A Love Challenge For You

David Wygant   The Dating Coach

     I had an interesting conversation the other day with a friend of mine, Max, who is also one of my coaches.  He and I got into a really interesting discussion about relationships and about love.  That conversation got me thinking, and I have a few questions for all of you:

     What do you feel about love?

     How many times have you been in love?

     Have you ever really succumbed to someone else?

     Have you ever really had an unconditional love?

     One of my biggest jokes was always that the only unconditional love I ever had was with two women: one named Daphne (who is my six and a half year old black English Labrador), and one named Jessie (a Golden Retriever who passed away seven or eight years ago).  I realize now that while this was a joke, it also used to be my belief.

     I really do believe that love is magic. I believe love is a gift. I've written in the past about celebrating your love and embracing your love, but unconditional love is something I believe is really rare.  Unconditional love is finding someone who is willing to strip down their walls and who is willing to challenge you.  I don't think a lot of people get challenged. So for each of you who are in a relationship, I am challenging all of you to really think deeply about your relationship.  Answer all of these questions: 

     How do you challenge each other to be the best person that you can be? 

     How do you challenge each other to really grow more?

     How do you challenge each other to break down all the walls and the barriers you may have so your     

     love can grow? 

    
     Something I tell my girlfriend every single day, and something that I really truly believe, is that I honor her.  I honor her every single day.  Now it's not like I put her up on a throne, make her the queen and bow down giving thanks to her.  I do honor her, though, for who she is.  I do honor the gift she has given me, which is the gift of herself.  You've got to honor people. 

     How about honoring your friends, your significant other and all the people in your life?  Ask yourself  whether you really do this by asking yourself how many people really and truly know you - fully exposed and with no walls. 

     Not only that, ask yourself who influences you in your life.  Are there people telling you what you should and shouldn't do, and how you should be?  Are there people who tell you to 'take it slow' with a new person you meet?  How many people in your life fully embrace your choices and support you in every way. 

     So I challenge you to think about all of this.  You may be surprised what you find out about yourself.