Why This Love Is For You
You’ve lived your entire life in accordance with a set of beliefs about the world and your place in it. We all have. What you believe is true about you affects your whole life.
I used to believe I was worthless and undeserving of love. I thought I had to meet expectations set by other people to even have a chance at being accepted by others. Somehow, though, whenever I thought I had reached the finish line in that race to measure up, it seemed the line was pushed farther out as soon as I approached it. Never feeling good enough, just not quite up to snuff, is one of the most painful and debilitating experiences I ever had. It hurts, deeply.
Now that I no longer feel that way, it’s very clear to me that many people struggle and even suffer as much or more than I ever did from the same problem. I’ve spent the better part of three decades learning how to escape those painful feelings. I’ve learned some things along the way that have helped me tremendously. Maybe sharing them could help others, too. That’s the reason for this book. If something in here helps someone reading this, then my experience will have served a useful purpose beyond teaching just me how to live a more joyful and peaceful life.
The only things we lack are those we withhold from ourselves. In my case, it was definitely not obvious to me at the time that I was denying myself the experience of love in response to my feelings of unworthiness. Yet, when the insight came that this is precisely why I felt love to be lacking in my life, my willingness to look beneath the surface and challenge my own assumptions is what allowed that life-changing insight to enter my awareness. Thus began a lifelong journey of spiritual exploration that has brought me out from the deepest darkness into a life of light and love.
I won’t lie and say the journey has been an easy one, but I can say unequivocally that it has been worthwhile. In fact, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Life can feel like a living hell or it can feel like heaven on Earth and, having been in both places, I can tell you that moving from one to the other can be a lot more straightforward than you might think. You have a lot more control over which you reside in than you might realize. And you have a lot more to gain from learning what makes the difference between these two options than you might be able to imagine right now.
Opening our hearts and minds can seem risky, perhaps even terrifyingly dangerous. Fear is always a block to love. However, we must face fear because life is not for the faint of heart. Calling on our courage strengthens us, so I encourage you to delve fearlessly into exploring your most fundamental beliefs. You may discover, as I did, that the love you give to yourself and others frees you from fear and opens you up to receive the richest blessings life has to offer.
NOTE: The first 3 chapters were published to Medium on 7/12/17. Further chapters will be published every Wednesday until the complete book is available here. Thank you for reading! If you would like access to the entire book without delay, please look for the paperback, Kindle, and Audible versions on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/This-Love-You-Kimberly-Carlton/dp/0692718079/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1499881330&sr=8-11&keywords=this+love+is+for+you
