Love has always been an integral part of my work. My first book dealt with weddings and marriage, and my most recent book is about using anecdotes, stories and memories to tell our children how much we love them. Love really is the most powerful force.

I did a segment recently on CBC’s Steven and Chris about “The seven L’s of a long-lasting relationship,” and a viewer wrote me to say that the segment, which focuses on being loving to your mate, loving to others and even loving to yourself, really transformed her marriage and her life.

When you are kind and loving to yourself and take yourself by the hand as you would a small child, acting in a caring, respectful and loving way, your whole being responds in a wonderful way. Similarly, in interacting with other people, even difficult ones – try proceeding from a place of love and watch the dynamic change to a more peaceful and joyous one.

So, in my quest to help people “find their bliss” as it were, I know that it helps to begin from this loving place. Sometimes you don’t feel loving toward someone, and it might feel false at first. But as Anne Frank once said: “When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”

With this in mind, how can we begin to foster more love and caring in all of our human interactions? How do we make love the springboard that we start from?

In Conversations with God, Neal Donald Walsch has an amazing explanation of how love can heal and purify everyone and help people to experience life in its fullest glory.

“Every action taken by human beings is based on love or fear, not simply those dealing with relationships,” Walsch says. “Decisions affecting business, industry, politics, religion, the education of the our young, the social agenda of your nations, the economic goals of your society, choices involving war, peace, attack, defence, aggression, submission, determinations to covet or give away, to save or to share to unite or to divide – every single free choice you ever undertake arises out of the only two possible thoughts there are: a thought of love or a thought of fear.

“Fear is the energy which contracts, closes down, draws in, runs, hides, hoards, harms. Love is the energy which expands, opens up, sends out, stays, reveals, shares, heals… Fear rankles, loves soothes. Fear attacks, love amends.

“Every human thought, word or deed is based on one emotion or the other. You have no choice about this, because there is nothing else from which to choose. But you have free choice about which of these to select.”

We always have choice, and choosing to act from a place of love will always stand us in good stead.

You know the feeling you have when you first fall in love. You have a perpetual smile on your face, you feel giddy, tingly and light with excitement and joy. You are walking on air. When you look at your children, you feel that beautiful, unconditional love. Imagine how wonderful it would be if we could take that emotion and use it much more in all of our human interactions.

Walsch says that “love is the ultimate reality. It is the only. The all. The feeling of love is your experience with God In highest truth… Fear is the other end of love. It is the primal polarity.”

So in essence, what you most fear is what you will continue to attract. But thoughts rooted in love will always lead you to a better place.

Judy Siblin-Librach is an Adler-trained coach. Website: www.findingyourbliss.com, e-mail: [email protected]