Love Your Family = Change The World

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” ~ Mother Teresa 

In the last several months, I’ve repeatedly spoken with others who are feeling a great need to do something to heal the current state of our world. Which is why I’ve been writing about this topic all month. And while I agree, our world is in dire need of healing, I also think that we can get so focused on what’s happening outside that we forget to look inside – inside ourselves and our own homes.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think it is important to do our best to be active parts of our community and support others with love and compassion, but sometimes we need to begin in our own space. Which is why when I saw today’s quote, it actually lit me up because it’s something I’ve been talking to several of my clients about. As a matter of fact, I recently told a group of women that I was working with, “If you want to change the world, start with your family. You might not be able to change the whole world and thinking you must can feel tremendously overwhelming. However, what you can do is start with teaching your children how to have love and compassion for themselves and others. Teach them to be kind, caring citizens, teach them to be non-judgmental and to love unconditionally. In doing that, you create a ripple effect. And in doing that, you begin to do your part to heal the world.”

See, many of the women I work with suffer from "Superwoman Syndrome". Constantly trying to keep up with their families and full careers or run their own businesses, but stretched way too thin. So although they want to be out changing the world, they feel overwhelmed with their own lives. And often find themselves doing too much and sacrificing themselves in the process. This then results in added stress at home or strain on relationships with those they love most. Has that ever happened to you? I am certainly guilty!

Just the other day, I was stressed about a big project I’m working on and was completely rude to my husband and my girls. I was not acting very loving to them and I certainly wasn’t loving myself in that moment. I was snappy and short with them… and then I caught myself. I realized what I was doing, I hit the reset button and I apologized. Since then, even though I’m still busy working on my project, I’ve made a conscious effort to show up in a loving way to my family. And part of being able to do that comes from caring for myself. I can not only be a role model to my family in this instant, but I know that my energy, whether loving and kind or disrespectful and snappy, ripples and affects how they show up too.   

Again, please note that I’m not saying that getting involved in your community (or beyond) to be of service is not needed. But helping your community can start at home. And perhaps even more importantly, as I mentioned last week, it must start with the core of where love must come from. And that is the love of self. Because being kind, caring, non-judgmental and loving yourself unconditionally is the key to filling your own heart so you can give abundantly with the overflow you feel. But when you don’t have love and compassion for yourself, you will never be completely able to be of full service to the world.

As I’ve expressed all month… I believe our world is in desperate need of love, kindness and compassion. If we are to heal from the pains of the past and stop the destruction of the future, we must all do our part. So, as we come to the end of the “month of love”, I want to encourage you to keep going with my challenge to double down on your goodness. Let your part of changing the world begin with loving yourself and your family then let it ripple out to your community and beyond.

***Send an email to [email protected] with the subject line: Doubling Down and letting me know what acts of love and kindness you plan to start practicing regularly for yourself and others. And in return, I’ll send you a gift of love from me.