Can I be honest? If I can’t say it today, when can I? I love to talk about love. The falling in, the falling out, and everything in between.

The first love of my life was Leo. Leo DiCaprio. Maybe you’ve heard the name. Do you remember that famous scene when he draws Kate Winslet in Titanic? To refresh your memory, for one unforgettable moment [2:50] the screen is focused only on his face; his hair is perfectly fallen across his forehead, his eyes full of intensity and desire. I was twelve and I wanted love like that.

Next was the one and only Justin Timberlake, aka “JT”. I mean, c’mon, Justin was sexy and smooth (still is). And for the record, when he pointed to the crowd and sang, “God must have spent a little more time, on you,” he meant it. I was fourteen and I wanted love like that.

Ok, so you might say I was over the top boy-crazy or even en route to being queen of the teenyboppers.

But hold up a sec, I wasn’t SO far off the mark! Who wouldn’t want the love of ‘Nsync songs and great romantic films if she believed she could find it?

Do you believe? Or have you gotten older, had your heart broken, and now consider your belief in true love childish? I only ask because that seems to be a pattern. It happened to me too. We lose faith, our expectations of love start to change, and we end up settling for much less than we deserve.

What to do? Wake up. Believe again. Stop justifying lack.

Start a conversation. Smile. Stay open. Do whatever it takes to dream big and tap into that childlike faith again. Leo or JT might not do it for you (I’m still holding out…), but figure out what does, stay clear about it, and then go out every day expecting to find it. You never know, you might just meet someone while waiting for a train.

Now think about the last time you felt overwhelmed by love.

Maybe it was love for a person, or maybe it was for a project, a place, an activity, a community.

Do you remember feeling hungry? Or between meals did you feel nourished simply by your good life? Were you devouring an entire bag of tortilla chips before bed or instead, were you diving into new music, an exciting book, or someone’s open arms?

Next time you find yourself longing for candy, cookies, or snacking for no good reason ask yourself this – what am I really craving?

I can almost guarantee it’s not the food. Why? Because your body doesn’t need more sugar. But your life? It can always use more sweetness.

If you’re not finding  joy and fulfillment between meals, all the food in the world won’t satisfy your hunger.

Ok, so what if you’re not feeling a whole lot of love and satisfaction in your life right now?  No big deal.  It’s up to you to create it!

Start with some of the following tips.

  • Identify friends who inspire you, who you make you feel comfortable, at ease. Find a way to spend more time with those people. Invite them for lunch or tea.
  • Figure out the amount of social time and intimacythat feels good to you. Just like the amount of protein or fat in our diets, we each have a specific balance of togetherness and aloneness that is appropriate for our lives.
  • Spend time outside, every day.
  • Give more hugs. Get a massage. Don’t underestimate the importance of physical contact.
  • Get MOVING – walk, run, dance, do yoga, or just jump up and down!

I’ve got hundreds of other ideas! What about you? Visit me on FB and let me know!