It’s been almost seven years since my younger brother Jeremy died of an unintentional overdose, and in those years four big life lessons have come to light for me. I mention these in my Kickstarter pitch video, but I’d like to expand on them here.

The first lesson is ‘love fiercely’. Read those two words again and pause for a minute. What feelings come up? What images? Have you ever seen those two words side by side in a sentence? For me, they’re incredibly powerful. Powerful enough to grab my attention and cut through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, CNN, The Skimm and all the other mediums of noise I allow to invade my day. They make me stop … and think.

The words ‘love’ and ‘fierce’ carry tremendous energy. We know they carry energy because when we experience them they make us feel a variety of sensations in our body. A lump in our throat. A knot in our stomach. Lightheaded. Tingling. They’re electrifying. We experience emotions like excitement and fear. Blissfulness. Happiness. Nervousness. These are all emotions in motion. Energy vibrations. You can’t help but ‘feel’ when you love and when you engage in something fiercely.

To love fiercely means to ‘go’ with that energy. Grab it. Experience it. Embrace it. Be in the moment with every person and every experience that shows up in your life. Love fiercely your partner even when they leave crumbs on your clean countertop and clothes on the bedroom floor. Love fiercely the amazing flowers of springtime even though the yellow pollen covers your car and deck and sidewalk. Love fiercely the fall and its spectacular colors even though the leaves are a pain to rake up. Love fiercely the bitter chill of winter even though you have to start your car ten minutes before you leave. Love fiercely.

To love fiercely means to follow your gut. Listen to the nudges. Pick up the phone and call or send a note of encouragement to someone who’s been on your mind. Pick a day and be spontaneously generous. Generosity doesn’t have to mean giving money. It can be as simple as mowing your neighbor’s yard once you finish yours or taking their trash can from the curb up to their house. Go and spend an hour with an older person who’s lonely or leave a bouquet of flowers on someone’s doorstep and run. Love fiercely.

To love fiercely means to be engaged in ‘this thing called life’ as Prince would say. I hear so many people say they’re bored or stuck and don’t know what to do. Here’s an idea. Think of a way you can love fiercely today. You can’t experience feeling ‘stuck’ when powerful energy is moving inside you. So, I dare you to go and love fiercely. Explore your world and find the places where you can plug in fierce love. Use your imagination and humor. Then, come back and tell me what you find.

Love fiercely.

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