How do you spell love?

“How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet

“You don’t spell it, you feel it” – Pooh

Surely fitting for the day – Valentine’s Day.  And, more broadly, Heart Health Month.

While this often means what you eat, how you exercise and sleep, there’s a lot more to heart health than just those three, such as social connections.  

There are plenty of data suggesting overall health and longevity are improved with strong social connections, community and relationships. 

We also have to consider the language used to ourselves.  Yes, relationships matter with others, but they equally matter to yourself!

Consider any coach, colleague, teacher or leader you’ve worked with and consider how they spoke to you. Are the words you speak to yourself words you’d ever want to hear from any type of leader or mentor?

What if you started each day with words of affirmation?  To yourself!

Maybe a high five in the bathroom mirror when you wake up reminding yourself how awesome you truly are.  Or a sticky note left on the mirror with some positive adjectives or words of affirmation.

The fact is, love can be an outpouring of everything in you.

And while February is known as heart month and Valentine's Day is of course just one day, love can and should be shared, regularly.