I was sitting with a group of teens at an athletic event recently and noticed how quick they were to say mean things about themselves: “I’m so fat,” “I’m so ugly,” “I’m not good enough”–the list goes on. As adults, we do this, too. Sometimes it’s learned. Sometimes it’s years of low self-esteem piled in our subconscious minds. All the time it’s destructive, both to ourselves and those around us.

I couldn’t get that teen scene out of my head. Thoughts are powerful. They become things. They form our actions, our beliefs, our behaviors towards each other.

The next day it came to me in a moment that was so overpowering I expected to see lightning shoot down out of the bright day sky. What if each one of our kids could start today, right this minute, and shift their self-degradating thoughts to loving thoughts, first towards themselves and then towards other? In 20 years, we’d be looking at a whole new world. My first thought was to start this campaign with teens so that’s what I’ve done. (Admittedly, my husband and I were the first to snatch bracelets up when the UPS guy dropped them off. Why not? Can’t we all benefit from bathing our thought processes in love?)

Enter, The LOVE Campaign (TLC)

Let Old Views Evaporate

Here it is, plain and simple: by consistently watching your loving thoughts towards yourself grow, you will be more loving and have more loving thoughts toward others. With all that TLC, think of what we can do in the world. You know that’s what you’re here for, right?

Step 1—The Challenge

Put a LOVE bracelet on your right hand. As long as you send loving thoughts to yourself, you keep it there. Thirty days forms a habit and you want those love thoughts to be habitual, don’t you? Your goal, then, is to keep it there for 30 days. Any time you think or say anything negative about yourself, you’re going to need to move that band to your left hand, come up with 5 loving thoughts to wipe out the negative ones, then move it back and start counting again from 1.

Step 2-Next Level It

Once you’ve made the outstanding achievement of keeping that bracelet on the right for 30 days, start the same process over—with one slight change. This time, you’re going to think loving thoughts about others. Thirty days to form the habit and you’ve met the Next Level Challenge. (Once you’re giving yourself all that TLC, this shouldn’t be as hard as it may seem now. Many of our negative thoughts towards others come because we’re not feeling so terrific about ourselves.)

After that, you have a choice. You can keep your bracelet just in case you need a refresher. Or, you can choose to give it to a friend you think could benefit from the same process. You know—pay it forward.

NEXT Next Level

Think about how others may benefit from reading about your experiences. If you’re one of those go-getter types like me, you’ll want to keep track of this process. Write down your ideas as you go, either digitally on your cells or in a paper journal. Then, get those notes to me. I’m going to compile some of these with the intention of sharing with others how they can create love in their communities, too.
Now, go. LOVE boldly. Why? Because you—and your world—are both worth it!!

Contact info for writings:
Jamie Weil: PO Box 1925, Cottonwood, CA 96022 or jamieweilwrites@gmail.com.

Sponsored with love by Jamie’s Creative Endeavors, LLC.