The #1 Rule of Life: Do Things With Love

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“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” – Blessed Mother Teresa

This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. Whenever I meet a challenge or find that I have no will to do something, I try to remember this quote, put a smile on my face, and do whatever needs to get done. I also try to apply this quote when I’m teaching or when I’m doing work for a client, because when you do something with love, you can bet that it shows.

Yesterday I met a woman who has made a living selling her art and jewelery. She’s actually my neighbor and I had no idea, which made me realize that we live in a world where we are totally self-absorbed and overworked because we don’t even know who lives on our block. That, however, is a topic for another time.

Anyway, this woman was having a viewing party for her latest line of jewelry in her garden and invited a bunch of people. After salivating over her beautiful paintings and purchasing some hand-made jewelery, I asked her how she kept going whenever she was met with challenges. To quote my friend Mel who is an Art History major, “People dream of making a living creating art, but let’s face it, it’s not an easy thing to do. Society sees it as impractical, foolish, or lazy.” As someone who is trying to run her own writing business I see this first hand all the time, writers and other artists are constantly being exploited because their work isn’t seen as useful. People stop chasing their dreams because society tells them they won’t survive. There are even groups, like the Freelancers Union, trying to put congressional bills on the table so that artists get the pay that they deserve.

My artist neighbor’s answer was simple. “I always did everything out of love. If you put your heart and soul into something everything else will take care of itself.”

Coincidentally, I also received an email yesterday from Lip over at The Lazy Pixel telling me that for him, the most important aspect of freelancing is showing the client that you actually care. He is 100% right, and you can expect an entire post on how to treat clients soon.

Doing things with love and actually showing that you care about something can apply to every aspect of your life. Whether you are running a business, chasing your dream, or working a regular job, even doing little things with a lot of love can take you a long way.

Amanda Abella

Amanda Abella is a freelance writer and language instructor based out of Miami, Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2009 and holds a degree in English Literature from Ave Maria University. Amanda Abella is available for freelance work, why not hire her?

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