Love Actually… Is All Around
What if we were to dig deeper to be more present to what we love doing and being?
I was recently at Heathrow airport, and as I was walking through the exit gates from customs I was reminded of re-watching the movie Love Actually over the holidays. I love that movie in particular for the opening scene narrated by Hugh Grant. It’s set at this moment—walking off a plane and meeting one’s family and friends upon arrival. He says, “Love actually is… all around.” It gets me every time. A tear is shed. I may be a bit sentimental, but it really is a beautiful reminder… Love actually is… all around. For a somewhat silly movie that has questionable cinematic value, that scene reminds me that there is simple goodness in the world, that love exists more than we realize, and that joy and enjoyment can be experienced if we allow ourselves to become more present to it.
What if we were to foster and seek out that love beyond just in our relationships?
Some of us wonder and feel like we don’t know what we want to be doing, or we think what we come up with is generic (I’ve been there). But oftentimes when we get quiet or we look more closely, there are clues. There is insight in the details. What if we were to dig deeper to be more present to what we love doing and being?
In this month of love, I’ll invite you to consider 3 Questions:
1. What is your heart calling you to do?
I was asked this inquiry last year during a coaching session. It stopped me. My head often reigns. It helped me be reminded to get quiet and listen for what my heart is calling me to do now.
2. What does your heart need?
Since last year, I’ve been craving creative space. I decided that my heart needed time away and a change of scenery after hunkering down at home for almost two years. That’s what took me to London for two weeks, spending a lot of time in seven different libraries such as the British Library shown above, to dig further into my creative work.
3. What do you love to do and who do you love to be?
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, and in this episode with Kaira Jewel Lingo she mentioned this beautiful quote by Theologian Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” I loved this! What makes you come alive?
Here’s to loving what we do a little more each day. 💘
//
Want to sign-up for Sustainable Ambition™ Forum, our newsletter? Join here!
Sustainable Ambition™ is about crafting a fulfilling career to support your life from decade to decade.
It is centered around articulating your personal definition of success and achieving that without burnout while honoring your personal aspirations and ambitions as they ebb and flow over time. The end game—more fulfillment and ease in your professional and personal life, while still being ambitious.
We offer 1:1 Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, or Career Strategy Coaching, as well as VIP Leadership Brand Sessions and Workshops on a range of Sustainable Ambition topics. We also provide tips and inspiration, advice on career management over the decades, guides on key Sustainable Ambition topics of interest, and coverage of tools and inspiration.