In a world where success is defined by a definitive: gold medal, CEO, salary, profit margin, Doctorate, is it possible to live a successful life without the titles, the large estate, the honors, awards and recognition? If we were to base your salary only on the love and service you generate in a given day how much would you make? I believe the vast majority of us would rather act in love than fear, but to do so every day, in every situation is not easy. Isha Judd’s new book Love Has Wings does a fantastic job of breaking down the fear-based “illusions” that keep us from living a more love-conscious life.

The first half of the book focuses on the negative illusions we’ve picked up on or have been sold at one time or another. They stick to our spirit like sap and eventually gum up our gears. You’ve heard some of them before: I am a victim, comfort is king, there’s never enough, I am separate, I am a sinner. What I loved about Love Has Wings is how it addresses each of these misconceptions but also goes on to provide a list of contemplations for us to work through to help us pinpoint the personal belief that needs to be unlearned and converted to a belief based in love.

Consider discrimination, which always begins as a personal judgment of another person or group. Ms. Judd writes, “Nature, with its infinite number of species, colors, and forms, embraces diversity. Nature denies no aspect of itself; the beauty of its landscapes lies in their contrast and variance. Like nature, love also celebrates the beauty of diversity. Instead of perceiving anything different as a threat, love shuts out no voice.”

This is such a beautiful notion, one to live by… until someone takes a gun into a theater or a religious gathering and starts shooting. Criminals experience some of the harshest discrimination in our society, “He’s insane.”, “Give him the death penalty.”, “Gun owners are to blame”. Love Has Wings challenges us to tackle these illusions of separation and discrimination. “Your vehement beliefs may seem more justified than whatever you judged in your parents’ prejudices, but as long as you are holding a position, you are still discriminating. You may have adopted what you perceive as more evolved beliefs, yet they are still beliefs. If, in order for you to be right, someone has to be wrong, you are living in prejudice.” Love Has Wings encourages us to relearn and replace. Maybe the a person who commits a terrible crime has lived a tormented life, maybe they asked for help multiple times but no one answered, maybe they are an indicator for the rest of us that a portion of our population is still not getting its needs met. Instead of jumping to judgment which aids no one, a more love-conscious stance would be, “How can I help the others who feel like this so they won’t have to go to this length?” Love-conscious beliefs inspire service and inclusion, never separation.

Infusing Your Life with Love Consciousness

While the first half of Love Has Wings focuses on unlearning the negative illusions that have limited our experience of the world, the second half focuses on infusing love into the roles we play. From our gender to our intimate relationships to our jobs, the goal is to think and act always from a place of love. Here are just a few of the brilliant tidbits I loved from this section:

• Choose love and it will come to you. Instead of focusing on what is missing, focus on giving - giving without limit.
• Take a BEcation. What we really need is time to be. Time to listen to ourselves, to disconnect from the constant doing of daily life, to do nothing at all.
• We need to express ourselves with clarity, to be real; if we don’t we start to hate ourselves. The mind says, But I’m afraid! I might hurt someone! But if you continually swallow your discontent and bury your grievances, you are already hurting someone: you’re hurting yourself.
• By going inward you can start to find the answers, your answers. Not my answers - they are not important. This is not a philosophy or a belief system; it’s about you finding the guru within you, and that takes responsibility.
• As long as our happiness depends on the external, we can never be truly free: we will remain slaves to the outside, dependent on the approval and appreciation of others.
• Lies are self-abandonment. Each lie represents a place where we avoid showing ourselves exactly as we are, and so ultimately they come from fear. I highly recommend Love Has Wings for those of you who feel haunted by your inner gremlin, those of you who are beaten down by your inner mean girl, and anyone else who is ready to clear out all of the negative misconceptions clogging up your spirit and life. This spiritual-help book assist you in clearing out the fear so you can lead a successful life based in love.