LIVE LIKE A FLOWER: Open Up

Flowers open hearts. When you connect with flowers your heart opens, love pours in and you feel happy. Follow these tips from relationship expert and author of Choosing ME Before WE, Christine Arylo, to learn to live like a flower – open and beautiful.

1. Know what makes your heart happy and do that. Make choices in your relationships, career, home and lifestyle to meet your personal expectations, rather than those of outside forces. One great way to reconnect with joy is to surround yourself with simple things that make you feel happy and loved, like a colorful bunch of flowers or a blooming plant. Flowers have power to open hearts, and when your heart is open you are more likely to do things that make you happy.
2. Follow your inner wisdom, not conventional wisdom. Living an authentic life means living life by what feel is right to you, even if it differs from the norm. Be willing to listen to your inner wisdom—that intuitive, gut feeling—even if it is contrary to rational thought. People who live great lives take risks and live outside the prescribed box of conventional wisdom. They are willing to be different, because they are willing to be themselves.
3. Stay true to yourself, even if that means disappointing another. Be a best friend to yourself by taking actions that are best for you. Sometimes you will disappoint others, but ultimately if you stay true to yourself, you’ll almost always end up in a better scenario. In the event another person is disappointed, send them a small but mighty token of your love, such as flowers to brighten their day and remind them you adore them.
4. Be willing to make a mistake, but don’t beat yourself up about it. It can be hard to admit you’ve made a mistake. Give yourself some love by saying the same words you would tell a best friend in this situation, “You are doing the best that you can, and it’s enough.” Then do something loving for yourself, an action that you would only usually take for someone else to cheer them up, like sending yourself flowers. When they arrive, you will receive a huge boost of love, and your heart will open up … to yourself.
5. Be a feeling sharer not a feeling stuffer. Most of us were brought up to stuff our feelings as far down as we can. If it is hard for you to express your feelings, bring in help to open your heart and let the feelings out. Flowers are great heart openers, for yourself and the person with whom you want to connect. Give flowers or a plant to the person you are trying to open your heart to as a gesture to start the conversation. Watch the walls break down and the field of love open.

The Complete Live Like A Flower Series