Who Do You Love…? MKMMA Week 20

“I will greet this day with love in my heart…” ~Og Mandino

It’s been a while since I’ve read the entirety of scroll II from Og Mandino’s book, “The Greatest Salesman In The World”. Well, in actuality, it’s only been about two and a half months. It’s just that a lot has happened in the meanwhile. The book is composed of 10 “scrolls” each with a message that serves as a keystone in a person’s life. In order to truly absorb these important messages I was directed to read each scroll three times daily for a month.

All those 75 days ago or so I was four weeks into the Master Key Course… just getting warmed up, so to speak. The first scroll fascinated me as it talked about making good habits. I couldn’t wait to see what was in the second scroll. And there it was… Love.

Wait… Love? Shouldn’t we study more about habits? Maybe about how to execute a plan of action? What about communication techniques or psychological principles? For 30 days I read this message 3 times daily. Did you know that the introductory quote, “I will greet this day with love in my heart.” is in scroll II eight times? That means that I read it 720 times over the course of that month. 720 times… and now am I starting to “get it”. I mean, I understood that it was important and a good thing… I just didn’t get just how important or just how good at the time.

I should set the stage a little bit. I can tend to be… well… a little analytical. When I take the “Which Star Trek Character Are You?” quiz it’s an landslide for either Dr. Spock or Lt. Data depending on which generation is in the bank. I score as WHITE on the color code test. I even rank as an INTJ on the MBTI… In case you’ve never heard of it, that’s the temperment type that has a myriad of blog posts asking if INTJ’s do actually ‘feel’. The truth, by the way, is of course we feel… We just do it in precisely calculated, thoroughly analyzed ways.

Love… How can it be at the root of everything? Well, I won’t attempt to answer that question in this post… I’m already at 386 words on this post and any attempt to answer that question would give this entry the bloat of a Russian novel.  But what if I simply ask the question, “What are the things that I have done the best in my life?”

For simplicity’s sake I’m going to leave relationships out of this. I’d have to put martial arts on the list… Music, guitar in particular, would be there as well… Learning would definitely be there… (If I could travel with a sleeping bag and sleep in book stores instead of hotels I might never come home). Kettlebell training… Writing… Outdoor pursuits… These are all things that bring out my best. They are things that get the best of me. Why? Well… because I love them. I love each of them… They inspire my passion.

In section 20.17 of the Master Key System, Haanel states: “An understanding of these facts, first intellectually and then emotionally, will enable us to drink deeply from this ocean of infinite power. An intellectual understanding will be of no assistance; the emotions must be brought into action; thought without feeling is cold. The required combination is thought and feeling.“

Whether we are talking about a hobby, a spouse or a life purpose is it really any different? Love is what will cause us to make sacrifices. Love is what will cause us to give our all. To persist. To awaken to the greatness inside of us. To live from a place of passion and connect, not only to others, but within ourselves as well. Love can even make an android-like INTJ feel and in so doing, tap into forces that seem to make us even more than we are… To truly awaken and come alive!

And what do those who are leaders in their fields have to say about love:

“Science is not only a discipline of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.” – Stephen Hawking (theoretical physicist)

“Every day there’s something that reminds me why I love this sport.” – Bernard Hinault (perhaps the best cyclist to ever race)

“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (classical composer)

Seems pretty unanimous. So… what do you love? As you engage your life… As you engage the process of sculpting the absolute best version of yourself what merits your love? Have you found a deep sense of love for others that can’t help but express itself as service? Have you found a depth of love for yourself that has allowed you to forgive and give permission to move forward? Have you found love for your unique sense of purpose… The gift that you have yet to give to the world? Have you found your deepest sense of love? That sense that will awaken all that you are and allow you to cross into the realm of genius and passion?

I hope that you have, because the world can use all of the love that we can give.

~ Daniel Hanscom