Love

LOVE & Integrity

2010-01-13T08:44:00.001-08:00

Happy 2010.......and my sincere apologies for not seeing in the start of the new year with you! Here's the thing....my intended article about integrity to loved ones, took a slight twist! .............I think you will appreciate the wait!

Having looked closely at my own integrity over the past few months, I discovered I was not being totally true to who I knew I was, and therefore I began to make some important decisions. Change is good and change is very necessary, if change is for the right reasons!

For instance, if you have ever experienced being on the receiving end of someone ending your relationship, you may have felt that their decision was unfair! You may even have said to yourself and/or others, that Men/Women are cruel, heartless or other! This is a reaction that helps some people cope – it's called blame! In life, blame is pointless! Where did it ever get us? Did you ever feel really great blaming someone for some decision they made that affected you? Like, did you feel extremely happy about putting someone else down? Did your heart bust with joy? Did you feel calm and peaceful? Blame is a negative emotion that cannot bring us peace!

So, what if someone did say their goodbyes to you? They made the decision based on their own integrity to what they wanted for themselves, didn't they? Isn't this acceptable? Isn't this what you'd like to do for your own life? We all have the chance to be an integral part of our own lives – and if we are to experience all that life offers, it is important that we know; a) what we want and b) what we don't want! Sometimes that means saying goodbye to someone close!

It is interesting how there is only one letter that is the difference, between Change and Chance!!!!!

So, with change, chances appear........opportunities are discovered and life moves onward and upward.....change rarely feels negative for long anyway........if we are truly aware and understand that from birth, life is all about change!!! ........It can actually fe! el like magic!

Back to my original thoughts about integrity to loved ones...... If they are truly 'loved' wouldn't you want to ensure that they had the best that their life could bring?

Why do we buy presents for others? Perhaps.......So they can see our love in their gift.

Why do we say 'white lies' to others? Perhaps.......So they won't be hurt by something beyond their control.

Why do we choose to be open-hearted with some and closed with others? ...........Well this is where integrity becomes most important

Whatever we do in the lives of others, is a direct reflection on how much integrity we have to ourselves!

Is that understandable?

So, if you were totally on track with your goals, your strategies, your actions and activities, you will be successful with your venture!

Same goes for your health, your relationships, your financial affairs and your religious views. If you take them all seriously, you know what you are aiming for and why, your absolute integrity will shine through and they will ALL come to fruition! Of course we do need to prioritise so our energies are directed accordingly. Do we consciously do this? Sometimes not – and then we wonder "Why me?!" "Why does this always happen?", "Why does this never work out?" – It can be a never-ending stream of Why's – Yet if we listen closely to that word, should we not be 'being' WISE?!!!

Have some clarity, create some WHY's and become WISE!

Still, where does integrity come in here?

Ask yourself; "For whom am I doing all this?" – And your answer should reveal whose life you are being 'integral' to!!

At the beginning, I had thought that being integral to others' lives was a good thing – in fact one of the most important – then I realised that Integrity begins at home – with YOU! (In my case, with me!)

If I ! am not f ulfilling my own desires, if I am not enjoying my own relationships, if I am not excited about my own career, who will be? These are the questions I would like YOU to ask of your own lifestyle. Choose to have integrity with your own life and you will still help others with theirs! Your light will shine so brightly when you are living your life on purpose, with integrity and peace and passion. The alternative can produce stress, illness and unhappiness. People get grumpy – and I am not surprised when I hear them talk!

So, what did the research on my own integrity reveal to me? Oh there were quite a few decisions I was making that did not fit with my long-term dream of becoming a published author in print. I was not working with the age-group that I relate best to! I also found that my friendships and relationships were lop-sided and lacking in some areas....so what did I do? What actions did I take?

I became an 'integral' part of my own life!

AND....I can tell you that my actions and my decisions have begun to reap great rewards. In fact I am living proof that this simple activity works! I have more to tell you in the next article, so please do come back to catch up with what I have learned and continue to share wholeheartedly with you here on the LOVE Blog!

Until next time, make INTEGRITY your first and last loving activity each day – for the whole of your life to become whole!

Loving you and yours, your friend

Andrea N. Smart

http://www.andreasmart.com

The Magic Of LOVE At Christmas Time

2009-12-25T21:27:00.001-08:00

There is true magic at play, around this time of year. Do you feel it?

Some people have been heard saying "I don't feel Christmassy yet" - and what they really mean is, the magic isn't in their hearts for the season of goodwill - they expect to feel differently and if not, then why not?!

What if 'the magic' that come with Christmas is just about LOVE?!

What if the feeling that people crave is simply the bubble of excitement that we felt as children - and as adults (some) have forgotten?

I know that as adults we have more responsibilities and many more challenges than we had as children, yet what if.....we simply put these aside to feel the magic and share in what always promises to be awe-some experiences of joy and love and wonder - at Christmas.....if we let simply them in!

Yes, it's simple - and yet not always easy!

Trust your instincts and where the adult-created 'stress' syndrome beckons, cast it aside and choose to feel child-like and giggly and joyful and full of wonder and awe at the smallest of things - like snowflakes!

Many of us have seen snow fall this year in the run-up to Christmas and some of us are currently enjoying that magical White Christmas we hear so much about - have you taken a look at a single wonderful delicate snowflake? This is stuff that child-like awe is full of!

Some of you may be playing in warm sand - that could be seen as snow - and building sandmen instead of snowmen! Still wonder-ful! Still awe-some! The way the sand sticks together to create something so huge and picturesque, so we can enjoy it in child-like fun and innocence!

Christmas IS Love - in all its glory and all its wonder. When you choose to take off the habit of adulthood and wear instead, the invisible cloak of childhood - amazing and magical things happen! Try it - and then share it with those who haven't yet found the magic of innocence - coz that's where I know it lives!

Happy Christmas everyone - and please come back to read me for ! a specia l New Year / New Decade message!

Love to you, your families and all your friends at this special time of year, from your child-like friend,

Andrea. xxxxx

Find your own child-like network at: http://bigkiddiesclub.ning.com

Football - Is it Love?

2009-12-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not really one for football but I happened to be watching a recent game between Arsenal and Chelsea - I am a London gal after all!

Chelsea was up from the first half and it was interesting, because as time wore on and Chelsea scored again and again, the Arsenal 'support' dwindled and the stalls were emptying out before the game had even ended! No goals were scored by The Gunners and I can't say I was surprised! A home game, in heavy London rain with less and less support from your 'fans' may well have destroyed the players' drive!

So, is this love? Is this true support? Surely if your team is losing the 'competition', you stay and cheer them on?!

The pitch is a similar environment to both a corporate 'field' and a school sports day team. Each team requires support and encouragement don't they? Or do you feel they ought to be able to motivate themselves? Hmmmmm...

So, where in your life might you have relaxed your support of those in need? Your support of those who strive to succeed and who seem to lag behind others who may even seem to be winning?

As with Football and life itself, each of our journeys do not have a set destination. The travelling continues with varying degrees of success, yet always with that success. Never failure! Once we reach one destination or milestone, there's another pathway to another destination. This is our destiny - until we die! (Even when we don't set goals, we are still going 'somewhere' - just not a place we consciously picked!)

Would you choose to be one of the 'living dead?' Perhaps not, as you're reading this! If you know someone who is, do take them by the hand and gently guide them. Ask them where they would prefer to go by choice, and then support them in getting there.

There is no such place as failure in life, as in this frame of mind, great lessons are learned, that pick us up and take us to different levels and heights of success we hadn't forseen when we were perhaps mourning not reaching our goal - at that time!

Giving our undivided attention and unconditional love through support of our team or family member/friend, who strives to succeed, is being the best 'fan' we can be!

Who will you now choose to support, so you too can learn valuable lessons and feel that amazing joy that surges through our bodies when we give to another - with NO conditions attached!

I trust that you will choose to look at life a little differently - eyes AND heart, wide OPEN!

Thank you.

Love & eternal gratitude from your friend,

Andrea N Smart.
x

http://www.SMARTcopywriter.co.uk

Where is LOVE - if it is not within YOU?

2009-10-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

This has been an intriguing question for me, and came to me just out of the blue one day. I didn't know why at first, and then I realised. It was because I was searching for love outside of myself in other people, and I had no business doing so before I discovered it within me!

Have you found yourself doing this? Looking to confirm whether or 'how much' the other people in your life love you? Or seeking to attract 'new love' into your life in the form of intimate relationships?

There's nothing wrong about wanting to evaluate our existing relationships with family, friends and partners. And of course it's totally acceptable to want a partner to share your life. So what do these questions mean?

Well, if you do not have it within you to give, you cannot expect it from others!

Have you evaluated your own feelings of love for YOU? There is one sure fire way of understanding whether you love YOU - or not - by taking a look at your lifestyle and at the things you say and do.

Are you happy with you? Do you like or love your own company? Can you be happy just spending the day on your own, with nothing to distract you? This means no tv, no phone calls, no interaction with others at all! Some people have told me they 'hate' to be alone! Gosh, that in itself is a strong statement, without thinking that they could possibly even consider the prospect that they are 'alone!' There are millions of people on the other side of the front door - so why could anyone feel 'alone'?

Perhaps because some people simply shut others out, feeling that they are not lovable, so why bother? Oh, I know what this one feels like - yes, I have felt this way before and so I can identify with those who may feel unloved. Did you know, that this feeling and therefore this action is primarily caused by not looking within to discover where we CAN be loved and lovable?! We all have magnificence and we can all find it.

If you are thinking "How?" right now, then this is the only barrier to you finding all the love you could ever want! I really mean this - it IS there waiting for you to acknowledge it!

The 'HOW?' is simple and yet I know the process is not always easy - the barriers that have been erected, the self-imposed wall around your heart, the low self-esteem that has invaded your body, are all layers of doubt that really do need attention. What action could you begin to take? Just peel those layers off, gently and with patience. They weren't built overnight, so may not fall overnight.

When can you start? RIGHT NOW!

Simply.....Ask yourself these questions, and write down the answers, so you can read them back to yourself.....

What is LOVE?
When in my life have I felt LOVE?
What does LOVE feel like?
What was I doing when I felt LOVE?
For whom have I felt LOVE?
What does LOVE look like?
Where can I find signs of LOVE in my home?
What about my life can I feel GRATEFUL for?
What about my life can I feel HAPPY about?

With the answers to these questions, can you now please look at yourself in the mirrror and say;

I know what love feels like and because I have experienced it, I can always remember how I felt when there was love around, and recreate that feeling.

I need never feel alone, because my heart can fill with love each time I put my arms around my body and give myself a hug.

When I love me, my own world is complete, so others are free to join me and share my love.
When my heart fills with love, my whole face changes and attracts even more love - from others.
By being the loving person I know I am, I will attract other loving people into my life.

You can also add anything else you like - just look into the mirror and say loving things to yourself and watch how you grow and glow with happiness. When you concentrate on LOVE and focus your ATTENTION and your words on this feeling, you are 'intent' on building it within you.

Your INTENTION therefore becomes the process you intend to adopt to secure happiness in your life.

I take it that your search for love has been one of your 'ingredients' for having a happy life?!!

Thank you for taking part in your life by DOING this task. It is important to our higher self that we take action when each opportunity arises, and place our attention on growth, if we are to enjoy our journey, and discover our purpose and our passions. There is much to learn and much to experience for a fulfilling life to be ours.

If I haven't covered your challenge here, please do feel free to get in touch or leave a comment below. Whilst I know that the world is in need of more love, I do not know everyone's challenge. If you let me know your own challenge, I will be happy to provide some food for thought.

Love always, and thank you for visiting. Please come back again.

Your friend,
Andrea
x

Love is Like a Butterfly

2009-09-02T10:22:00.001-07:00

"Love is Like a Butterfly" ...... I can't help but share these beautiful words sung by Dolly Parton with you today. This song also ended up being used for a tv programme called Butterflies with Wendy Craig about a woman chasing butterflies - looking for love. Have YOU been looking for love recently? Chasing butterflies? It is said that once captured, the love (or butterfly) can be destroyed by our treatment of it! Have you found this?

I recalled this song whilst walking through a meadow full of butterflies recently. The walk was wonderful and the butterflies were beautifully graceful as they flew and landed and flew again, coming oh so close and landing oh so near, stopping for just enough time to be enjoyed and photographed. The many varieties reminded me of just how many varieties of love that we find in life!

Yet do we really appreciate what we see? What we feel? Are we 'present' to the gift? Ask yourself these questions and see what answers you can come up with. If you really are seeking love - in whatever form - it may just be around you in disguise, waiting until you are ready to own it!

I have found that LOVE exists in every place, every where and at all times. Sufficient love is always available to meet our needs - and all we need do is tap into it! This is pretty amazing! So many people say they don't feel loved, that their life is empty and that they fear they'll never 'find' love.. We aren't taught this at school, so how would we know other than by learning for ourselves, so it may come as a shock when I reveal that WE have all the love we need inside of us! WE must begin to love OURSELVES in order to feel the love that we want to feel from others or from life! - and it's quite a simple process too.

Simply look for the beauty inside - and outside - of YOU! If you can see the beauty of another person, what is it specifically that you can see? Define it, because if you can see it, you have it too! Does this make sense?

What is it about you that is extraordinary? You can breathe can't you? You are alive aren't you? What skills do you have? What do your closest friends and family members say about you? Do you actually listen or do you shrug it off? Do you enjoy compliments or are you embarrassed? These are all indications of how comfortable you are with YOU! And you have to spend more time with you than anyone else, so it makes sense to explore these indicators doesn't it?

When you see a beautiful butterfly and you stand in awe and wonder, how does it make you feel inside? Appreciate this feeling and store it. Know what it does to your mood and capture the setting - just like a photo - in your mind. Use this image to get that feeling back when you need to. Does the feeling also bring tears? This is an indication that you have tapped into an abundance of love, so enjoy everything about it. Tears are said to be cleansing, they are a gift and they also bring that beautiful sparkle into your eyes too!

I believe love IS like a butterfly and I will continue to explore its greatness all through my life. Will you?

Enjoy the beauty of the following words and come back soon, to find out more about how LOVE is ready and waiting for YOU, if you really want it!

My love, my friendship and my joy is here for you at all times. Thank you for visiting.

Andrea N Smart
xx

http://www.andreasmart.com

Love is like a butterfly
As soft and gentle as a sigh
The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings
Love makes your heart feel strange inside
It flutters like soft wings in flight
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

I feel it when you're with me
It happens when you kiss me
That rare and gentle feeling that I feel inside
Your touch is soft and gentle
Your kiss is warm and tender
Whenever I am with you I think of butterflies

Love is like a butterfly
The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings
Love makes your heart feel strange inside
It flutters like soft wings in flight
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

Your laughter brings me sunshine
Everyday is spring time
And I am only happy when you are by my side
How precious is this love we share
How very precious, sweet and rare
Together we belong like daffodils and butterflies

Love is like a butterfly
As soft and gentle as a sigh
The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings
Love makes your heart feel strange inside
It flutters like soft wings in flight
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

Birthday Wishes and Gifts of LOVE

2009-07-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Today, The 11th of July, is the anniversary of the day I was It is my Birthday and my Earthday! The gift of experience was handed to me 49 years ago and it has taken me nearly ALL that time to realise this!

I needed to experience part of my life in turmoil, before I could understand what I can do to help others. It's just my journey. We all have one - different in many ways!

It may come as no surprise to you - given these statements - that I believe there is more to life than an earthly existence!

WHAT WE DO WITH OUR LIVES impacts on others and on us too.

If you consciously chose a life for yourself, would it be the one you are living now?

OR would it be something a little or a lot different?

If I told you that you can design your future based on your awareness of who you are and what you represent, would you believe me?

WELL IT'S TRUE!

I am a higher thinker and I believe that we are all here to LOVE one another.

I believe we do too! Whatever happens in our lives, there is always - and I repeat ALWAYS - a positive outcome.

An outcome so full of love that it is sometimes overlooked! Sometimes it is even denied! Seen as negative!

The eyes of a negative person see only sadness and faults, where the eyes of a positive person see joy and hope and love! Neither, by the way is wrong - We are all experiencing a journey and people join and leave at different times!

Oh, I am going really deep with this subject today - you see, I know that I have a massive purpose and in celebration of the anniversary of my earth-birth, I feel like sharing it with YOU!

My passion and my vision get entwined with enthusiasm and I tumble over my words to explain just what I mean, so please, if you don't understand what I am talking about, PLEASE send me an e-mail. I LOVE speaking with people who are willing to learn and help me to learn in the process!

LOVE is my vision for ALL.

We all want it, and in feeling it for EVERYTHING, we become grateful for the lessons that life is serving up as our daily fuel. If you say you don't like something - what is that saying about YOU? Just think about it for a moment, please.

We are all given gifts, some we like and some we don't. The ones we like are obviously treats. What about the ones we don't like? Do we throw them away? disregard them? waste them? You may be thinking I am referring to physical presents - and in some respects, I am! Yet what about the intangible gifts? The gift of working limbs, breathing, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling? Our senses are gifts we cannot see and they tell us when we are doing something in synchronicity with our own values and visions, and also when we are not! If you take a moment to tune into your 6th sense, this will help you in your life. I know, because I found that elusive sense some years ago and it has helped me to discover a better life.

MY PARCEL OF GIFTS TO YOU - When we use our 6 senses - sight, touch, smell, hearing, feeling and in-sight, in combination with love & gratitude plus the conscious awareness that there is a greater purpose for our existence, well, you will find that there is indeed more to life than meets the eye!

I cannot GIVE you these gifts if you do not wish to accept them - so if you feel their value, accept and enjoy them. If not, disregard and discard them. They may still be around sometime in the future, beneath the settled dust and cobwebs. Or they not be visible anymore. As you are here, and reading this NOW, may I suggest that you honour your own life and accept my gifts, and use them to bring greater awareness into your life. It will impact on others and grow your community, just as it has grown my own! I have proof it works!

I believe I chose my life BEFORE I was born, and in doing so, I accepted my challenges, my fears, my losses and my gains. My happiness comes from knowing that one belief supports everything I am able to accomplish. The belief in myself.... the love of ME!

It is THIS belief and love that generates the energy with which I am able to fulfill other people's wishes. Being able to openly share my challenges and my accomplishments with you here, gives me an awesome feeling of love and gratitude for this platform and for you - the reader of my life.

Everything I have written is true - in my life - and I would LOVE to hear that you too have an amazing story to share that will uplift people. You may leave your comment below if you so desire.

Thank you for accompanying me on my b-earth-day jaunt. I am now going to take my self off into the countryside and enjoy an open-air chorus of birthday wishes from the birds and bugs and people and spirits around me. I will speak with you again very soon.

My love & gratitude always,

Your friend,

Andrea

andrea@andreasmart.com

LOVE the Unpredictable - LOVE LIFE!

2009-07-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Are you someone who likes a routine or someone who welcomes variety? Are you Predictable or Unpredictable? Who do you think gets the most value?

Oh yes, and why do you think I am asking you this? hehehe...I do so LOVE being Unpredictable!

I have decided to focus on this subject for a very important reason. Which mode of operation will serve YOU best, in this current climate? - which seems to be uncomfortable for many!

If you stay the same, do not alter your regime, ensure you surround yourself with comfort, will you grow? If you answered YES to this question, will you grow in proportion to those who are unpredictable? What will you actually achieve before you leave this planet?

Those who are open to risk, have less boundaries, greater flexibility, and are happy to welcome uncomfortable moments, will likely achieve a faster rate of growth and accomplish more on a global scale! This is FACT! Take a look at who the great entrepreneurs are. What they have accomplished. The wealth they have accumulated. The contribution they are able to gift to the needy. Would you say these people were predictable?

If you are feeling uncomfortable now, because you are hearing me recommend that you step outside of your own comfort zone for the best growth, then you have a calling to do so!

Only those who can feel discomfort when introduced to choice, have the capacity to step up and take hold of the reins (reigns) of their own life. They already know it exists and have probably faced it on previous occasions, maybe feeling it wasn't the right time for them - YET!

So when will the right time appear? NOW? How many times will you let growth slip through your fingers because it feels uncomfortable?

YES, I am speaking to those who are not totally in love with the Unpredictable! Perhaps you have strong feelings about/against those who are different to you?!

I would like to introduce you to the concept of managing your own growth by taking baby steps into the unknown, where you can become a little unpredictable, at a time!

Oh this is so important. If only you realised what it's like to be stretched and find that you don't actually fall back into your old routine. That you in fact LOVE the new you, and begin to come alive with amazing feelings and new experiences. It is tremendously satisfying! YOU are actually beginning to make decisions about your life, your self, for the benefit of yourself, your family and for many others who need you in this crazy world! I get a rush even writing about it!

If being predictable serves you, fulfils you and keeps you safe from harm, I honour your decision to stay there.

If you feel that a change is now happening in the world, and that YOU want to change with the world - which is far from being predictable just now - make the decision to change!

This world is in great need of people who speak their mind in wholehearted gratitude for what the earth provides us with. This world needs a race who are happy to face unpredicted events head on and manage their actions! What happened when the Tsunami obliterated a community? People in their millions stepped up, out of their comfort zones to help. I am sure some were were indeed predictable. They will have given what they could by stepping up yet they then stepped right back again. To their comfort zone. Others have changed completely and are now serving communities on a grand scale. Growing massively and extending their vision beyond their sight!

I'm happy to tell you, that I used to be seen to be predictable! A good girl! Largely I was - on the surface! However I had a bubbling mass of uncertainty raging inside me - and this came out as frustration! I didn't like the feelings I had and I developed a condition called Asthma! I didn't know it at the time, but I was working against my purpose!

I was designed - like us all - to serve mankind. To deliver LOVE to the world, and because of contraints, I wasn't doing this effectively! It took me many years and much heartache to make the decision to change. Once I had decided, I never looked back!

The only way I am now seen to be predictable, is by always being unpredictable!!!

I love my life, I love my challenges and I love the growth I receive as a result. My experiences ensure that my life is fulfilled. It isn't always amazingly exciting and enjoyable, as challenges can be tough. Lessons need to be learned calmly. It's the uncertainty of life - the mountains and the dales - that are exciting as one always follows another, with unpredictable intensity, AND they get easier to handle with experience! There is nothing to fear in life, so why not take it by the hand and LOVE LIFE!

If you would like to contact me personally, please send an e-mail to: andrea@andreasmart.com

I promise that my love, my care and my guidance is for the very best of your good health!

To you, your unpredictable talents and the life you LOVE!

Andrea

Inner LOVE

2009-04-11T07:12:00.001-07:00

With Inner LOVE, we find everything we desire.
The greater our feeling of LOVE, the greater our JOY and the greater our FULFILLMENT.
Less than this is possible, yet why is being less than fulfilled adopted as normal by so many?

LOVE is free and accessible.
LOVE is within us all.
LOVE creates great warmth, which emanates from us and borrowed by many.

Things that are free are normally taken quickly and with ease, so why is LOVE not always taken?
I find it upsetting that people fight, whilst each are simply looking for LOVE.
If you are looking for LOVE, please start by looking inside.

Open the door in your mind to LOVE
Embrace LOVE in all it's wonderful forms
Look in the mirror and LOVE what you see
Hold yourself in your arms and LOVE what you feel
Summarise and LOVE who you are and know that you are perfect right now
Know your LOVES, your beliefs, your passions, your values and your purpose,
List your visions for your life and fill them with your LOVE
Grow an inner bubble of LOVE in the heart of you, that you can access - and share - at anytime.

BE LOVE and share it by caring for all those who can and can't see it for themselves.

Be generous, be kind, be loving, and be grateful. Then YOU will know INNER LOVE.

LOVE isn't based on religion, it's based on kindness and respect, for self and others. Feel free to share LOVE with everyone you know.

Happy Easter everyone, enjoy the holidays, and remember to share your love with your holiday companions.

My love for you all, in kindness and with respect, always.

Andrea N Smart

A Mother's Love

2009-03-22T17:19:00.001-07:00

Today, it is Mothers' Day, and as usual, I spent the day with my lovely Mum.

Mum and I are close and we share a preference for open displays of love and affection.

We also share the status of being Big Kiddies, openly acknowledging that we feel younger than our birth-days tell us!

Both Mum and I have experienced challenges throughout our lives, and this has served to bring us closer, through sharing and caring.

There is great strength present when two people share their thoughts and feelings with each other, as if a third, unknown entity has joined, and helped build a tall tower. A tower of strength.

Our tower sits there whether we are together or apart and stands filled with memories, love and mutual understanding of our respective and combined purposes. We know we are fortunate - we know our fortune is special - and we know what we are supposed to do with it.

We are to share it with the world and show others that love is available for them too. That we all have it in abundance, and even through our challenges, a sharing attitude is a caring attitude and a daring attitude. We have the conviction that even in the faces of restriction, love can find a way through.

There is a relationship like ours within the capacity of everyone. Though some people aren't familiar with a kind and loving environment, it can still be found if the doors to the heart and the mind are open.

Our message to the world is, if you are on the outside looking in with longing, you have already begun to attract love.

Be always patient, loving and kind, just like a Mother's love is, and create space for it to enter.

Let there be a child's wonder and awe for the unknown and unfamiliar, and feel thankful for everything you receive. With a Mother's love and a Child's love all wrapped up together, the bond of closeness is the resulting gift.

My Mum enjoyed her special day today not because of a daughter's duty, rather a daughter's bond and gratitude for this loving life.

I enjoyed today because I get to say Thank You for all the wonderful memories, for the strength and the support that unconditional love brings.

If you are looking for a Mother's love, you might consider being a Mother or Mother figure to someone who needs you. The feelings you will experience will fill your void.

If you are a Mother looking for a child's love, you might consider being that child. Put your self in the role of your child and ask yourself what it is that you need. You will know soon enough.

I have enjoyed a thought-provoking Mothers' day, wondering what the message of today would be.

Before I close my eyes at the end of each day I write in my journal.

I say thank you for my experiences and my new memories, I list the lessons I have learned and I seek ways of using my new tools the next day. In this way, I continue to feel an abundance of love for my life and my purpose. It may serve you too, if you are seeking answers to your questions.......... Or why would you be here reading this?

I hope today has been magical for you and that you have enjoyed my Mother's Love. It's here for you all the time.

With love, patience and kindness,

Your friend,

Andrea Nicole Smart

LOVE, World Peace & Your Inner Child on Valentines Day

2009-02-14T12:19:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone.

I say to you with all my heart, that love is yours to know,
And in my vision of world peace, I wish your love to freely flow.

If all our hearts were full of love, think how joyful life would be,
And yet, with love light in our eyes, the world IS beautiful to see.

As children we explore with glee, showing open hearts and minds,
Whilst young, love is innocent, and through purity we shine.

Growing up brings challenges, where love can be misunderstood,
Our values dictate the way we behave, and also if we are deemed 'good'.

I know that by being child-like, adults find that love is fun,
Our inner light, our excitement for life creates fulfillment in one.

There is a choice for us all - don't we know it? We simply need to take action,
Let's start by looking within our own heart, to discover the well of affection.

How deep is yours? How deep is mine? It's not a competition,
We are Masters of our own resources, it's time to make decisions.

For this vision of harmony and world peace, to come to global fruition,
Each one of us is responsible, we must give love without conditions.

Our inner child deserves the best, it's important to acknowledge,
That play, and joy, and fun builds love, our keys to discovering the message.

This Valentines Day, when love is high, locate your inner 'bubble',
Delight, enjoy and know where it's kept, so finding it tomorrow's no trouble!

I hope your Valentines Day is pure enjoyment, and I hope that all the other days of your life are equally enjoyable by taking the example of a child at play. We are all just big kiddies at heart, wanting fun and needing love. It is so simple, so why does it appear so hard?!

Sending you LOVE and lightness, and a bubble for your inner child to play with.
Happy Valentines Day and come back soon.

Andrea Nicole Smart
x

LOVE As Energy

2009-02-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Do I mean Love is Energy? Yes.
Do I also mean Love as Energy? Yes.
So what’s the context of this message today?

Well, as we already know that Love is Energy, I aim to explain here, how Love as Energy is distributed and circulated (shared) in just the same way as a current of electricity powers household goods.

It’s a simple concept, and is wonderfully easy to understand and adopt. The only tool that is required, is a manual, or in other words, an instruction guide! If you resonate with this, your in-tuition will accept the following as such a guide.

First of all, what does LOVE mean to you?

I know YOU know what love means to you, I also know that we all have an idea of what Love is – and isn’t!!!

To me, every response to the above question that includes relationships, caring, and fondness for and from others, is emotional and therefore a symptom or effect, of Love.

Which is always a great answer by the way!

For me, Love is also ENERGY and is the cause in the ‘Cause and Effect’ scenario.

As there are so many differing forms of Love from Childhood, to Parental to Sibling, to Friendship, to Intimacy, there is a generic term or form as a reference. Yes, this is Energy!

I hope you are still with me. Please read on as this gets really interesting and may answer the question you originally had, when searching for information on LOVE.

Consider yourself a Generator of Love and similar to an electricity generator. However, as you are NOT a mechanical object, you can therefore decide to direct energy of varying degrees both outward and inward. You also have intensity buttons! (Ever heard of someone saying “You pressed my HOT Button”?!) The levels of intensity range from hot to cold, in between, and to the extreme! This means that you can move from like to dislike and from love to hate in a heartbeat, based on the effect that someone has over you.

Is this making sense?

We talk about the effect that someone has had over us or someone else. So we already know we respond to another’s energy in different ways.

Why does this happen though?

Consider that ‘Connectivity’ between ourselves and others are Electrical Currents (same theme) and we meet someone who is able to provide a source of energy we feel we are lacking in, and desire to explore. What happens then?

We are attracted and drawn to (or connected with) that person, similar to that of a pair of magnets. We may learn how to find that source of energy within us, and we may then position ourselves on a par with that person.

Sometimes the ‘magic’ of the initial connection fades because we need something else, or greater strength of the same. Other times it remains strong, as both parties continue along an equal path in their respective journeys, one in the lead and one following, and both continually attracting and absorbing.

Where we have depleted the supply of external energy that we originally required and found from another source, or we find we now have an abundance of that energy within us, or even if we now need a different source of energy, the connection may cease. In some cases, the connection may completely reverse itself, just as the flipside of a magnet repels.

I use the mag-net-ic scenario as the extreme form of energy, as you see it all starts with magic. Yet if the net closes in to contain or control the energy, it destroys the mag-ic!

With it being very close to Valentines Day, a global day of LOVE, please remember as you go about your celebrations – whether single or partnered – that there is a wealth of love being shared on this day. The energy is always at a high when LOVE becomes the order of the day, and there may be both opportunities and challenges for you to explore. I trust you will know what to do if presented with choice!

I shall be posting a special article dear to my heart for Valentines everywhere, so please be sure to come back to this page and see what I have in store for YOU!

I do as always, welcome your comments and feedback on how I have helped to make a difference in your life. And I do indeed hope I do.

Please let me know by sending an e-mail to: andrea.smart@andreasmart.com I reply to all my mail.

A PostScript for your reference - As an advocate of Oneness, I can state with all my heart and certainty that I absolutely know we are all derived from the power of One. However one cannot achieve much alone, therefore split into many particles, we can all serve to gain greater knowledge and help the greater good – or Oneness - by sharing our accomplishments. The connectivity between all the particles is in direct relation to our needs, whatever the intensity!

With love in abundance, I am your friend.

Andrea Nicole Smart

x

Twelve months of LOVE & Vision

2009-01-18T14:24:00.001-08:00

How much do you love you?

I have started this article with a question, as it's important to understand that what we feel has a direct impact on what we do.

With the new year now 2 weeks in, how has January treated you so far? And how have you treated January?! Hmmmm, a play on words can play on your mindset can't it?

The new year is generally the time when resolutions are made. We look at our lives and say, I am going to ....... get slimmer, pay off my credit cards, find a new job, look for a new partner ..... all sorts of visions are created in January, so January deserves to be treated well. Do you agree?

I have a view - you knew I would, right? - if you take a little time to understand your mindset ......... what you really want, where you really are in life right now, what your results have achieved to date and what actions you have taken to get where you are ...... then you are in a much better place to set yourself a vision or a new years resolution for 2009. January helps you to do this - as it can feel a little quiet after the hectic pace of December. AND there is a whole year ahead of you for your wish to come true.

How will you look back on the year, when we get to December 2009? Are your resolves strong enough to succeed? Are they realistic? Have you included milestones to check your progress? This is what I was referring to when I asked you how much you love yourself.

For us to succeed in successfully achieving our vision - whatever it is and whenever it is, we must also take action on loving and look after ourselves in the process. Becoming 'present' to all our thoughts, feelings and actions is also important in the self-discovery process. Our vision may be clear however our thoughts require congruence!

Our minds can get overloaded with the weight of the vision and success can be daunting.

SO, I like to set myself little baby steps when I set a vision or goal, and I find this works.

Using a year to plan the success of your target goal, the ease and regularity of your 12, 24 52 or 365 mini-goals (for example) will take you nearer to your ultimate vision, you will feel happier about seeing the regular successes, and your resolve will grow stronger with the new habits you are installing in your life. Habits do take time, and repetition!

Your love for yourself, because you are happy about your successes, will increase and this will be witnessed by those around you. Change is beautiful, and slowly but surely it becomes you.

I decided to call this article 12 months of love & vision, because I believe it to be a special way to create something you desire. It works for me, and because I do love myself, I take actions that are loving, gentle and kind to my life. It's what I deserve - in fact it's what we all deserve, so see if this works for you too, and please, let me know.

I am, your loving friend and I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.

With love always,

Andrea

I LOVE the Season of Goodwill

2008-12-31T07:46:00.001-08:00

Are you enjoying your festive season? The season of goodwill to all (wo)men?

I am. And for one pertinent reason in particular......to give!

Did you know that the secret to living is giving?

Well it is, and here's why;

Christmas and the holiday spirit that is part of the festive season, provides us with many opportunities to share our love and our time with others. Some needy, some grateful, some wanting to give back, and all simply wanting that magical of all feelings, LOVE.

The gifts of time and celebration enable us to share our love around. There's plenty of it, so it's not like anyone is going to be drained, we simply open our hearts to give and - yes - receive love, which comes in a variety of different forms.

Most important before I go on, is that we be able to RECEIVE the love that is offered to us, as well as being able to GIVE it. There must exist receivers, for the givers to bestow upon. It's logical and imperative to our society that we do both, so a balance can be achieved! I know you know this, it's simply a loving reminder.

With regard to the different forms of love we give and receive, I am sure you know of someone - if it isn't exactly you - who has been on the receiving end of a hand-knitted jumper or scarf that isn't quite a trendy garment - rather a thoughtful and loving gesture. How was that gift received? With a smile of thanks? Anything less would of course be an insult, as love was surely created from the heart within the time it took to knit the item.

All gifts, whether small or large, tangible or otherwise, are heart-felt. We must accept these displays of affection with gratitude and in return, give our own gift of love in the knowledge that we are creating a loving and harmonious community or family. It is what we genuinely desire most! I challenge you to ask yourself how true this is for you and your ideals.

The gifts of time and celebration that are especially entwined at this time of year are ours to do with as we please, and those of us who lead busy lives throughout the rest of the year get a purposeful reason to slow down and experience joy and peace with our friends and families. Not that we need any excuses of course, however we do have one if need be!

Let's also remember that some people do not experience joy and peace at this time of year, and others are unaware that it's even Christmas! As you are reading this from a computer connected to the internet, my guess is that you may well be one of the fortunate ones bestowed with some form of wealth or luck. I hope you are aware of and grateful for this ability to be worldly-wise! Again, I am.

I have always loved Christmas - for other reasons too. As one of life's eternal children, I enjoy receiving presents that provide me with a challenge, like a fun-packed game I can play alone or with others. I always get at least one, as everyone knows what I enjoy most and so they package up their love for me in brightly coloured paper for me to open with glee and giggles, just so they can look on and witness how much joy they have given me. I am as happy as can be, with every present I am lucky enough to receive....just one big kid sitting on the floor enjoying herself, surrounded by love. I know I am lucky too!

I take Christmas seriously, as I know it means more than simply giving and receiving presents. For some it has religious meaning. For me, it stores sentimental memories of special people that are no longer with me. With this thought I am aware that there are others who have also lost, and some that are alone and bereft. I feel very strongly for those that are not able to enjoy the festivities as I do.

I know of a great many people who contribute their their time at Christmas to the needy and this is indeed a loving gesture. I believe it brings the true spirit of Christmas to the fore, creating very strong feelings of love. When you see the gratitude on someone's face, someone who expected nothing and seemingly got everything, someone who thought they had won a prize but didn't enter a competition, someone whose surprise and shock created a silence of staggering proportions, and someone whose look says it all, then you have both bestowed and received the spirit of Christmas.....the greatest gift of all......the secret to living...... and a present to be proud of!

As it is now the eve of a new year, I wish you 365 fantastic presents, 1 every 24 hours, with all my love and all my gratitude. If you choose to accept these presents, what will you do with them? If you have been at all affected by my outpourings of love, I ask you to simply love someone who might not love you back, parcel up a gift and send it to someone anonymously, create space in your heart for love to grow and always love your self whatever you choose to do.

Remember, the secret to living is giving, and as yesterday is history and tomorrow a mystery, today therefore is a gift and that's why we call it the Present!....Use it wisely and lovingly.

Love to you and your family at this exciting time of year when you have a new year to plan new goals with a new mindset and a new presence.

Happy 2009.

My love always,

Andrea Nicole Smart

If you always do what you always did,

You'll always get what you always got.

Make a decision today that gets you excited,

And love every single moment of your life.

I LOVE to Smile :o)

2008-11-28T16:18:00.001-08:00

If there's one way to create a warm fuzzy feeling in the centre of my being, it's smiling.

For some reason, the small act of using a few facial muscles to raise the corners of my mouth, lights me up inside, gives me the giggles and puts a spring in my step.

I've been incredibly busy recently, and feeling a trifle overloaded, I could have fallen prey to what I loosely call 'stress'. I don't believe it needs to exist within any of us and so I take steps to ensure it doesn't exist within me.

I SMILE!

Simple really, one might think, yet for some it doesn't seem to enter their minds as they go about their day with little self-expression. When I see others in such a predicament, I smile warmly at them and hold their gaze. Most do actually smile back and some even laugh.

We aren't always present to our demeanour - that is, our state - and our body language can make some interesting state-ments as to how we are feeling. So when caught unawares, our natural or sub-concious response is to smile.

You ever found that? You turned round, saw someone smiling at you and smiled back without thinking about it? It's instinctive. We smiled as babies! No one taught us how to, and yet our faces still beamed with joy. We weren't even old enough to understand the language being spoken to us, we just copied the smiling face above ours and smiled as widely as our mouths would let us. Interesting when you go back to basics isn't it?

As we grow up, there seems - for some - to be a certain stigma about smiling. Like our faces might crack!! Like we'll give the wrong impression. That it isn't 'cool'. Or even that it isn't appropriate! Well, if a simple innocent smile isn't appropriate, what is? I see so many people on their daily journeys with straight faces, some looking down, and as for eye contact, well it's mostly non-existent.

So I know there are many people not being present to what they - and others - could enjoy, just for fun! And for FREE!

This life we live - it's about LOVE, joy, happiness, growth and fun! It's about making a difference. It's about living! A smile can help lift people's spirits whether they are wearing one or watching one.

How do you feel when you smile?

Try smiling now, and feel the sensation. And I really mean smile - where your eyes twinkle and crease, your cheeks bunch up and your teeth are all on show - like the Joker's smile!

What's happening? Stay present and alert to your body's responses.

Now, take a deep cleansing breath - yes, whilst you're still smiling - think about something funny or someone close to you. Do you feel another change in your state? Do your shoulders quiver? Do you breathe out some giggly sounds? Can you feel a tingling sensation? Are you in fact laughing?!

Well when I do this, even my ears pull back! I must have been given some extra muscles secured to my large Dad-like ears, and yet the sensation of my ears moving, simply makes me giggle more. Well it tickles!!

I feel that there's no time like the present to smile. Whenever that is! Wherever that is! There need be no reason, season, climate or point to a smile, just smile because you love to, too!

Just think, your bright smile might just be the tonic that someone else needs - right at that moment. Smile for yourself and for those that aren't - you may find your smile is infectious and that really is cool!

If you found this blog because you were looking for LOVE - then you've found it!

By smiling, you are telling the world you are happy - and everyone loves happy people. You got this far, so share a smile with someone and see what happens.

I dare you!

From one happy smiling person to another, I send you gratitude and LOVE, as always and for all ways!

If you've enjoyed this little conversation we've been having, come back on a regular basis, as I cover all things to do with LOVE - there are heaps of it everywhere! Honestly.

Oh, and here's a final thought - if you are challenged with pain - whatever it is - here's another beautiful set of lyrics from a wonderful smiley man; Mr Nat King Cole. It's called.....SMILE!

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through, for you.

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile.

Andrea Nicole Smart

LOVE & Remembrance

2008-11-09T06:02:00.001-08:00

Today in the UK, many people from all walks of life are remembering their lost loved ones. The community comes together and pulls together to create a day of love, for why else would we be remembering those lost to our day-to-day lives, if not for LOVE?!

The act of remembrance is within us all. Most of us mourn or grieve for someone. It's natural. I love that we find this time to love, to give thanks, and to smile in celebration of people's lives too! Sorrow and joy are so closely united. For most of us, one normally follows the other, as if we are playing tag! This is natural too, and is referred to as perfect balance.

I believe that for us to truly understand and appreciate love, we will be required to measure it somehow, against something else that doesn't feel quite so good! Then it's up to us to live in a state in which we feel most comfortable. It's rare that someone living doesn't know of someone close to them that has died. This being the case, we will all have felt some kind of sorrow, before we pass away ourselves.

Now, I am someone who has lost people very close to me through industrial disease, knife crime, cancer, and through 'natural' causes as well. I miss them and mourn them and remember them through the connection we had when they were alive in human form and therefore visible to me. Because their bodies have died, I cannot see them or hold them, however I can feel them and see them around me, in the special legacies they have left behind. This is what comforts me.

The 'fallen' War Heroes are remembered for their acts of bravery. Their total acts of contribution in offering their lives to save the lives of others, and therefore, their commitment to love. Because they didn't return, we love them even more, and we remember them at the Festival of Remembrance and specifically at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. It has been this way for 90 years, since Armistice day on 11th November 1918, the end of the Great War, World War I.

As creature of habits, we continue to mourn, to remember, to love and to fight! What would be a beautiful commemoration to our lost loved ones, would be the world at peace. Everyone loving one another one day after another. Every day, and in every way.

There are so many reasons to love, and we strive to do so by setting aside time for memories, for family time, for socialising, for companionship, for intimacy, for laughs and for tears. Perfect.

Let's all remember at this time, that the moment we forget about love, in anger, in rage or in temper, we take away the love within us, which has provided us with so much peace and happiness. We also dare to share our disruption with others and so we pass on our discomfort, rather than our love. Remember this, when next you hear, see or do something that is not connected with love.

I am positive that with the 'Festival of Remembrance and Love' being a daily act of kindness by all, in addition to a yearly commemoration, the world will be a better place for you and for me.

As this last thought came to mind, so did another; The timeless lyrics of Michael Jackson's chorus in 'Heal the World'..

"Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place for
You and for me".

I do hope this thought is as poignant for you as it is for me.

I have loved tripping off down memory lane with you today, and I encourage YOU to go there, and relive fond, happy and loving memories whenever you feel the need or desire. Take 2 minutes to recall anything you know will bring you to a state of grace and love, at the 11th hour on the forthcoming 11th day of the 11th month; 11am on 11th November. Then share that memory with someone and feel your heart burst with love. If your eyes fill with tears too, then you really did find something special to recall. Join me in a global hug and make love and peace the order of the day.

I wish you peace and love, and happy memories, on this Remembrance weekend, and forever more.

Til next time, thank you for your love. If you hadn't felt something, you wouldn't still be reading!

Blessings to you and yours,

Andrea Nicole Smart

Unrequited LOVE

2008-10-27T00:03:00.001-07:00

Have you ever loved another whilst they didn't love you?

It can be one of the most painful feelings to experience.

So much so, that some have felt they were dying with the pain.

It can get the better of your mind when the one you choose does not choose you.

For some, it takes a very long time to get over. For others, a shorter period.

Why do you think this is?

I ask this because I have often wondered why it appears our heart is breaking, when our love is not returned. It certainly isn't logical, as although we connect love with our heart, it's actually formed in our mind.

I became so inquisitive, that I came to understand the source of love from the works of Dr John Demartini. We become stimulated by the effects another has on our senses. A connection to another through our desires and needs.

We may desire a characteristic we do not have but want.

We may need a partner that shares our own likes.

The feeling of love is born in our mind and is felt in our body, in our heart, through all of our nerve endings, just like electricity. And because we have many varied needs and desires in a partner, we will attract and be attracted in varied ways.

Some will be attracted by another's mind. Liking that person's ideas, humour and stimulating conversation.

Others will find that they connect initially from a heartwarming affection, respect and feeling comfortable and safe.

Then there are those who are instantly and sexually attracted to each other, with excitement and tingling lust bursting forth.

Complications can be faced when two people do not feel the same! If one's feelings aren't mirrored, the 'relationship' can be imbalanced.

For example you can lust after somone who only likes you, or love someone who is only capable of lust.

The verbally communicated expectations from one to another, will exacerbate the situation if there is no mutual respect present, and pain from heartbreak can ensue!

A love or longing not returned by another can indeed be one of the most painful feelings, and I do believe that at some point during our lives, all of us will experience it in some form or another.

And still, we seek love!

It is one of the main reasons I believe, that we are here on earth. To love, to cherish, to respect, and to connect, so we can procreate and build harmonious communities.

It doesn't always work out for some. It can work out first time for others!

What matters, is that we learn from our experiences. That we continue to seek love and build beautiful relationships.

If someone is spurned, do they really have the need or the right to take it out on the other? It is simply a matter of connection. It may well not be there with some people we desire. It's not their fault, it is just that way.

I hear about members of both sexes rubbishing the other sex, saying they are all bad, and this simply isn't true! It's so obvious, because there are true, enduring relationships already in existence. Just look around. It's impactful when we see signs of love, and could be encouraging for those that desire a relationship.

I had an experience myself of unrequited love, a long while ago. Yes it was painful. Yes it lasted a long time, and yes, I got over it! I had the love and respect of my wonderful Parents who let me grieve, and then gently prodded me to move on. I never tagged all men with a horrid label, I simply understood that he wasn't the one for me.

I didn't go looking for someone to replace him either. I simply looked for fun and happiness, and me. I know I lost touch with who I was, during this painful period, and when I was ready to move on, I did.

I know that I make this sound so logical and simple here. Well, I only have a brief moment to put my findings across to you. Yet I do know that unrequited love is very much logical, if we can see past the immediate pain.

Love always helps us to heal and in this instance, I will always recommend that we look to connect with another love existing around us that will heal us and help us through our trying times.

For me it was my Parents' love. For others it could be friendships with wonderful, loving people. There may even be the love we feel for and from our pets. In all cases, it turns out that unbeknownst to us (at the time) it is our love for ourselves that eventually comes to the fore and provides the healing.

If you are going through an experience similar to what I have been discussing here, I urge you to have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself whether the person on the receiving end of your affections is exactly right for you! If they were, they would surely see you in the same light as you see them?! Isn't this what you would prefer? We cannot make people love us! There are so many people in this world seeking a love that fulfills them, just like you. We are not alone in our desire to find 'the one'.

Let's all be honorable with our love and our desires, and not resentful. There is someone for each of us, with the qualities we desire. Allow that perfect person to walk into your life, by being the best person you can be.

Make a list of the qualities you would like in your perfect person, and adopt these characteristics for yourself. You will attract people based on who you are being.

Go for it! Make the world a happier place for YOU!

BE the change you desire to see in the world....

BE the person you desire to attract.....

Love all others.....with the love you would like for yourself....

Love yourself....

If love is really what you want!

Love will then find you!

I do hope you have found this useful. I speak only from a loving heart and mind, and I send you love and respect for choosing to live a life with love in it!

Until the next time, be patient, loving and kind.

Andrea Nicole Smart

The Love of Power vs The Power of LOVE

2008-10-10T00:37:00.001-07:00

There seems to be a battle of wills taking place on both sides of the pond right now.

In the USA, Barack Obama and John McCain are in competition to win the voters' support for the Whitehouse seat. Here in the UK, we are experiencing some disquiet with regard to our own Prime Minister.

Now, far be it for me to get involved in all these political discussions and pass on my opinion to you, I would rather concentrate on discussing how this type of scenario exists within us all individually, and within groups.

When you read the title of this blog, what emotions stirred within you? Did you have an opinion of your own? I know how I feel. If I look within me in years gone past, I have been a victim of my own decision to compete with others (as well as with my own loving nature) and go for the power. My single-mindedness did me no favours as I charged toward my goal, and rather than embracing people along the way with peripheral viewpoints, I chose tunnel-vision and solitude.

Did I get there? Not even close! Instead I back-tracked, licked my wounds, assessed the situation and began to make amends, because it is possible to re-acquaint ourselves with those whom we passed by, if it comes from the heart.

Had I chosen to make my attempt at gaining a more powerful position about benefiting the people, then I believe I would have experienced success. The attitude with which we treat people, determines our real power and by this I mean if we love and care for one another, help others before helping ourselves, we will be supported by others, loved and trusted too.

Being honest, I am happy to have experienced this, as I know for sure, that I now have a greater depth of feeling and understanding about both sides of a challenge. And I will always know which choice to make.

The Power of Love is very much the number 1 key to peace and happiness in our global society.

How does it feel when you take the initiative, time and sometimes patience, to do something for someone else, over and above your own needs and requirements? How does the recipient of your care feel? Do you feel grateful for the ability to help others? It's a cute concept!

I believe that the Love of Power is something that generations of people have felt compelled to do, or risk being over-powered. For whatever reason - perhaps fear of failure was one of them - they were unable to see that a collaboration with people of the same vision had the greatest likelihood of becoming a successful method of embracing and sharing the Power of Love, gaining a peaceful solution.

Groups and individuals alike, sometimes focus on gaining support by generating feelings against an action that has been taken. For example, Anti-war rallies and petitions are created with the power of love, and yet do not provide an alternative solution. Their main focus is Against something instead of For something else! We wonder why these initiatives create a different outcome to that which we desire. However used wisely, empowering supporters with a pro-peace rally and petition, encourage solutions to be found, and bring the power of love into it's own as people join together in harmony to support their cause.

I personally prefer to feel at peace with myself and my environment, rather than even contemplate raging a war within, and so my efforts to empower love within myself and my community, focus on the positively loving aspect.

I would love to hear your own views on this tender subject, and as you can leave comments at the end of this article, please feel free to do so if you if you wish.

What examples of the Love of Power vs the Power of Love have you observed within your own environment recently?

Have you the will or the desire to make a difference in your's and others' lives?

Please share the content of this article with others, thereby sharing the love.

The Power of Love holds magical properties. See how it affects you when you are present to its magnificence.

Until the next time, power up your love.

The power to make a difference, comes from love, and you have mine for sure.

Andrea Nicole Smart

In Love With Nature

2008-09-30T22:31:00.001-07:00

What is it you feel when you are amongst nature? Do you think of nature as being beautiful? Can you recall a time when the beauty of nature brought tears to your eyes?

When nature has a profound effect on you, how beautiful does this love feel?

I just came back from a wondrous holiday in Dorset, England. The beauty I saw around me took my own breath away and I did indeed feel privileged to be part of and party to an exhilarating realisation that I was both at one with, and in love with, nature.

Yes, I felt quite dreamily poetic at times, in total awe of what was before my eyes.

A keen walker, I do enjoy a ramble across the countryside, and took the greatest of opportunities to walk along the cliff tops from Lulworth Cove, past Stair hole, Durdle Door, Bats Head and beyond. Each new view culminated in the most overwhelming of feelings. If the wind didn't blur my eyes with tears, the scenery certainly did. Magic. That's what nature is. Beautiful and magical.

If you've ever been to Lulworth Cove, you'll know just what I mean. Part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coastline, the area attracts all those wanting to feast their eyes and hearts on the simple beauty of ancient geological wonders like Durdle Door and Stair Hole. Magnificence that stuns many. Made by nature.

In 1792, John O'Keefe contemplated Durdle Door from the pebbled shore, with astonishment and pleasure, a stupendous piece of nature's work.

In 2008, As I stood on the sea shore taking in the same astonishing natural arch, the sun gently warmed me from a clear blue sky. It was a perfect September morning and the sea was bringing its white tipped waves to my feet, testing me to step back, as it devoured my ankles. I was mesmerised by the sound of the water coming in and then receding, taking with it the tiny surface pebbles, as the next wave rolled in, repeating the magic again and again and again. "Shhhhhhh" came the sound, "Shhhhhhh", "Shhhhhhh". I did as I was told and remained silent. It was the most appropriate response.

I was quite sad leaving the shore behind as I climbed to the clifftop in my wet clothes. Like I was leaving a loved one behind. My throat was tight and my eyes wet. Not from the sea though! And in that moment, I knew I'd be coming back to visit my new found love.

Until I return, the magic of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door will be safely stored in my heart. I will love them forever.

I trust you too will come to know your own nature, and fall in love with it, just as it is.

Love to you and yours, all ways.

Andrea Nicole Smart
x

LOVE and Connection

2008-09-09T01:32:00.001-07:00

I felt most overwhelmed the other day. Overwhelmed with love and connection.

I was shopping in my local supermarket when basket in hand, I heard a baby cry. And cry, and cry and cry. The sound felt like a vibration deep within me, and I found myself desperately wanting the crying to stop. It didn't, and as I was pacing the aisles, taking the high pitched crying into my very core, I felt an urgent need take control of me. I put my basket down on the floor and went off in search of the crying child. I didn't know why, I simply did it.

When I found Mother and Baby, I was so touched. I felt a huge lump in my throat as I looked down into the baby's red and swollen eyes. I placed a hand on the Mother's shoulder, and a finger in the palm of the baby's hand. I then spoke ever so softly to them both, that I wondered if I'd spoken at all. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "I couldn't help myself, I really had to come and find you. Is there anything you need?" The Mother looked at me kindly and said "I don't know, she won't stop crying".

I was gently moving baby's hand up and down, the way we instinctively do when we make contact with small children. I looked into the face of this beautiful child and felt great love surging from my 'bubble' into my throat. "So, you're a little upset are you?" I whispered. I smiled and bobbed my head and carried on making small talk, as the baby girl continued to cry.

The connection I felt was so strong, I was almost completely bowled over with emotion. I returned my attention to her Mum. "I hope you don't mind me coming over, her crying really got to me. However there doesn't seem to be much that I can do, unless you'd like me to look after your shopping whilst you take her for a little wander".

"You've been very kind, and I am very grateful" she replied, "I realise that I must go and find my husband who has our other children. He can take her for that wander while I get on with the shopping. Thank you so much". In that moment, I knew that the child's Mother, the child herself, and also myself, were all there, crying out for a little something that none of us understood, but all of us appreciated.

My eyes filled with tears as a rush of love took complete control and squeezing the young woman's shoulder, I choked out; "Look after each other, I wish you both well". I took off as the tears rolled down my face. Unaccustomed to emotional outbursts in a supermarket, I smiled and wiped away the tears as a couple walked by and looked on. I did not wish them to think there was anything wrong.

A little later, I saw that the little girl was indeed being joyfully paraded around the supermarket in the arms of her daddy, and felt comforted.

I will never forget the urgent connection I felt with that child, nor my instinctive response that literally propelled my feet in her direction. I may never know the reason for my compelling journey, I simply knew that to ignore it, wasn't an option.

Love comes to find us in many situations, at the unlikeliest of moments. Some of them extremely odd it would seem. When a connection or a calling is great enough to stop us in our tracks and change direction, it must be heeded for the sake of our best interests. The magic of our body's ability to give us messages which our conscious mind might otherwise have ignored, is powerful.

It is love of the highest order, and the reason we do some of the strangest things in life. take a good look at what YOU have done, and ask yourself why. I am positive that you'll be able to trace your actions right back to love.

Personally, I am grateful for such wonderful feelings, and I intend to (all ways) act on my instincts. They bring great joy.

In celebration of your own loving connections, I wish you and yours the deepest joy.

Andrea Nicole Smart

LOVE & Gratitude

2008-09-02T09:00:00.001-07:00

To enjoy great relationships and to achieve great visions;
Open your eyes and your heart, give love and feel grateful, frequently and abundantly.

Hello and thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your time and I hope you find it well-spent.
I have a question for you. What do you think about the statement above?

This is an absolute fact of life, proven by many personal and professional development teachers and their students!

It's not difficult once you become aware of this truth. Of course it's making a habit out of loving and being grateful, that can be the challenge. However, knowledge is key; Put this well-matched pair - love and gratitude - to work with another pair that it's difficult to separate - people and experiences - and see what you can manifest.

To love and be grateful for everything you have done and everything you have attracted into your life is to experience great acceptance where once there may have been regret. Supreme joy is yours with the realisation that NOW is PERFECT, and the pursuit of happiness is indeed being fulfilled, at this moment! Your visions will materialise before your very eyes, once the clouds have departed.

To love and be grateful for and to everyone you have known so far along your journey as well as those you know today, is to experience the great wealth of connection. That is, to know with certainty, that everyone in your life is and has been there for a reason. The people you have known, currently know and are yet to know, all bring with them guidance and opportunities. Your values will determine which ones you listen to and learn most from, and the relationships that endure, will be there because they bring sustained balance and mutual appreciation.

I have personally felt tears of love and gratitude not simply prick my eyes, but flood them and run in rivulets down my face, in recognition that the people I have known, have entered my life whilst on their own special journey and took time along the way to make an important impact on mine. Those that have left my life taught me many valuable lessons that as a student of life, I needed to learn. Those I still know as well as those I now attract are in balance with my life, providing me with everything - including those ever important life lessons - I need to continue my journey and achieve my purpose, in the name of and with, love and gratitude.

I enjoy great relationships because my heart is open and loving to all, and my goals and visions are now achievable because clarity has opened my eyes. Can you improve your relationships? Are your visions and goals clear and congruant with your values and purpose? Love & gratitude are key tools I can heartily recommend.

With love and gratitude to you and yours,

Andrea Nicole Smart
x

All You Need Is LOVE

2008-08-28T00:52:00.001-07:00

Hello dear friend: I watched a really enjoyable film recently, which featured a lot of BEATLES songs from the 60's. One song really struck a chord - All You Need Is LOVE - and I didn't even wonder why. It was obvious, as it fits in so well with my personal outlook on life.

The film was called Across the Universe, and it occurred to me that there are many people in the world, all singing these same uplifting tunes, and acting them out differently in life. Many don't actually realise that the message they hear is for them, and proceed with their limiting beliefs after the song has finished.

Are those singing along merrily to the music actually present to the words their mouths are producing?

Do we consciously take in the inspirational messages that some songs deliver into our homes and our lives?

What do YOU think?

I like to believe that on an unconscious level, my mind takes these beautiful messages I have so readily accepted as song lyrics and as a gift to me, fills my heart with their love and joy, which my blood then carries to every cell in my body, hence having the spirited energy and inclination to sing, dance, wiggle, toe-tap and laugh. More recently I have become conscious of all the messages that are delivered to me in music, sounds, conversations and actions, even bird-song! I am learning all the time from my own love-ly environment.

E-motion is good for us. Love, is good for us, and if derived from music, then as per the words of another Beatles' classic, 'Let It Be'. Consider listening to the wise words of great musicians, as they are teachers too.

Some of you might not know of The Beatles' repertoire, and with such powerful lyrics, how could I not share one of their most appropriate songs with you here. So for you, courtesy of The Beatles, is; ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!

Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

All you need is love (All together, now!)
All you need is love. (Everybody!)
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need, love is all you need,
Love is all you need, Love is all you need,
Love is all you need, Yesterday, Love is all you need,
Love is all you need, Love is all you need.

Yee-hai!
Oh yeah!
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.

Love to you and yours, because love is all you need.

Andrea Nicole Smart

Loving Our Self

2008-08-20T14:20:00.001-07:00

Hello again. What did you think when you read my introductory article? Were you intrigued? I hope so. I got quite carried away, and enjoyed delving into my love bank. The feedback I received certainly showed that it was an enjoyable read. Of course, I want to cover one type of love at a time, so as not to deluge you with information. Therefore to get started we'll be looking at the most obvious type, which is LOVE OF SELF.

This is the first and foremost feeling of love, that once fully appreciated, will enable us to better understand and enjoy our external loves, that is those feelings we have for others.

Now, I'd like YOU to ask YOURSELF this question, which is better spoken out loud: "Do I love me?"

Depending on your mind and body responses to that question, you will have come up with a number of thoughts, that are with you right now. These words that just sprung into your mind, are based on your in-tuition, and can be trusted.

Let's take a look at how I love ME. This hasn't always been easy for me to do, as I am not as pure as the driven snow. I have a multitude of experiences, that I decided to come to terms with because of conflicts with my values, and the method I used was LOVE. As I recalled the times when I felt 'sad or bad', I chose to adopt a meaning for the action that came before the feeling. What could I possibly learn from such a deed? Such a thought? What has been driving me to continually recall these occasions? These feelings?

I can tell you that the reason these memories kept coming back 'to haunt me', was because deep inside, on a sub-conscious level, I really desired to be free of the baggage. Maybe even 'forgiven'. I didn't realise that taking one simple action would allow me to be free, I once thought I had to clear it up externally! For instance, if I had hurt someone, that I must apologise and make sure they forgave me. Firstly, I am not in charge of other people's feelings, so forgiveness from others is not always granted. Secondly, it's not always possible to apologise face to face, (unless you picture their face in your mind) especially if we are going back a long time!

We CAN forgive and therefore love ourselves, and by applying a meaning to each event, learning the lessons, and loving the initial experiences, we can turn them into positives. This method works for me every time. It has allowed me to be free to experience and love life, with purpose, without baggage and with a whole different energy! Much more joyful, bouncy, vibrant and with bags of vitality.

It might not surprise you that the decisions we make and the actions we take are as a direct result of our inner choice to learn something from the experience. Some people think that on occasion, they have 'made a mistake'. If we recall times when this has seemed the case, what lesson can be applied? Can you recall such instances where you have berated yourself? Maybe still do? Use my simple method of applying a learning curve, and notice the difference.

Another method of loving myself and loving each situation I am in, is BEING GRATEFUL.

Yes, quite simply giving thanks for your challenges, your achievements, your relationships - ALL of them!, and for being YOU. It is extremely powerful, and all you do is say; "Thank you for my partner, thank you for my car, thank you for my job, thank you for the rain", or whatever you are grateful for. Even the things you think you might be better off without! Say this in the mirror to your own face with passion, a few times, and notice the feelings that course through your body. Do the hairs on the back of your arms stand on end? Do you feel near to tears? Is there a fullness about your heart? All this love and much more can be felt, just by acknowledging your thanks! And you are thanking YOU! When I do this, it really gives me the heebie-jeebies!! I get the most intense feeling of happiness, like a concentration of what I normally feel.

Going back to the question "Do I love me?", whatever your response was then, do the exercises above and ask yourself this question again. Is there a difference in the way you feel? Continue to do these simple actions and you will soon know true love of self and great inner happiness.

If you were to ask me what use love of self is, and why make it top of the love-list, I'd answer; "Because once you truly love yourself, you are free to love others with great passion and joy. That when you live with an abundance of love, in a world of love, love is all you see and attract. Your world is a mirror image of who you are, so make sure you are fabulous, and the world will look and feel fabulous too!"

I hope this has been useful to you. Please come back soon, to read my next article on LOVE.

Love as always, to you and yours,

Andrea Nicole Smart

LOVE - It's all there is!

2008-08-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog. This is the very first article in my specialist area of love. Why specialist? I don't have children, I'm divorced, not even married right now, yet I do enjoy a very special relationship with my partner of 6 years. This in part has enabled me to understand love, the beauty of love, the variety of feelings it brings, and the endless supply I have! I've always felt love, I mean, loads of it, so that sometimes I feel I might burst with the enormous bubble that sits in my heart. (Actually, I feel it in other places too, like my stomach, my cheeks and ears when they flush, and when the hairs on my arms stand upright) That's why I enjoy giving it away, letting it go, so it can freely flow.

I cry happy tears at the drop of a hat sometimes, (hmm, a river of love?!) and I might be in a very open place, far too inconvenient for some to be that open with feelings. Well, I have always worn my heart on my sleeve, and I am happier this way, so long may it continue.

When I refer to love being 'all there is', I mean, it was there before we were born, when we were conceived (and even before that) there was love. We were nurtured and protected as we grew inside a woman's body. Then we were lovingly brought into this world by Nurses, Doctors and Midwives, and people held us gently and looked at us with love. That's how a lot of us first knew love. As we grew through our childhood, we experienced different emotions, and still we understood what love was.

We have all felt a combination of parental love, extended family love, love from siblings, friends, teachers, boyfriends, girlfriends, marital love, our own children's love, nephews & nieces, maybe even from grandchildren. The list of different types and sources of love is endless, as we can also incorporate love from our pets and other house-guests. We express love for people, beauty, situations, in the act of being grateful, in the powerful feeling of loss. It's all about love! Even anger and pain, can be caused when love is lost, and is quickly dissipated once love is found again. Love is the most powerful emotion there is.

I love love. I do believe most people prefer to love than to feel lesser emotions. We have a choice, and herein lies my reason for writing about love as a personal development tool. Some people don't realise that the choice is ours! AND, as we learn about life, emotions and we grow and mature, for love to be in its natural unconditional state, and therefore effective, it must start with love of self!

There are a lot of people who openly love others and who will not admit to loving their self. "It's vain to love oneself" I have heard, and; "It's more important to love others". I agree it is important to love others, and in order to feel the greatest love for others, it still starts with love of self, which isn't vain if it comes from the heart instead of the head.

I am going to cover all of the above in detail over forthcoming entries, and so I do hope you'll be back to catch up with me. Love is so many things, (some say it's blind!) and if it makes you feel good, then that's a key worth keeping. It's my intention to share my many visions of love with you, for the sake of love itself.

Sending love to you and yours,

Andrea Nicole Smart.

The Blog Begins!

2008-08-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

The Love blog now has a new expert author. I am plesed to welcome Andrea Nicole Smart to the chair. Andrea says, her heart is brimming full of love and she wants to share it with the world.

"I hope to grow this beautiful word in people's minds, as many misunderstand or seem afraid of it!", she commented.

I am looking forward to reading her blog over the coming months.