Express your Love with your Heart, your Kindness and your Words

"Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most love is lost."? ??????

- Khalil Gibran

I found the following text written by Bianca Sparacino on Instagram the other day and took the liberty to edit and tweak it for today's Food for Thought post.

"You can sabotage your life by desensitizing yourself. We are all afraid to say too much, to feel too deeply, to let people know what they mean to us.?

"Expressing to someone how special they are to you will make you vulnerable. There is no denying that. However, there is something breathtakingly beautiful in the moments of magic that occur when you strip down and are honest with those important to you.

"Express, express, express. Open yourself up, do not harden yourself to the world, and be bold in who and how you love. There is courage in that."?

Even in the most intimate relationships, you only get so close because of words unsaid and feelings unexpressed. Tensions build because of these subtle mental blocks, and you never quite reach the ultimate loving relationship you long for with your partner, parents, children, siblings, friends or co-workers.?

Judgment and criticism build walls that separate us from one another; pulling us apart and withholding us from true love and connection. They maim relationships like tiny daggers, perpetuating wounds that may never heal, and making it almost impossible for our true feelings to overcome the invisible barriers we create.

Decades ago, I read Alan Lakein's book How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. Lakein invites us to answer the question, "If you knew you had only six months to live and you would be healthy until the day you die, what would you do?"?

One of the things I wrote was to connect with everyone I loved and tell them how much they meant to me.

The first person I called was my dad, and I told him how much I loved him and how grateful I was for his love and all he taught me. A few months later, he died unexpectedly. I will be forever grateful that I was able to share that with him before he was gone.

The recent visit of Moe's brothers and sister was a gift for me from the McBride clan that I will cherish forever. I could see how much they care for each other and how connected they are. Each family member has experienced personal tragedies, and the family's oldest brother and sister died young. It was an inspiration to see the kindness and heartfelt love the remaining McBride brothers and sisters share.????

There are so many people in my life I am grateful for, and I am so fortunate to be married to Moe, my partner, best friend, and soulmate. On Tuesday, I dedicated a post to my friend Marty, and it was a wonderful way to express my love for his friendship for almost fifty years.

Words matter. Respect and encouragement matter. Touching hearts and souls matter.?

We can't control others, but we can control ourselves, and our acts of kindness are contagious.

Make today, and every day, the day you tell someone you love how grateful you are that they are in your life.?

You have the power to make someone's day. And it'll brighten your day too.

If you want to receive Rich’s invaluable lessons daily sign up for his newsletter HERE.

Rich's latest book People, Time & Money is available HERE.

?www.coachtothebest.com