"What's love got to do - got to do with it?! What's love but a secondhand emotion?" Sing it Tina!

Oh hey there! Glad you could join me today to examine the idea of love this Valentine's Day! This post will not be super mushy, but it will not be stoic either. It's gonna be somewhere right in the middle! Getting too mushy makes people uncomfortable + being stoic about love is just plain old creepy... Ready for those epic reasons? Here we go...

#10 | There are different types of love

The love most people are familiar with is eros love. Eros is interpreted in Ancient Greek as "love" or "desire." In it's purest context eros is an intimacy between lovers. Agape love is the highest form of love and those who know it's meaning often strive to offer love like this. Agape love is the type of love I discussed on the Periscope about ways to reflect genuine love. Agape love says I love you enough to be honest with you. Agape love says when you need help, I will be there to support you. Agape love also knows when to pull back for the good of the relationship. There is so much to be said about what genuine love is, how we reflect it, how it impacts our character development and much more!

#9 | There are levels to love

We teach kids about boundaries and when we "grow up" we completely throw away our boundaries with others. One of the biggest reasons we get hurt so very often is because we don't keep people on the appropriate "level." For example, I may meet someone at work and instantly love the character or personality they show me, but I still need to give the relationship time to develop. If I jump the gun and act like we've been friends since 3rd grade, I run the risk of being crushed when I figure out that person is actually completely different than I thought. I bumped them up a level in our relationship when they either weren't ready or the relationship was never meant to reach that level.

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Don 't bump people up to levels they were never meant to reach! @seidafthc

#8 | More ways than "Netflix + Chill" to celebrate love

I always hear people say that Valentine's Day is "Singles Awareness Day." Well guess what? It's not! There are tons more ways to celebrate love than Netlfix + Chill! Yes, Valentine's Day is a day where eros love should be celebrated, but it's also a day where people could celebrate genuine friendships. Or families could celebrate having each other. It's not typical, so for some it might sound depressing. When I was a child, we celebrated Valentine's Day by giving/receiving gifts and simply being together. My parents celebrated their relationship as a couple, but also their relationships with us. As a kid, I always had something to look forward to on Valentine's Day. Once I entered into adulthood (during the single years), my friends and I would go to the movies together, go out to eat or just hang out. It wasn't a depressing "Woe is me" time, but we actually had fun together!

#7 | Love is a universal feeling

Love translates between race, age, country, words + anything else you can think of! Love makes us feel good! It feels good when we give love + it feels good when we receive love! Love could be something as simple as a compliment.

#6 | Love is a necessity

There are tons of songs, personal experiences we all have, experiments scientists have conducted that all come to one conclusive fact: everybody needs love. It is not a question or a suggestion, but love is actually essential for survival! Love can be displayed in small acts of kindness. We tend to think of love as this huge thing that no one can figure out - and it is....sometimes... Then there are times where love is so simple that we miss it. Love is sacrificing eating your favorite food near your spouse (for the rest of your life), because your spouse is allergic to it. Love is reading a book to your kid, because it's one of their favorite things to do. Love is waking up at 3 am to go rescue a friend with a flat tire from the expressway. Love is listening to the same story your Mom told you 3 times already. Love is simple, but sometimes we make it complicated.

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I can agree with @seidafthc that love is essential for survival!

#5 | Self-love is very important

How can you love anyone if you don't love yourself? If you have ever taken a ride in an airplane, you've gone through the routine safety demonstration. In the demonstration, the flight attendants tell you the most important portion of helping to save other people's lives is to put your oxygen mask on first. Why? Because you can't be useful if you're not functioning at full capacity. The same is true with our relationships. We have to be a little selfish sometimes in order to be our best for those we love. This means knowing when to take a breather! A breather can be something as simple as 5 minutes alone in the bathroom, 1 hour walking around Target alone or enjoying the game out at Tailgaters!

#4 | Self-confidence (self-love) attracts like-minded people

Your attitude determines the type of people you attract. When someone is confident, it's reflected in their personality, their character + the decisions they make. Everyone wants to be around them, because they are authentic and genuinely invested in the relationships around them. This is a rare quality in today's society, which is why when we run into someone like this we don't want to leave their presence! I'm not talking about someone who is arrogant - I mean someone who is sincere in their desire to give love to others.

#3 | Requires that you pay-it-forward with genuine love

Paying it forward is rewarding! Say what? You heard it right! When is the last time you gave someone a gift you knew they really wanted? Wasn't it exciting to see their faces when they opened the gift? Didn't it make you feel good to know they were truly grateful? Giving from the heart feels good! If you've never given from the heart with no expectations, I would encourage you to try it. Seriously...attempt to give from the heart at a completely unexpected time (not the holiday season) with absolutely no expectations of receiving anything in return!

#2 | Love keeps you alive

Think about the lowest moment in your life. Go on + think about it...even though it might be painful....what other emotions did you feel? What was going on in your life? Was it chaotic? Did you feel overwhelmed? Now take a moment to think about the people who were involved in helping you pull through that rough patch. I'm sure there is at least one specific person who came to mind. It sounds really silly to say love keeps you alive, but it's true. There is an extremely thin line between sanity + insanity. Whoever helped you pull through that situation could have saved you from crossing that line.

#1 | There are ALWAYS people in your life to celebrate Valentine's Day with!

As Valentine's Day approaches, I would encourage you to think about it differently this year. Celebrate with your family, but don't forget to celebrate with others who may not necessarily have a significant other. Celebrate with your friends! Celebrate by volunteering (genuine love) at a homeless shelter + making someone feel special there! Celebrate with an elderly person who may not have family! It doesn't really matter which option you choose, as long as you're giving freely of yourself!

How are you planning on reflecting genuine love this Valentine's Day? What are your #epicreasons Valentine's Day is for everyone? Let me know in the comments below or on social media!

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