What Do You Love?

I saw a video sent by Tommy Newberry. It talked about what we love in America. Then it ended with values we all supposedly embrace.

It hit me that a great way to know myself better is simply to list the things I love. This makes understanding myself a lot easier. Maybe I can list the things I love now and the things I used to love.

With a list like this, I will come to appreciate who I am. I'll learn, or maybe learn, why I choose to do the things that I do when I choose to do them. Why I waste time on videos. What I am in search of. Why I am entertained by some of the videos I watch.

But at least I'll understand what I love. I'll understand it because I wrote it down. I might also be able to categorize the things I love. Some of the categories could be family, people, work, volunteering, hobbies, food, time, health, exercise. The process will be helpful.

Let's start right now.

I love Kathy. I love being with her. I love how she laughs so easily. I love how she understands people and is so empathetic towards them. I love how she told me, "People are just trying to get by."

I love talking with people. I love discovering their stories. How they lived their lives. The circumstances they faced. The environments they grew up in. How they navigate life. How they make money. How they choose to use their time. The people they choose to hang with. The goals they are trying to achieve. I love helping them discover who they are. To see behavior patterns they never paid any attention to.

I love the grandchildren. I love it when they connect with me. When they like me. When they want to be with me. How they think I'm funny. How they tell me that I am annoying. How they tell me to get lost by ignoring me so completely. I love capturing the moment in time that shows who they are without saying a word. Getting a photograph of that moment. Getting a still shot of their essence. I love when they smile at me. I love when they show affection toward me because they came to trust me.

I love conversations with David. He is a deep thinker and always brings up interesting topics. Yes, there are times when he is lighthearted. But most of the time he is wrestling with a knotty problem he needs to solve. This makes me think. It brings me on a journey of remembering moments in my life when I was faced with the very same problems. And dealing with David on this is different than dealing with strangers or even friends. I have to get it right. I can't just throw out an idea without testing it first. I am helping guide my son's life. Helping him solve issues that will advance or retard his business. Decisions that will affect his future, his marriage, his relationships, his health, his fulfillment, his goals, his success. All these things. I love talking to David because it is serious and important. I must be present. I can never let my mind wander. I must think about what is about to come out of my mouth.

I love looking good. I want to look healthy and feel healthy. This means watching closely what I put into my body and in what quantities. It means moving and not just sitting behind a keyboard and answering emails that don't have any real import in my life. I love to have people have a good first impression of me and consider me to be smart, talented, a good listener, loving, caring, insightful. I love to be thought of as someone who is interested enough to ask good questions. Hard questions. Questions that dig deep into who they are and why they are.

I love entrepreneurs. I love them because they are world-changers. They want to make a dent in the universe, and they want to make a lot of money doing it. These people are a special breed. They love what they do and want people to love it, too. They want people to love it so much that they use what they create. To say how great it is. How important it is to their work or lives.

What’s on your list?