• Main Menu
    • Home Page
    • Secure Area
    • File a Claim
    • Make a Payment
    • Refer a Friend
    • Join our Newsletter
    • Important Links
    • Insurance Glossary
    • View our Blog
    • Location(s)
    • Employee Directory
    • Contact Us
    • Extra Page 1
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Automobile
    • Automobile Insurance Home
    • Auto Insurance Quote
    • Request ID Card for Auto Policy
    • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Auto Policy
    • Send Declaration and Coverages Information to Lien Holder
    • Add Vehicle to Existing Auto Policy
    • Remove Vehicle from Existing Auto Policy
    • Add Driver to Existing Auto Policy
    • Remove Driver from Existing Auto Policy
    • Mechanical Breakdown
  • Homeowners
    • Homeowners Insurance Home
    • Homeowners Insurance Quote
    • Request Declaration and Coverages for Existing Homeowners Insurance Coverage
  • Renters
    • Renters Insurance Home
    • Renters Insurance Quote
    • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Existing Renters Insurance Coverage
  • Motorcycle
    • Motorcycle Insurance Home
    • Motorcycle Insurance Quote
    • Request ID Card for Motorcycle Policy
    • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Motorcycle Policy
    • Add Motorcycle to Existing Policy
    • Remove Motorcycle from Existing Policy
    • Add Driver to Existing Motorcycle Policy
    • Remove Driver from Existing Motorcycle Policy
  • Business & Commercial
    • Business & Commercial Insurance Home
    • Commercial Auto Insurance Quote
    • Request ID Card for Commercial Auto Policy
    • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Commercial Auto Policy
    • Add Vehicle to Existing Commercial Auto Policy
    • Remove Vehicle from Existing Commercial Auto Policy
    • Add Driver to Existing Commercial Auto Policy
    • Remove Driver from Existing Commercial Auto Policy
    • General Liability Quote Form
    • Business Owners (BOP) Quote Form
    • Workers Compensation Quote
  • Health
    • Health Insurance Home
    • Health Insurance Quote
    • Disability Insurance Quote
    • Long Term Care Insurance Quote
  • Recreational Vehicle
    • Recreational Vehicle Insurance Home
    • Recreational Vehicle Insurance Quote
    • Request ID Card for Recreational Vehicle Policy
    • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Recreational Vehicle Policy
    • Add Recreational Vehicle to Existing Policy
    • Remove Recreational Vehicle from Existing Policy
    • Add Driver to Existing Recreational Vehicle Policy
    • Remove Driver from Existing Recreational Vehicle Policy
  • Life
    • Life Insurance Home
    • Life Insurance Quote
    • Term Life Insurance Quote
  • Earthquake
    • Earthquake Insurance Home
    • Earthquake Quote
    • Request Declaration and Coverages Page for Existing Earthquake Insurance
  • Locations
  • Video Library
    • Auto Insurance Videos
    • Homeowner's Insurance Videos
    • Mercury Insurance Videos
Auto Homeowners Umbrella Earthquake Commercial
Home > Blog > Motivation Monday with John O'Leary: Love is a Verb
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2017

Motivation Monday with John O'Leary: Love is a Verb

“Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to  love is a verb

look past the imperfections.” – Anonymous

Last weekend my siblings came in town with their kids. Our Mom and Dad wanted to capture the gathering with a quick picture with their grandchildren.

My siblings and I corralled the nineteen grandchildren (ages 14, 13, 11, 11, 11, 10, 9, 9, 8, 7, 7, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 15 months, 9 months and 4 months). We shepherded my father from the house to a little couch in the side yard. Mom followed and sat next to him. One by one the kids filed around them.

As we worked to get a formation where 21 faces could be seen, chaos erupted.

A little girl became upset (her brother was teasing her); a little boy started crying (convinced he’d contracted Lyme disease, unlikely as he’d been bitten by a mosquito not a tic); a two-year-old wanted nothing to do with the picture (a promise of limitless ice cream could not change her mind).

And yet, through teasing and tears, bug bites and chaos, we got a picture to commemorate the gathering. More than that, from the experience, these three life lessons came into focus:

1.“Love is a Verb.” As one parent ran to get a favorite toy for an upset child, another helped with a crying baby. As one cleaned up spit up, another brushed the hair of a child whose roughhousing disheveled it.

In love, there is no passivity, no sitting back, no waiting for others to jump in. Real love demands action. Love is the great motivator and compels continual forgiveness, persistent compassion and striving toward something even bigger than itself.

(“Love is a verb” is one of my favorite quotes from my recent Live Inspired podcast interview with Edie Varley. Edie shares her beautiful story of growing up one of 14 children – “life was a celebration!” She’s my personal coach, dear friend and you won’t want to miss her wisdom and energy. Listen here.)

2. Life requires adaptability. As more little ones came around their grandparents, everyone had to shuffle to make room and make sure everyone could be seen.

Most of us are creatures of habit and like things as they were. “The good ole days” isn’t just the beginning of a story our grandparents shared, but one now repeated by most of us! It’s critical to remember and celebrate that life is constantly in flux, otherwise we’re at risk to be driven toward protectionism and longing for a past that will never exist again.

3. Perfection is unattainable. The majority of Facebook posts and holiday cards are Photo-shopped or at least only THE BEST photo of hundreds taken before it. It also turns out when someone responds that everything is ‘just perfect’ in their work, finances, family and life: They likely aren’t telling the entire story.

Life isn’t perfect. It can be messy, sad, unfair and undignified. And yet, seasons of adversity are often followed by joy, with overlap between the two. Instead of pretending all is perfect, be okay with the mess life can occasionally be; instead of being disappointed at what you did not perfectly capture, be grateful for all that you did.

For you see, in looking back, the best pictures, experiences and memories often aren’t the ones we envisioned, but the unexpected ones we were lucky enough to experience. [Tweet this] | [Share on Facebook]

Our final picture includes a 2-year-old with tears streaming down her face fleeing, a girl in the back moving away from her brother’s teasing, a young boy despondent by self-diagnosed Lyme disease, grandparents trying to hold onto their 19 grandchildren and a bunch of unseen parents behind the lens encouraging (and threatening!) their children to look at the camera and smile.

This picture captured two grandparents, with a combined 14 decades of ups and downs during life, surrounded by 19 grandchildren in various stages of growth, distress, joy, tears, smiles, fears, hopes and dreams. In others words, the final picture captured one moment, in one family’s life, perfectly.

My friends, being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It simply means that you’ve decided to look past the imperfections.

Today is your day. Live Inspired.

This article was originally published on #1 National Bestselling Author of ON FIRE and Inspirational Speaker John O’Leary’s Monday Motivation blog. John inspires the R.L. Thomas Service, Inc. and we’re honored to share his inspiration with you! Get his Monday Motivation in your inbox here and enjoy his daily inspiration on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube.

 

You can see all of John’s Monday Motivation posts here: http://johnolearyinspires.com/tag/blog/

Posted 11:00 AM

Tags: motivation monday with john o'leary: love is a verb
Share |


No Comments


Post a Comment
Required
Required (Not Displayed)
Required


All comments are moderated and stripped of HTML.

NOTICE: This blog and website are made available by the publisher for educational and informational purposes only. It is not be used as a substitute for competent insurance, legal, or tax advice from a licensed professional in your state. By using this blog site you understand that there is no broker client relationship between you and the blog and website publisher.
Blog Archive
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2010

  • 5 tips to protect your possessions with valuable items insurance coverage(3)
  • spring driving tips(3)
  • john o'leary monday motivation: would you do it again?(2)
  • preventing slips and falls in your home(2)
  • crime spikes on halloween: fictional ghost story or factual concern?(2)
  • 3 easy ways to get rid of fruit flies(2)
  • why 2 experts say you should clean your medicine cabinet — and their 5 key tips(2)
  • john o'leary monday motivation: what do you see?(2)
  • help keep your teens safe behind the wheel(2)
  • 10 best places to get a deal on glasses(2)
  • motivational monday(2)
  • things burglars look for before breaking into a home (and what keeps them away)(2)
  • grilling safety tips(2)
  • ez-prep (severe weather: emergency preparedness and response planning)(1)
  • false facts you believe about money(1)
  • motivational monday with john o'leary: how heroes are made(1)
  • home safety tips(1)
  • john o'leary monday motivation: leave it all behind(1)
  • the flu is a bad souvenir. here’s how a pilot stays healthy while flying(1)
  • are you protecting your family from harmful uv rays?(1)
  • why you might want to wrap your car key fob in foil(1)
  • 10 smartphone camera features that make you feel like a professional photographer(1)
  • life insurance misconceptions(1)
  • should you pay off your mortgage?(1)
  • 19 discounts seniors didn’t know they could get(1)
  • 10 simple & sustainable tips for a healthier you in 2019(1)
  • confessions of a car salesman(1)
  • 6 simple spring car care tips(1)
  • car cleaning tricks that your body shop won’t tell you about(1)
  • drinking coffee won't improve your metabolism — here's what actually works(1)
  • ridiculously simple and free ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle(1)
  • financial book clubs make learning about money more social(1)
  • 6 ways to secure your home when you're away(1)
  • monday motivation with john o’leary: a small act of caring(1)
  • family fire safety tips(1)
  • 9 healthy holiday-eating strategies(1)
  • monday motivation with john o'leary: will you see it?(1)
  • how times of trouble remind us to be grateful “if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you(1)
  • tips to keep your house plants happy and healthy(1)
  • small money moves to change your financial future(1)
  • john o’leary motivation: it’s not about you(1)
  • always bloated(1)
  • 15 times you should definitely be washing your hands and aren’t(1)
  • john o'leary monday motivation: redefining perfect(1)
  • john o'leary monday motivation: slow down and enjoy life(1)
  • john o'leary monday motivation: where do i belong(1)
  • what to do when you're hacked(1)
  • 20 ways to save money(1)
  • focus on safety all year long(1)
  • power outages(1)

View Mobile Version
QUICK LINKS

Home
About
Get a Quote
Contact

Refer a Friend Leave A Review
                          R.L. Thomas Insurance Service, Inc.

                              21021Ventura Blvd., Suite 215                         
                              Woodland Hills, CA  91364                    
                              Phone: (818) 380-1700                            
                              Fax: (818) 906-0667                                
             

                               License#: 0601754
Powered by Insurance Website Builder