.

Stop Bickering - Bickering is the result of "small stuff." Before you choose to bicker the next time, take a deep breath and ask yourself: will this matter in an hour? Five hours? Five years? If the answer is "no," then maybe say nothing or throw in a much-needed and never overused "I love you" or smile instead. Seriously - don't sweat the small stuff and most of it truly IS small stuff.

Offer Praise - Someone's else's success doesn't take away from your worth as a partner or person. When your lover or colleague succeeds, feel proud! This successful person chose you! You're a part of their team, in life or in the office, and you made a contribution. There's an old adage that goes something like, "Success is easy if you don't mind who gets the credit." Imagine how your lover and colleagues will feel when you have a success. Hearing words of praise - genuine words - will go miles towards making you feel ten feet off the ground than a half-hearted word of congrats.

Gossip Less - When we gossip, we're telling ourselves and everyone around us that our lives are so boring that we need to talk about other people's. Really? Your life is that boring? Why not shift the time you spend gossiping to asking yourself what you can do to solve a problem or build your business...help your partner...be productive? Those are activities that yield positive results. Instead of tearing someone else down, build your life UP. If you can't find anything to say or think that's proactive, take a deep breath and don't say anything. That's a great way to spend time, too.

Visualize - Ask yourself, "What does my picture of success look like?" Think about the big picture first and then think about the small things that make up that big picture. Reach out and touch them. Now ask yourself, "What do I have to do in order to get each and every one of the things I'm seeing in my big picture?" Start small. If you can visualize the steps it takes to get you towards your big goal, the goal suddenly seems much more easy to achieve, doesn't it? In order to find your soul mate, maybe you need to start dating again. Maybe the first step that fits with your lifestyle is to sign-up for an online dating site. So you do. Now we're cooking!

Admit It - You're a great person and you deserve to have great things happen to you. Maybe you have some changes you want to make in your life, but who doesn't? Maybe you've had some less-than-optimal moments. Who hasn't? Maybe you lost your job, got divorced, had your house foreclosed upon, got into a car accident...so what? Where are you now? Where do you want to be? Those are the only two questions that matter. You're great and no one is perfect, but the bottom line is - you're perfect for someone out there.