It is time to move on to the second tool that Phil Stutz and Barry Michels introduced in their book, The Tools. Last week we discussed the first tool, what the authors call the Reversal of Desire. This week we will discuss Active Love.
The authors suggest that this tool is one that can, and should, be used when you are struggling to get someone, or something, out of your head. We have all been there. We have all felt that someone wronged us in some way during our lives. This moment when we are stuck in our own head, the authors call being "Caught in the Maze." This is the perfect explanation for these moments in time. Once you have ventured into the middle of the maze there is no easy way out. The amount of time that you have devoted to those thoughts is not much different than the amount of time that you would waste wandering around aimlessly in the maze while trying to find your way out.
Stutz and Michels suggest that Active Love is the path to moving forward in these situations. They recommend we focus on loving the person who we feel has wronged us. Rather than focusing all of our energy on the negatives, they suggest we focus on sending the other person our love. The simple shift in our mindset will almost force us to focus on the positive within the other person, rather than focusing on negative things.
The world is a better place when we focus our energy on positivity rather than negativity. This is especially true when we are talking about the people who matter most in our lives.
Give this concept of Active Love a shot, and let us know if it helps!
