An Exercise To Love Your Life
Let’s do an exercise to Love your Life. When I think of someone who loves their life, I always think of Walter, my friend’s Corgi. He’s always smiling. If it’s snowing outside, Walter still loves his life. If it’s sunny outside, Walter loves his life. If it’s rainy, he loves his life.
What if… there is something that he clearly will not enjoy— like a bath? Then… does Walter love his life? Yes. He won’t take a bath, he’ll start backing out of the bathroom and howling— he’s shaking his head and saying “DO NOT WANT.”
Why doesn’t he want it? Because Walter LOVES HIS LIFE.
When you love your life— you don’t do anything that makes you NOT love your life. So even negative things don’t affect your capacity to love your life. Loving your life doesn’t mean you say YES to everything. It means that even when you say NO, ya’ still love your life.
Hmmm… think about that for a moment.
STEP 1: Think about something you said YES to, recently
Think about something you said YES to, recently. Did you say yes because you loved your life? If not, then why did you say yes? Write it down in your journal.
STEP 2: Think about something you said NO to, recently
Now think about something you said NO to, recently. Did you do it because you loved your life? If not, then why did you say no? Write it down in your journal. Anyone want to share their thoughts?
STEP 3: Write in your journal “I love my life.”
Please write in your journal: I love my life.
I say YES because I love my life.
I say NO because I love my life.
Now, write in your journal:
I love my life: List 10 reasons why you love your life.
STEP 4: Is there a pattern?
Did you notice a pattern? There is a reason why you love your life. And all the reasons will point to the same thing.
The reasons why you love your life is because all those reasons allow you to be who you really are.
Why A Rich Man Loves His Life
Remember Chris who comes to our church a few times? He calls me up every now and then tells me why he loves his life. He always says, “I love you, Vicky, as my friend. I love when we go on road trips. I love relaxing at the beach and going hiking.”
I realized something. Here is a man worth $200M who hasn’t once donated a single dollar to my church and all the things he listed about why he loves his life— is because those things make him forget that he’s worth $200M.
He wants with all his heart to not have money get in his way of loving his life.
The reasons he loves his life— is because he gets to be who he really is: a poor man who has friends… who love him for just himself, and not his money.
Now, he’s wrong. I do love him for his money and I need him to donate to my church— but he doesn’t know that (yet).
His experience is that he loves his life the most— when we are driving his junky car with the broken ignition he literally starts his car every time by jabbing a screwdriver into the gear shaft— and that’s when he loves his life the most. When we’re on road trips, too cheap to stay in a hotel, and we have to stay in a tent.
That’s when he loves his life the most— when he just gets to be some guy just like everyone else. It makes him feel real. Because he’s not lonely. There are a ton of people in the campsite with us— all with junky cars. He gets to be one of the guys. He’s not a young real estate tycoon. He gets to be part of a community. He’s not alone. That’s why he loves his life. Because he’s not alone.
Why Walter the Corgi Loves His Life
I’ll give you another example— Walter the Corgi. I wrote his Sunday sermon homework for him:
I love my life ruff ruff!
Why? Let me count the ways:
I’m the best
I’m the best
I’m the best
I’m the best in the snow
I’m the best in the sun
I’m the best in the rain
I’m the best in the bath NOT. Nope nope nope.
Why You Love Your Life
When you finally get down to it, you know why you love your life— it’s because of you.
You love your life because of you. Because you get to be you.
