Learning to Love

Can you learn to love almost anything in your life? During college, Latin was one of my most dreaded subjects and so, when I was assigned AP Latin as one of my courses during my first year of teaching, I was less than thrilled. Fast-forward a few years, however, and this class became my favorite. So how did it happen for me? And how can something similar happen for you with something you don’t currently enjoy? 

Recently, I was reading an article from the masterful coach Steve Chandler that explains the process well. Many of the self-help authors he had read said, “Do what you love and the money will follow,” but through experience, Steve found the opposite to be true. He writes about his initial dislike of working as a coach: 

“[O]ver time I learned something. The more I committed myself to deep learning and practice, the more I enjoyed my work, and soon a new piece of wisdom arose for me: Love what you do (instead of do what you love) and the money will follow. You don’t have to love something (or someone) at first. But if you cultivate loving what is, whatever it is in your heart, and learn to stay out of your head and worried mind, the very thrill of being alive has you, over time, incrementally, loving whatever you are doing.”

During those early years of teaching, I committed to deep study and I learned to love Latin. I never would have guessed during college that this would happen. I am convinced that I, and you too, can learn to love nearly anything. This week, I invite you to ask yourself: 

What is something (or someone) that I do not yet love? What thoughts do I have about this thing? How do these thoughts impact how I feel? What are new ways that I could choose to see it? What would it look like for me to commit to “deep learning and practice” in this area? 

God bless,
Dan