On Monday I wrote about Evan Lysacek’s comment on loving what he does.

I’m sure 90% of the Olympians fit in this category, and surely all of those who win medals love what they do. I think it would be difficult to win if they didn’t.

Another Olympian that comes to mind when I think of this love is Shaun White.

Not too long ago at the X Games, Sean debuted a fancy new trick he calls the Double McTwist 1260. And he bit it. Big time. If you haven’t seen the video, it’s crazy. (You’ll never catch me doing this sort of thing!)

What happened afterward? He got right back on it and did it again, undeterred. He completed the trick successfully.

Last week, he repeated the trick again and nailed it in the Olympics. No one could come close to matching his score. (For some reason I don’t understand, I can not find his Gold Medal video anywhere online. This source cites a similar experience.) He got the gold.

When Shaun talks about snowboarding, you can feel the love he has for what he does.

When I sit down to do what I do, whether it’s writing or coaching or brainstorming the next thing for my business, I like to tap into the energy that these guys have. The passion. The unwavering commitment. The love. Connected to feelings like those is the way I want to live.
 

You have really great days and you have tough days. I think that if you’re participating in a sport for the right reasons..., when you have those tough days and those trying moments, your love for what you do is going to get you through it.

I was watching some Olympic recaps and heard gold medalists Evan Lysacek say that to Oprah when she asked him “What would you say to the young skaters out there?”

I choose to believe that each one of us can have as much love for what we do in our lives as this man has for his sport. I don’t believe that this love is reserved for Olympic and professional athletes, actors, singers, and Oprah. I think we can all feel this love.

If you’re in a job you don’t love, why are you there? I’m sure you have plenty of logical reasons. How does your heart feel when you spend your days doing something that doesn’t fill you up?

Just for a moment, consider that it is possible to feel the same way Evan does about his “job.” What could you do to make that your reality? Are you willing to take even a tiny step in that direction?

Photo courtesy of dev null via Flickr

Here is a great idea that was passed along to me by my friend Ellen Hartson. I joined the ranks of thousands who decided to give 29 gifts in 29 days. Join us at www.29gifts.org!

Part of the human experience, part of the completeness of life, is to accept the light and the dark sides. Our perfections and imperfections. Together, they open up the human experience.   --Mark Romero

Check Mark out on YouTube.

As Mark eloquently points out, the human experience is about accepting the light and the dark in life and in ourselves. Fully opening up in our lives means loving and accepting all parts of us, both the parts that are easy to love and the parts that are more challenging to love.

Fully blossoming in our lives means truly loving all of who we are.

The idea of self-love can send some of us running away. When I first heard about it years ago, I wanted nothing to do with it!

Do you love yourself? I mean, do you really love yourself?

Could you say, “I love you, [insert your full name here]” in the mirror without wincing, feeling shy or embarrassed, or making sure no one was listening?

If so, kudos to you. That’s truly awesome.

If not, why? Really think about why you can’t do it or don’t like it.

Could you be okay loving all of yourself, if I told you that your uncomfortable feelings are okay?

Mary Knebel, a coach and recent ebook author, posted this exercise on self-love in her blog earlier this year. I think she does a great job walking us through how to learn to feel more love and acceptance for ourselves.

Another, very awesome coach, Jeannette Maw, talks about self love in a blog post from 2007.

(Both Jeannette and Mary have great ebook offerings on self-love. You can find them on their websites.)

Self-love is not about loving only the parts of us we think are perfect. It is about accepting our dark sides and our light sides.

There can not be light without darkness. And there can not be darkness without light.