Simply. Be LOVE.

I believe that in order for us to Be LOVE ;-) we need to grow and learn how to embrace others and ourselves and celebrate our differences….. Life is a constant journey of growing and learning. This TED Talk by Thandie Newton really touched my heart.

Thandie talks about how as a child growing up she felt confusion when she tried to be herself, and so she retreated inward. Not until she found acting did she feel that she could really be her self and that there is beauty in us all being different! And that despite celebrating what makes each of us different, at the core we are all one. I like to say we are all love.

I can so relate. Growing up I was blessed to have parents who did a wonderful job of allowing us kids be ourselves all while instilling a strong sense of being connected to something much greater then us.

So imagine the challenge I had struggling with DADT while I was in the US Coast Guard. I was working in a job I loved but was being told I was not allowed to be my true self. Was I really less of a human then the straight person working next to me? It went against everything I had believed. I knew I had no choice but to challenge the policy. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, while at the same time of the easiest.

So if we want this world of ours to get better…then we each need to start embracing otherness and embracing ourselves. Only then will things get better.

I found this video while checking up on one of my favorite blogs - The Dragonfly Effect. Their blog and book are a great resource for getting your message out there in the world in a way that adds value. I have referenced the book many times as I have been working on the Be LOVE ;-) Project.

This 15 year old kid Jordan Weissman does an amazing job of getting his message across, and with such heart.

When we prejudge someone we make assumptions (As Jordan did a great job of showing) without giving the person a chance. And more often then not, the assumption we make is wrong.

If one really believes that each of us at our core is LOVE, then how can we prejudge someone? Would we want someone to prejudge us? I know I have been prejudged before and it didn’t feel good.

So how about if even just for today we try to not prejudge anyone we come in contact with as we go through our day. Let’s try to be that positive change and give each person the respect they deserve.

Jordan used YouTube to get his message across….and to ask for us not to prejudge one another. One person with a voice making a change, standing up for making a difference.

Here is the video that planted the seed year ago and has now germinated into the whole Project Be Love. This clip is from Kat Von D’s TV Show LA Ink. Jason and his band all came in to have different version of BE LOVE tattooed. Jason Mraz is such an inspiration to so many with his amazing music and lyrics. Enjoy.