"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” ( John 3:16 NIV).
In this Christmas season our topic this month is love. There are numerous feelings, words, emotions, ECT that come to mind when we think of love. It does not matter economic status, race, or gender, at the end of the day all we really want is love.
Love is so very important, that someone once asked Jesus which command was the most important. He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:36-38).
Love can fall into three categories EPA:
Eros – This is most categorized when someone states “I’m in love”. This love gives you that warm fuzzy feeling, strong sensual passion, and queasy stomach feeling. Eros is dependent upon situations and circumstances. As long as things are going great you are in love however when things go really wrong and mean and hurtful things are said these feelings can evaporate over time.
Philia – Derived from Philadelphia the city of brotherly love. This type of love is friendship, best friends, and mutual interest in some of the same things. This type of love is also fickle and can fade away depending upon the circumstance.
Agape – This type of love is unlike the previous two. With this love it is based on a commitment you make. No matter what you will love. Choosing to love your enemies when the despitefully use you, turning the other cheek when you don’t want to. God’s love was agape when he gave his only son so that we might have life.
In the coaching world I like to use the acronym EPA: Evaluate, Plan, and Act. By evaluating your life, having a plan, and acting on the results of the plan your life can be balanced. Where there is balance there is love. Relationships work not because of love, but because of the commitment. The same thing holds true when transforming your life. The transformation works not because of the action, but because of the commitment to that action.
Evaluation – The first thing that I have my client to do when coming to coaching is to evaluate where they are at present. We can’t get to where we need to be unless we recognize where we are at. We evaluate 8 different categories of life. This evaluation gives us a picture of what the client wants to work on while coaching.
Plan – Once we have found out where the client is we then develop plans to move forward along the journey. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. At this stage an accountability partner is key.
Action – No matter how much we evaluate and plan if not put to action it becomes null and void. Action is where the client starts to implement the plan. This stage will not work without commitment. This stage does not work solely because of action but it works because of the commitment to the action.
I encourage to come up with your own EPA. Once you have identified your EPA develop a way for this EPA to lead to a balanced life. Once your life is balanced you will love. The greatest thing you will ever learn is to love and be loved in return.
Action Step - Identify your own EPA. Once you have completed this task e-mail me on meverett24@verizon.net for your free introductory session. We will create a plan so that you can start living your life in and on purpose.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
