He loved cigarettes, but he loved her more

Love is the greatest performance improvement strategy on the planet.

It’s an emotional forcing function and the ultimate behavior shaping constraint. Under the influence of love, we positively redirect our actions through the conscious consideration of another person.

Because they see the good in us, and that inspires us to let that goodness grow.

A coworker of mine used to be a smoker. Like most addicts, he knew it was terrible for his health, and he did it anyway. But once he met the woman who stole his heart and softened it like a meat tenderizer, he quit smoking cold turkey.

Which is surprising, considering smoking is basically the most addictive habit known to mankind.

And yet, one day, he just stopped. Jason said it came down to simple math.

He loved cigarettes, but he loved her more.

Period, amen, end of story.

This is the relentless potency of love. It opens us to the necessity of finding beauty elsewhere. Contrary to popular conditioning, love is not about lowering our standards, surrendering our needs, giving up our integrity, compromising our values or losing our identity.

Those are all contractions. Love is an expansion.

Love makes us want to be the best and highest version of ourselves. Love is the one thing that gives us permission to be more of who we are, but also gives us motivation to be less of who we don’t want to be.

Think of it this way.

When your sweetheart travels out of town for the weekend, how does your behavior change? Do you wake up early, go to the gym, cook fresh vegetables, meditate twice a day and go volunteer at the local soup kitchen?

Or do you sleep until noon, avoid the dishes, abuse electricity and then eat like a teenager and binge watch four seasons of an awful reality show until you fall asleep with a pile of laundry on the bed?

The verdict is in.

Love is the tide that raises all boats.

By virtue of making us care more about some other person, we can’t help but care more about ourselves.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How can you help yourself choose love instead?