How to Open your Heart with “Tiny Love Challenges”

For much of my life, I focused all my energy on improving myself and my circumstances because I thought others would only see my value if I became someone better. It was only after years of pushing myself—and ostracizing myself, in fear of being seen and judged as inadequate—that I realized yet another irony: I didn’t need to be someone else or somewhere else to get what I wanted; I needed to accept who I was and be right where I was. Because right there, in the present, there were loved ones I failed to acknowledge while wrapped up in my self-involvement, there were friends I’d yet to meet, and wouldn’t, if I didn’t get out of my head and look around, and there was a whole lot of love I could be giving if only I stopped worrying about the love I wasn’t getting.

~Lori Deschene
Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges

Do you challenge yourself to love more?

To open your heart to the people around you? To get out of your comfort zone so you’re present for the people you care about?

And to stop worrying about the love you want–and start caring about the love you can give?

If you have ever wanted to be more loving, Lori Deschene’s new book “Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges” (affiliate link) is for you.

Lori, of TinyBuddha.com, teaches big lessons from tiny truths. Her website is full of personal stories from people who grew wise from life’s lessons.

“365 Tiny Love Challenges” is no different.

In the book, each month is a chapter and focuses on a love theme. January is about kindness and thoughtfulness; February is about compassion and understanding, and so on through the year.

Then for every day of that month, Lori gives you a little challenge.

• January 13: Introduce yourself to a neighbor you’ve never met, or don’t know well.
• April 21: Make today a no-sarcasm day. Instead of expression your anger, frustration, or annoyance sarcastically, be clear and direct.
• July 22: Give a warm piece of clothing that you no longer need to a homeless person, or leave it in a donation bin.
• August 13: Identify someone in your life you regularly try to change. Now find one thing you appreciate about them, just as they are—and share this with them.
• September 17: Write down three of your top strengths. If you’re tempted to compare yourself with someone else today, refer to this list as a reminder that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses.

After the challenge, there are several questions for reflection and a check-in for the end of the day to see how it went—perfect prompts for journaling.

And sprinkled throughout the book are personal stories from readers about love. My story about my Dad and a AAA card appears on page 286.

If you like structure, “365 Tiny Love Challenges” gives you a year of little challenges to expand your capacity for love. For me, I plan to open it to random pages for little reminders of love’s possibilities.

Lori is a master at finding deep wisdom in common, everyday actions. “Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges” is the perfect guide to follow that path.

Non-affiliate link: Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges