Press Release Summary = When we focus on spreading love, we end up feeling better about ourselves and the world in which we live, says Nancy Christie, author of The Gifts of Change.
Press Release Body = February is the month of love, but all too often, the focus is on getting, not giving that most precious emotion, says Nancy Christie, author of The Gifts of Change and creator of the Community of Change web site (www.communityofchange.com). "Those of us in relationships weigh and measure our loved one's expression of affection, while those who are feeling the lack of love find all the hearts and flowers focus irritating at best and painful at most." The solution, Christie says, isn't to turn our backs on celebrating love but instead actively engage in it by becoming a "Love Bug." What's a "Love Bug?" According to Christie, a "Love Bug" shares a lot of the same attributes as some of the other "bugs" we are familiar with: the colds and flu viruses, even the "bugs" that infect our computer and e-mail. "Once they start, there's no stopping them. They spread seemingly with the speed of light and infect everyone they touch. 'Love Bugs' operate the same way," explains Christie, "but what they spread is the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from sharing positive emotions. A confirmed 'Love Bug' knows no boundaries and no restrictions. Everyone is fair game for some love germs: family, friends, co-workers, stranger on the street or half-way around the world." It's not hard to be a "Love Bug", says Christie, you just have to make a conscious effort to make other people feel good about themselves and the world in which they live. "And the best part about being a Love Bug is that all that love you're spreading will, one way or the other, come back to you!" But for many of us, becoming a "Love Bug" can be a bit of a challenge. "We often don't realize who much of our interaction with others has a negative component," Christie says. "We are very quick to complain, criticize or express disappointment. But when it comes to saying something positive - even to those we love -the words remain unspoken. We think they know how we feel. But even if they do, there is something very powerful in hearing it." Christie goal is to encourage people to be "Love Bugs" during the month of February. Her "Be a Love Bug" worksheet, available at www.communityofchange.com provides some strategies to help people "catch the bug" and pass it on to others. "For family and friends, it's probably a combination of biting our tongues and opening our mouths," laughs Christie. "We refrain from all those little critical remarks we generally make, and instead focus on expressing only positive emotions - which, for many of us, can be a huge change in how we converse!" Being a true "Love Bug" doesn't stop with those he or she knows, she points out. "There are so many people who cross our paths on a daily basis that we look at but don't really see," she says. "We are so wrapped up in our own little world that we think we can't spare the emotion or energy to open up to other people. But the great part about being a 'Love Bug' is that it generates energy, not depletes it. As for emotion, it's kind of like the Biblical 'loaves and fishes' story: the more love we share, the more we have!"
2012
