There’s a phrase that I’m starting to live by in my life, and it’s something I work with a lot of my private coaching clients:

If what you’re doing does not bring you joy, do not do it.

Every aspect of your life. Yeah, I know you need to pay the bills, and you may have jobs that aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, but you have control over that too.

You can find a better job.

See life is too short. If something doesn’t bring us joy, then we shouldn’t be doing it, especially when it comes down to the game we call love.

You see in love, I’ve always been a giver.

I always expect the best in somebody, and so I’d be as generous as I can.

But then I feel like, if someone is just taking, then I start to shut down.

You see, in life, whenever you give love there’s always somebody that was willing to take love, and love is not a give and take. Love is a give and give.

For the love that I give, I want a relationship that gives love back.

For the love somebody gives to me, I want to be able to give back to them.

The problem with life is that there are so many takers, and when you’re generous with your money, with your love, with your heart, you’re going to find time to time that you’re going to be exposed to people who take, take, take.

It’s happened to all of us in our lives. Every relationship we’ve had, there’s been a level of give and a level of take. None of us are perfect at all. As big a giver as I might be, I certainly from time to time probably took in ways that made somebody else extremely upset and not feel loved.

We’re all just human beings, souls, just living this journey called life in so many different ways.

We’re sharing space on this planet. We’re sharing space in the world. But if you really truly desire truly love.

You have to stop attracting the takers, and start attracting your equal giver. No relationship is ever going to be perfect. There’s definitely going to be take in some relationships at certain times. I mean, nobody is so fully consciously awake that it’s going to be the perfect give and give.

But if you look at all the patterns of all your past relationships.

If you look at the patterns of the people who have taken from you, there’s a lesson in there, and that lesson is something that you need to embrace.

Don’t blame them for taking. Don’t blame yourself for being an idiot. Forgive, because there’s that lesson that you need to look at. I know with me my lessons keep coming up over and over again, so I tend to look at them and start thinking about what I can do differently the next time, but more importantly.

What my part was in this relationship? Anyway, love is about give and give, not give and take.