5 min read
The next time you are in a tricky situation and not sure what to do, ask yourself – What would love do?
The method that I used to use previously was similar, but took the angle of: What would you tell your future child to do? (substitute future with current if you already have kids). The idea was to follow the advice that I would give my future child if they were in my situation. Essentially: practice what I would preach. The result was making the choice that would make me feel happy, proud and content.
For example, consider that you are walking your dog in the park and come across some other dog owner who decided not to pick up after their dog. What do you do? Do you do the “right” thing and ask them to pick it up? Do you do the “right” thing and ignore it since it is none of your business? Do you do the “right” thing and take out your phone, start recording and report them to the authorities – or post it on social media? Do you do the “right” thing and be kind and just clean up? There are many options and the answer in MOST cases is IT DEPENDS… it depends on the situation. Factors like who, what, where, when, etc. will change what you decide is best in that situation.
That was never good enough for me. Like a lot of us, thinking through options can be overwhelming. No matter what decision you make, even if at the time it feels right, some part of you always ends up second-guessing it later.
So my way of reducing my second-guessing/guilt/regret was to tell myself: If my child was next to me or in the situation, what action from them would make me happy, proud, and content? And then I would do that. Most often for me, the answer is “don’t stress out and breathe.” When I see myself saying that, I actually listen. Funnily, if I hear this advice from someone else all I do is silently scream – “shut up, you’re not helping!”
I have asked the same question to others too. For example: when your partner has difficulty deciding on whether to take this new job opportunity, DON’T tell them what you would do. Instead, ask them, what would they tell their future child to do? Empower them with curiosity and provide clarity, not advice and direction (unless they ask for it).
My version of this phrase changed to “What would love do?” after our Podcast Episode with Kim Sorrell.
Following up on your advice can be a bit more challenging and require real courage. Asking yourself the question “What would love do?” and answering it can provide peace and a path forward. To really feel the emotion of happiness, pride, and contentment that I mentioned earlier, it is important that you act according to your own advice.
So the next time, you are beating yourself over between going to a friend’s wedding in a remote destination, which is going to be an expensive trip and require you to take a few days off from work, OR being intentional to keep maintaining your routine at the local gym, call on your love! Ask – “What would love do?” and hopefully, the “what” will be more clear than before.
This is a common internal conversation that leaves us pondering “what to do.” So if switching that question to “what would love do” or “what would my future child do” helps you find a more fulfilling, happy, proud, (insert emotion of choice here) — way forward, let us know. If you have a similar example where this might be applicable, leave a comment below. You can also email us at [email protected] or DM us on our Social Media channels @lovitalovevitamins.
– Ansh