Day 5 – Embracing Love in Every Breath, Moment, and Encounter
Author’s Note: This blog is written from the notes I took on Day 5 of my Full-On Love Challenge in 2020. Each day brought me new insights, gifts, and lessons, and I wanted to share them. A lot of these notes didn’t make it into my book, Living in Love, but are equally as important to share.
Much love.
Does it have to end?
As I sit here reflecting on Day 5 of my Full-On Love Challenge, I can hardly believe I’m already almost a sixth of the way through. A thought crossed my mind today: What if I don’t want this challenge to end?
And then, as if my heart replied, I realised—it doesn’t have to end. Isn’t that the goal? To live as love? To embody it? This isn’t just a challenge; it’s a lifestyle, a choice, and a commitment to myself. And the truth is, I’m loving this journey.
Balancing Love and Work
Today brought me back to work, where time freedom shrinks and schedules tighten. But instead of letting that limit my flow, I decided to expand on a suggestion from a friend: to be fully present during work. I took it a step further—I aimed to be love at work.
What does that look like?
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Smiling often.
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Laughing freely.
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Using my mindfulness bell app to remind me to pause, breathe, and recalibrate.
If the bell chimed during a meeting, I simply took a few seconds to breathe deeply. And when possible, I switched from a regular breath to what I call loving breath.
What is Loving Breath?
Honestly, I made it up. But here’s what it means to me: loving breath is the act of breathing love into the world and beyond. It is like a combination between my Love Actions, Loving Kindness and Heart Breathing.
Each exhale carries love—whether to the galaxy, a person, a community, or even myself. What matters is that each breath is infused with intention and love.
This practice is already transforming my days. Every breath feels meaningful, and it’s a beautiful reminder that love doesn’t have to wait for the “right moment”—it can be woven into even the most mundane parts of life.
Lessons and Observations
While I’ve embraced many moments of love this week, there’s still room for growth. For instance, I noticed I’ve been skipping my affirmations, even though I walk by mirrors several times a day. A quick fix? Adding a reminder on the mirror to say, “I love you” whenever I catch my reflection. Small adjustments like this keep love at the forefront.
What came easily today? Smiling.
Even though I’m naturally a smiley person, it’s been harder lately. My sister passed away four weeks ago tomorrow [Author note: this is from 2020], and the grief still feels raw at times. Some days, I catch myself frowning, lost in thought about her life and the impact she had. Yet today, those smiles came more freely, and each one felt like a quiet celebration of her love and light.
Shifting Energy in Unexpected Places
I also noticed a significant shift during my trip to the grocery store. Shopping has been stressful since Covid—masked or unmasked, social distancing or not, I often felt anxious and judgmental about those who didn’t wear masks or came too close.
But today, I chose love.
Instead of letting irritation take over when someone wasn’t wearing a mask, I reminded myself: Maybe they have a health condition I don’t know about. My initial reaction softened, replaced by compassion.
This shift made the entire experience—from cycling to the shop in the rain to unpacking groceries at home—a calm, kind, and even enjoyable process. I wasn’t rushing, but somehow I finished faster than usual. I even had the energy and patience to read all the ingredients on labels like I used to.
Anger and fear may have felt justified at that time, but they’re not the energy I want to project into the world. Love, however, transforms everything—even a routine grocery run—into a moment of connection, ease, and gratitude.
Moving Forward
As I close out Day 5, I feel energised and inspired. I know this challenge isn’t just about these 31 days—it’s about a new way of living. A way of showing up in the world with love at the centre of everything I do.
If you’re on this journey with me, try these small love actions:
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Smile at yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you.”
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Pause for a loving breath whenever you feel stressed or rushed.
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Send a quick message to someone you care about, just to let them know they matter.
Love is transformative—it changes how we show up in the world and how the world shows up for us. Let’s keep this momentum going.
Let’s live as love.
If you want to give the Full-On Love Challenge, or any of the mini-challenges, a go and see how putting love into action can change your life, definitely grab a copy of Living in Love and download the Challenge Tracker to keep track of your activities.
If you want to try some of the love actions before trying a challenge download the Love Matrix and select whichever love actions suit your mood. You are going to have so much fun!
