Writing Challenge: How To Keep Love In Your Heart…
“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” Oscar Wilde
Writing Challenge: How To Keep Love In Your Heart…
I. Have An Intention to Love More
When I read this week’s writing challenge, I knew it was time to go back to StripGenerator and create some strips as part of my How To project for this post. As I mulled over a number of topic choices, I was reminded again that the subject of love never gets tired or old. We recently celebrated Valentine’s Day and while some of us enjoyed the festivities with the usual; chocolates and jewelry, others sat home reliving old hurts or reminiscing about loved ones who’d passed away. I feel that even a small shift in our intention to love more, would be a great way to help us all move forward.
“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Writing Challenge: How To Keep Love In Your Heart…
II. Practice The Action Steps Listed
If you read the strips, you’d see that the group learned about the concept of love and developed a list on how to keep love in our hearts. What I loved about creating the strips is that I had to give the characters clear and specific roles, and then make sure that the words they spoke and ideas shared were consistent. How do we keep love in our hearts? The following actions; forgiveness, compassion, helping and sharing, and self love, will not only open our hearts to love fully again but they are important tools for life. We can start with forgiving ourselves and those who have hurt us. A while ago, I had an unpleasant exchange with someone and every time I saw them, I would feel a twinge of hurt and anger. When it be came unbearable, I knew I had to let it go by forgiving the person, letting the event go, and forgiving myself. We must honor both sides. More below!
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” Aristotle
Writing Challenge: How To Keep Love In Your Heart…
III. Share Your Love & Goodwill
Reading uplifting words and books are an important way to stay connected to the love and goodwill in our communities. When I read an uplifting book or enjoy a Rumi poem, it cheers me up and opens a floodgate of gratitude inside. I can take those experiences with me and share them wherever I go and be a positive influence or presence to others. My yoga teacher used to say “keep the company of good people but, above all, keep the company of your heart and mind.” When we nourish our hearts and minds with good deeds and share them with others, that makes the difference.
This post was inspired by the Daily Post Weekly Writing Challenge Prompt: Weekly Writing Challenge: Image vs. Text Detail a three to five step story or process—anything from a how-to, to turning points in your life so far, to a story with a beginning, middle, and end—and break up the parts with eye-catching, attention-grabbing images.
*Please bear with me as I’m finally beginning to catch up on your blogs and commenting… I’m back on track; albeit at a slow pace. Thank you all for your patience! 
Positive Motivation Tip: Practice forgiving more, sharing more, helping more, loving more, with compassion and self love. The more we practice the stronger we become. Namaste.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All strips created by me at StripGenerator.com
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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Self love is probably the hardest and the easiest thing to do. It’s the thing we do last because we’ve been taught to look to the other for love when love really has to start from us. Like the strips, Elizabeth.
TY Marcia! Some of us grew up believing it’s wrong to have such love as it’s seen as selfish. Self love is really about self care and respect. 🙂
Love your creative strips, Elizabeth. I have always heard, “the hardest people to love are the ones who need it the most.” Knowing that is good practice for using the four practices.
I hear you and I agree… We could all benefit from a bit of love. 🙂 TY!
very innovative strips, very practical ideas of promoting love and goodwill.
TY Meenakshi! I have to complete the haiku series which I haven’t done since Thursday… See you soon. 😉
I love filling my head with positive words and images. Then they can live inside there in case I need them.
Same Genevieve and I wonder if the title is a tad misleading? Perhaps it should ask how do you keep love in your heart when the going get rough? 🙂 TY!
I absolutely love your strip art – I’m going to go over and have a look at this strip generator 😉
I really believe that it’s hard for people to love and respect others unless they love and respect themselves. This is a great post for the challenge and I loved this line “When we nourish our hearts and minds with good deeds and share them with others, that makes the difference” so very true indeed! 😀
TY Dianne! I appreciate your feedback very much… True. I agree with you that “it’s hard for people to love and respect others unless they love and respect themselves.” It’s a topic that fascinates me and so I explore it to learn more… TY As for the site, do check it out. It’s fun and free. I added the color background afterwards. 🙂
Your title immediately reminded me of my husband. I work so hard to be grateful for him and his love for me every day. I know it can be easy to take those who love us for granted, and Wilde’s garden analogy can be taken further—if you don’t tend that garden, who is responsible for the lack of flowers? Thank you for your wonderful post…as always! <3
TY for sharing about your hubby. What a blessing. TY! 🙂
He truly is!
This is a creative post and the strips are just great for the topic. The colors are very inviting too!
B
TY! I had fun working on the strips even though I had to do theme over a few times. 😉
Beautiful! Prof. Eliz, that was a soulful lecture on love. You are so creative in how you relay your topics. I enjoyed the strips. Diannegray said it, a person with a nourished heart and mind in good deeds will share a well being to others that I call civic love. Thanks for the post 🙂
TY for the kind words… most appreciated. 🙂 I’ve been out lately and finding my footing again.
Is this the first time you’ve shared the strips? I don’t remember seeing them before. Well done on creating them.
I shared them one other time; on my FP post Ode to a junk mail junkie… 😆 TY!
You always bring out the most wonderful quotes. Aristotle this time. Keeping love in your heart is the key to being civilised in our approach to others.
Yes TY! I believe love holds us all together… and I mean the unconditional variety. Love your writings too… 🙂
Aristotle is one of my faves. Kinda like the little black dress of philosophers as he goes with everything. Love the strip art Eliz.
Love your take Miriam… BTW, how’s my evil nemesis Captcha doing? Urg! 😆
Fortunately love comes easy to me! I’m usually bursting with it for my family and I also am such a bleeding heart. There is no better love than the love of a child!
Good for you dear Nicole… You are love and loved! I knew it when I met you. TY! 😉
I’ve been working on this myself. It’s so hard sometimes but I’m not giving up 🙂 Thank you for the heartful post Eliz
TY for your honest feedback… We are all working on this, you know… 😉
Yeah I know, we’re all more connected than we may realize 🙂
Exactly! TY! 🙂
So true. Love seems easier said that done. In a world where materialism and self indulgence seems to be in full volume, love gets lost. But love in its pure form is worth every pain, sacrifice and effort. Thanks for the inspiration.
TY IT! You are amazing… and I thank you for such beauty in your heart and words… 😉
Great advice for a world too busy to spare time for love Eliz. The strips are a creative idea 🙂
TY Madhu! When did you sneak in to comment? Lady are you pulling all-nighters too? AND I’m still behind… You are an angel! TY! 🙂
Even a smile can make all the difference! Spread the love ♥
Beautiful post and great tips!
TY D! You are such a smart young lady and a good soul… Glad we connected too. 😉