There's a wonderful support network developing worldwide of people who understand what this big calling is, the calling of love. People often ask me, "Is it selfish to want to experience more love? Aren't you just focusing on yourself?" and my answer is that it's the least selfish thing you can do. When you start living more and more in higher states of love, it affects everyone around you and it's the biggest way you can contribute to this planet.
Marci ShimoffI believe love is why we're here on the planet and that ultimately it's our purpose for life. They say people who've had near-death experiences often report back that at the end of our lives we have a life review and we're asked one question, and that question is, how much did you love?
Marci ShimoffWhen you're happy for no reason, you're unconditionally happy. It's not that your life always looks perfect - it's just that however it looks, you'll still be happy.
Marci ShimoffThe second doorway has to do with vitality. It's about feeling alive, vital, and feeling the life-force flow through us. This doorway is also known as the creativity center and it houses a great sense of aliveness in it.
Marci ShimoffTo make the quickest progress, you don't have to take huge leaps. You just have to take baby steps-and keep on taking them. In Japan, they call this approach kaizen, which literally translates as 'continual improvement.' Using kaizen, great and lasting success is achieved through small, consistent steps. It turns out that slow and steady is the best way to overcome your resistance to change.
Marci ShimoffBring happiness to your everyday experiences rather than try to extract happiness from them and however life looks, you'll be happy.
Marci ShimoffIf you think about the times in life when you've been the most deeply fulfilled, they're the times that you've felt love. Whether it's watching a sunset, spending time with a pet or being with a partner with whom you feel an intensely deep connection.
Marci ShimoffLike your weight set-point, which keeps the scale hovering around the same number, your happiness set-point will remain the same unless you make a concerted effort to change it.
Marci ShimoffIn an experiment by Dr. Robert Emmons at the University of CaliforniaโDavis, people who kept a โgratitude journal,โ a weekly record of things they felt grateful for, enjoyed better physical health, were more optimistic, exercised more regularly, and described themselves as happier than a control group who didnโt keep journals.
Marci ShimoffThe best way to keep relationships happy, healthy, and supportive can be summed up in one word: appreciation. What you appreciate, appreciates. When we demonstrate our appreciation for the support we receive from others, it reinforces that behavior and deepens our connection to them.
Marci ShimoffI did some more soul searching. I asked myself, "What do I want more than happiness?" and there was only one answer - the only thing that trumps happiness is love. Not the kind of love we are normally taught about, but the kind of unconditional love that is a deep inner state which doesn't depend on any person, situation or a romantic partner. That's how I define Love for No Reason: it's an inner state of love.
Marci ShimoffPractice experiencing your feelings directly and completely by observing them as they move through your mind and body and then letting them go.
Marci ShimoffLove isnโt just something we feel for others, itโs who we are. Though we usually think of love as a stream of emotion flowing between two people, love is more like an ocean thatโs inside and all around us. Instead of walking around with a little cup, begging for a few drops of love from others, recognize that youโre the huge ocean of love.
Marci Shimoff