Love Languages

What is your love language?   Did I get your attention with that question?  I think it’s an appropriate topic. After all, it’s February, the month associated with love.

Dr.Gary Chapman, marriage counselor and author of best selling The 5 Love Languages, identified five primary ways that people express and interpret love. (www.5lovelanguages.com)   Those “languages” are

·        Words  of Affirmation

·        Quality Time

·        Receiving Gifts

·        Acts of Service

·        Physical Touch

We are beings who require connections with others; communication is connecting, and these “languages” are communication methods. I won’t delve into details about each love language because for our purposes in this article, they seem fairly clear. Dr. Chapman is the expert,and he has books and workshops galore for your knowledge-gathering pleasure.

I want to pose more questions for you to ponder based on the love languages.

·        Which one of those languages appeals to you most? Expressing love to others and receiving love from others might be conveyed through very different languages for you.  In what way to you give?  What do you wish to receive?

·        Can you identify the love languages of your family members?  Look at your children.  What do they really want from you?  Loving words? Time? Gifts – ok, they all want gifts. Do they feel a heart-felt connection through the gifts?  Things you do for them?  Hugs and reassuring pats?

I tell my students I want to give them as many tools for their writing tool boxes as I can.  In my columns, I want to give you tools for your life toolbox.

Until next time – find a way to show as well as tell your child, “I love you.”

My  best,

TessHaranda

Personal life, career, executive coach

www.successwithtess.com