By the time tomorrow is over, one way the other we will have a new President in the U.S. And perhaps, like me you’ve tried and failed to curtail your media intake. Election fatigue has likely touched you in someway. It's funny, and it's not—the way in which we seem to be slogging through a collective PTSD experience. How could we not? It's the current function of our political system to decipher the right word combinations to set off emotional landmines, triggering our psyches, our vulnerable places, tapping into our values and motivations for the purpose swaying our votes. Unfortunately for us, most of the focus of this entire election has been a constant stimulation of our fears. Who isn't tired of having their buttons pushed deliberately? Personally, I can't wait for this whole bad reality show to be over.
Which is why today I determinedly take a stand for love in the face of fear. What ever challenges lay ahead, I vote for love.
Perhaps it's feisty stubbornness, a tenacity of spirit that makes me unwilling to give up hope on the future. Subverting our values via fear positions us as opponents staunchly attached to a point view, where which ever candidate wins, we all lose something more precious and vital to our continued survival: our connection to each other.
We know how to do fear. Like many of my generation, I fed on a diet of fear in my youth. Fear of rejection, fear of physical harm, fear of the end of the world, fear of others and fear of not being enough – not knowing my voice mattered. And as familiar as this terrain may be, in all honesty, it feels pretty shitty, so why choose it?
As human animals, our brains are wired to anticipate and react to fear, to protect ourselves against threats, guaranteeing the continuation of our species. It's our ancient "negativity bias" that's kept us from becoming prey and to be on the look out for unforeseen dangers. On the flipside, intrinsically we also know how to love. It's that feeling that comes naturally when looking into an infant’s eyes, or holding any newborn life in your hands. We have the capacity to love unconditionally and without reason. It's equally important to recognize the goodness of our nature, soften to the heart’s wisdom, as it knows how to choose what feels best. Love is the most powerful antidote to fear and it is ours to use.
Working with clients as a transformational life coach, I often hear different versions of fear playing out through their lives. It's given me some perspective on core internal challenges most of us face on the path to self-awareness crucial for evolution. Our fears make us easy targets for the kind of manipulation both candidates and the media have used in excess. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, I doubt that you've been able to avoid the impact of specifically charged words directed at the soft-underbelly of your being.
Despite the discomforting ugliness of the issues we must address as a country, and electing the next person to govern it, we have a bigger choice to vote upon. Fear or love? What motivation do you want to live by? Harness the awareness your conscious mind–it’s your personal super-power. Turn the tables on fear and call forward all the love you possess. Vote from your heart. Drop fear like the toxic thing it is and dig into the deep resources of your best self. Love what you love: your children, this planet, the truth, God/the Divine, your neighbors, your family, yourself. Like Michael Franti says, “love needs us" (click here for video).
So please, go out and love someone today. Generate the energy you want to live in. There’s so many opportunities to practice loving: from the person behind the counter who needs some appreciation, the guy on the street in want of your smile, the woman next to you in line looking stressed out, to your pet, your partner, your own tender heart — you might even like how it feels. BE LOVE and vote with your being. It’s your right.
Which is why today I determinedly take a stand for love in the face of fear. What ever challenges lay ahead, I vote for love.
Perhaps it's feisty stubbornness, a tenacity of spirit that makes me unwilling to give up hope on the future. Subverting our values via fear positions us as opponents staunchly attached to a point view, where which ever candidate wins, we all lose something more precious and vital to our continued survival: our connection to each other.
We know how to do fear. Like many of my generation, I fed on a diet of fear in my youth. Fear of rejection, fear of physical harm, fear of the end of the world, fear of others and fear of not being enough – not knowing my voice mattered. And as familiar as this terrain may be, in all honesty, it feels pretty shitty, so why choose it?
As human animals, our brains are wired to anticipate and react to fear, to protect ourselves against threats, guaranteeing the continuation of our species. It's our ancient "negativity bias" that's kept us from becoming prey and to be on the look out for unforeseen dangers. On the flipside, intrinsically we also know how to love. It's that feeling that comes naturally when looking into an infant’s eyes, or holding any newborn life in your hands. We have the capacity to love unconditionally and without reason. It's equally important to recognize the goodness of our nature, soften to the heart’s wisdom, as it knows how to choose what feels best. Love is the most powerful antidote to fear and it is ours to use.
Working with clients as a transformational life coach, I often hear different versions of fear playing out through their lives. It's given me some perspective on core internal challenges most of us face on the path to self-awareness crucial for evolution. Our fears make us easy targets for the kind of manipulation both candidates and the media have used in excess. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, I doubt that you've been able to avoid the impact of specifically charged words directed at the soft-underbelly of your being.
Despite the discomforting ugliness of the issues we must address as a country, and electing the next person to govern it, we have a bigger choice to vote upon. Fear or love? What motivation do you want to live by? Harness the awareness your conscious mind–it’s your personal super-power. Turn the tables on fear and call forward all the love you possess. Vote from your heart. Drop fear like the toxic thing it is and dig into the deep resources of your best self. Love what you love: your children, this planet, the truth, God/the Divine, your neighbors, your family, yourself. Like Michael Franti says, “love needs us" (click here for video).
So please, go out and love someone today. Generate the energy you want to live in. There’s so many opportunities to practice loving: from the person behind the counter who needs some appreciation, the guy on the street in want of your smile, the woman next to you in line looking stressed out, to your pet, your partner, your own tender heart — you might even like how it feels. BE LOVE and vote with your being. It’s your right.
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