In this week where many people celebrate Valentine’s Day, others say love should be celebrated every day. The cynics say it’s just a commercial opportunity made famous by Hallmark cards and Interflora, so let’s talk about how love fits in to the PEPP® model for a life with more vitality.

PEPP®

PEPP® is a re-frame on business and life through the lenses of Purpose, Energy, Pleasure and Profit. When you have balance it’s a bit like what you need to move forwards or backwards on a unicycle. You may decide though that you’d prefer to ride a bicycle or tandem. And that’s perfect too: each person’s definition of balance is unique to them.

Everyone, not just business owners and leaders, needs to consider PEPP® all the time for an optimum opportunity to live with more vitality.

The emphasis/priority/order that you give each PEPP® element will vary from person to person, and within an individual may change in time depending on what else is going on for them.

A business owner with a new baby will have different weightings for each aspect of PEPP® to the day she started the business. And that will be different again to her partner who is an employee working, for example, for a government department.

Pleasure

We all want pleasure and I like to think of this as the ability to be playful like a child. When working with my clients and getting them to plan for pleasure with a particular emphasis every week, we further break it down and make a selection from:

  1. Enjoyment
  2. Treat
  3. Love
  4. Wonderment
  5. Gratitude
  6. Bliss
  7. Affection
  8. Contentment
  9. ?
    [insert your own definition of “Pleasure” here]

What does love mean to you in a daily or weekly context? Deepak Chopra said “Love doesn’t need reason. It speaks from the irrational wisdom of the heart.” And “Love is like water. If it doesn’t flow it stagnates.”

But not all love is the same! Sometimes nature makes hearts. And sometimes we make them for ourselves and others which helps our vitality.

And sometimes hearts are broken. This may be devastating at the time but the contrast is important for us to feel too otherwise we are in danger of going through life with a sense of “sameness” which may be a bit dull or bland. It may suit us, of course… that will depend on our personality.

Love’s 5 Languages

According to Gary Chapman in his 1995 Best Seller “The Five Love Languages”, everyone appreciates love in different ways. Although for some the actual words “I love you” are of paramount importance, for others Acts of Service like doing the dishes or the Physical Touch of holding hands are appreciated more.

This carries through to business also and there is special version of the book called “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” where Gary teamed up with Paul White. If a team member values Words of Affirmation then they want to be encouraged and feel affirmed that they are doing a great job. Perhaps a client or colleague would value those words in a hand written card.

Some people value Quality Time over all else so for them being 100% present and un-distracted is the only way to be. Being a really good listener is important here as may be other activities like retreats away from the normal work environment.

Tangible Gifts are valued by many but not everyone, both at work and home. And not everyone values surprises. In any case it’s important to think about the expected choice of the receiver rather then what’s easy for the giver because, in the words of H Jackson Brown Jr, “Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own”.

Public Expressions of Love

Sometimes people wait a really long time to publicly express their love. Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby wed Johan van Vloten last week. They have been together for 50 years and “tied the knot” on the day that was the half century anniversary of their meeting. Until very recently they were denied the opportunity of even being able to consider this.

Love is BIG for business. Some though take advantage of Valentine’s Day by doubling or tripling the price of “scarce” items like red roses. Weddings generate about $2 billion each year in Australia between about 116,000 events.

Love Yourself First

Paulo Coelho said “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”

But no one else needs to be involved. To really live with vitality every day we need to be happy with who we see in the mirror. And if we’re not, then work on that before anything else. If we have a business we certainly can’t work on that until we’re comfortable inside.

In the words of Michael Masser and Linda Creed in the song originally recorded by George Benson and made more famous by the late Whitney Houston “Learning to love yourself. It is the greatest love of all.”

I’m here to help you…

If you’re ready to PEPP® Up yourself and your business by going on a VITALITY JOURNEY please reach out – I’m here to help you. You can look forward to a more Vibrant Business and a more Vibrant Life.

And, please share… do you celebrate love every day?