12 Most Simple Deeds to Show Your Love

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You show your love in big ways. You give to charity. You drop everything to help your ill-stricken parents. You probably even volunteer to help with fundraisers for organizations you will never receive benefits from.

You are too focused on the big moments. Every day you neglect the little moments to show love. If you want your love to reach more people on a deeper level, here are some opportunities each day presents.

1. Pray

I won’t apologize for making this first on the list. If you don’t believe in God or a higher being, well, there are a great many of us praying for you. If you already pray every day, change how you do it. Pray one more time each day. Pray in public. Ask a friend or your spouse to pray with you. Pray with your family before dinner.

The most powerful way a human being can show love is through prayer.

2. Honor your country

Every day presents new opportunities to honor your country. If you are an American, you can start by showing a little humility when discussing politics and national issues. On the other side of the coin, if you are not engaged politically, 2012 would be a great year to start paying attention.

Sing your national anthem when at the ball game. Read some history. Teach your children that national pride is a good thing.

3. Respect your neighbor

You struggle with this. You flip the bird to the guy that cut you off in traffic. You give an exaggerated sigh when the waitress messes up your dinner order. You curse softly when the guy across the cul-de-sac puts his garbage cans out three days early.

Worst of all, you wish terrible things on these, your neighbors. Every day affords you a new opportunity to show more patience, kindness, and grace with those you see every day.

4. Care for yourself

You can and should love yourself. You can’t care for others if you are tired, overweight, under-trained, and depressed. If you want to do a better job of taking care of you, start with something fun. Take a class in a hobby you always wanted to try. Even better, for us parents, enjoy the occasional afternoon nap.

You can’t spread love if you are unhappy.

5. Devote moments of 100% to your children

When was the last time you talked to your kids with no interference? You are always driving, listening to the radio, glancing at the television, checking your phone, or falling into a daze. You know how I feel about electronics coming between people. Modern children are learning some terrible habits from us.

If you don’t have children, steal some. (I kid, I kid.) Seriously, though, you have nieces and nephews. You have younger cousins. If you don’t have children in your extended family, become a volunteer coach or sign-up to be a mentor.

6. Ask Dad a question

Fathers love to be asked for advice from their adult children. The internet has, in its own way, eliminated some of the opportunities previous generations had to come together to solve problems. When you are working on something and get stuck, do you call your ol’ man or go to Google?

Sometimes the best way to love someone is to ask for their help.

7. Invite Mom out for breakfast

Your relationship with your mom is complicated. Do you know why? (Because she is a woman…Who said that?) Your relationship with your mom is difficult at times because your mom cares. About everyone. Passionately. Unceasingly.

The only time you can have an uninterrupted and focused conversation with your mom is first thing in the morning. The problem is, you are kind of a jerk if you haven’t eaten in the morning, AND your mother is uncomfortable with you cooking for her, AND …. Well… just take her out for breakfast.

8. Give your spouse a pass

You have tried everything to make your spouse feel loved. You have bought gifts. You have taken them out. You have given them nights out with their friends. You clean. You cook. You compliment.

If you really want to show your spouse you love them, give them a pass. They were late, but you smile and don’t say a word. They forgot, but you shrug and tell them not to worry about it. Dinner was burnt, but you just keep on grinning.

9. Leave a big tip with the service person

You can’t buy love. Then again, your waitress can’t keep her son in diapers without money. Your valet can’t buy his college textbooks without money. Your barkeep can’t make the rent without money.

Lack of a decent tip is disrespectful, and in some circumstances, mean. Be cheap somewhere else. Passive-aggression is still aggression. If you don’t have the money or the kindness to leave a good tip, stay home.

10. Humanize yourself with subordinates

You are the boss. You are the buyer. You are the decision-maker. You are the guy in control of the checkbook. Good for you.

Your subordinates know you are in charge. Do they know that you care about them? Do they feel you have a vested interest in their well-being? Do you know their hopes and dreams? Do they know yours?

11. Appreciate artists

If you have ever “made a go” of being a performer, you know how cruel the general public can be. Comics, musicians, crafters, and painters; every amateur artist suffers from the high expectations of the crowd. Make it a point, every day, to thank the budding artists you see for trying to make the world a more interesting and colorful place.

12. Create something extraordinary

I know you want to do something extraordinary. You might not admit it to your friends, and you probably wouldn’t dream of telling your family. I know, though, you have the desire to create something that makes people happy. The kind of project you are dreaming of takes time and dedication. You need to work on it every day, little by little. Today would be a great day to make working on your special project part of your routine.

These are the 12 most simple deeds you can perform to nurture your love in the world. If your life is a tapestry, a patch-quilt of moments, each of these will make your life that much brighter. I hope at least one of these has inspired you to take action.

Showing love does not require extraordinary actions. The little moments are where the biggest differences can be made.

Featured image courtesy of stock_xchng.

Jeremy Powers

http://windingstaircasellc.com/

After nearly a decade of branding and marketing for large companies, Jeremy is now Principal at Winding Staircase, where he wants to help you with marketing your company.