Chris Assad shares an interesting perspective on why loving and being loved can be so difficult sometimes:

How much is “enough”? And believe me when I tell you that in my moments of greatest achievement, in those moments when I have been on the biggest stages, and sometimes even when I’m surrounded by those who love me most, that feeling has still haunted me. Something’s still missing.

Here’s what I’ve discovered. As long as we operate in a reality where we believe that love is conditional, no amount of love or acknowledgment or praise or notoriety will ever be enough to fill us up or makes us feel complete. And the reason is that if we have the belief that love is earned, not given, whether we know it or not, it will completely limit our ability to love ourselves WHOLEHEARTEDLY. And if we’re not loving ourselves wholeheartedly, fully and completely, then we will always feel like something is missing and we will continue to live our lives in search of the next achievement, the next epiphany, the next notch on our spiritual belt so that we can get “better” and be more “worthy” in order to….yup, get more love. And so the cycle goes.

So here’s the solution: the quest for more, bigger, better STOPS NOW. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and slowly, and go within. Really allow yourself to tune into your heart and feel all the love in there. Feel your connection to the Divine’s infinite supply of love and goodness. Once you’ve made contact, allow yourself to become present to the truth of who you really are, of your oneness with all that love, of your right to claim and use every last drop of it, right here, right now, just as you are. If you don’t believe me, ask your heart if its love is unconditional. If you get any answer other than a resounding “yes”, that’s your mind talking. (It’s ok, we love the mind, too, but we don’t need its input on this one.) Remember that you’re already worthy and that there is no condition upon your ability or right to experience all that love and be embraced by it. Notice any blocks to your experience of that whole heart full of love and notice any part of your heart that’s holding back. Let them go and say goodbye to the experience of being unfulfilled, incomplete and dissatisfied. Release yourself from the need to constantly work, struggle and fight for every little drop of love you can get. Immerse yourself completely in the warm, cozy embrace of your own heart’s love as though you’re giving yourself a huge energetic hug.

How does that feel? Pretty good, right? That’s how the un-conditioning happens. By feeling more and thinking less. By gently reminding ourselves over and over again that love is UN-CONDITIONAL. By remembering that you are and have always been enough, and worthy of all the love you desire. And the best part is, all the love you could ever want and more is in your own heart. It’s a bottomless well of love and the only thing stopping you from experiencing its fullness and splendor is that false belief that love is anything but free. It’s yours to have, to feel, to share, to give and to experience. It always has been.

So the search is over. There’s nothing left to do, or get or become. You have all the love that you seek. You ARE the love that you seek and you are here to experience it fully and to share it with others. And from there, you can be, do or have anything you set your sights on, not because you have to, but because you choose to.” Source: Uncondition Yourself And Love Wholeheartedly!

Another reminder that I am responsible and response-able for my own love and happiness and that as long as I wait for my wife or anyone else to fill the hole in my soul, I’ll always be hungry for more…