How to Love Like a Long-term Investment or Dirty Little Secret?

Whether you prefer to treat love like a dirty, little secret or embrace it for the long term for all its beauty, it’s up to you but I like to ask the question- what if we could get our priorities in order and make love a long-term investment?

February is the month when so many of us celebrate love with that special partner we have in life on Valentine’s Day. We give gifts that capture our love for that special one who is our person. For those who do not have that special someone, it is so important to embrace self-love, invest in yourself, and give yourself that TLC- tender, love and care. 

We may look forward to sitting with our special person by our side and watching the Super Bowl with friends and family in the background. 

On other days, we may feel like it’s the Season of Love and find other ways to celebrate. We may like to select our favorite fashionable shirts, sweaters, or boots with the colors and hues of red from our closet to symbolize not only our love for Valentine’s Day but the season of love every time we wear an outfit that sends the message you care about Valentine’s Day and that love matters to you.

Surprisingly or not, some of us may say Happy Valentine’s Day to our friends and family and never stop to truly look at ourselves to discover whether we are truly happy with ourselves and our own sense of love and desire to get the kind of love we deserve in life.   

Whether we are single or not we may choose to celebrate with our favorite, roses, chocolates, or red wine, or choose to make ourselves feel pampered in a lovely robe or cozy blanket and treat ourselves to a manicure or a pedicure. Many of us also like to watch the latest reality TV Shows with a long list of popular Shows that range from “Love Island†to “The Bachelor†where we see a variety of Reality Stars seeking love.  

For me, in addition to enjoying all that, I like to think of love as a long-term investment just as I would view a financial investment. Here’s how I approach the L-word with a Smart checklist almost as if I were selecting the latest, coolest smartphone with the features I like.

– I like to think of my person as not only a smart person but a smart investment for the long term especially if he checks off most if not all of the boxes of the positive attributes I would like to have in my person. I will even write the positives in a large Vision Board. It helps me to consider not only the positive attributes I desire in my partner but it helps me to do some self-examination and see what positives we each bring to each other or to the table and how we complement each other. I will even consider factors like which one of us even has insurance should the relationship truly become long-term because there are so many people from every walk of life such as aspiring Grammy-Award nominated artists, aspiring actors, influencers with or without disabilities or other people representing even more inclusive communities who do not have insurance let alone adequate insurance. So I always consider what options we have if either myself or my loved one suffers an illness or an injury because life is too short not to consider these things.

 Of course,  I am not going to discuss all this on a first date or even a Date Night but I know that if it’s on my list then it must be discussed later on at the appropriate time.  

– Just as unexpected factors like inflation, stock market instability, volatile politics, or sudden changes in political policies can all impact the market, I believe that most financial experts tend to indicate that it’s best to stick with a financial investment portfolio for the long term; likewise, I am prepared to stick with my relationship for the long run.

I think this kind of approach reminds me not to treat love as if it were a reckless game just as I would not want to be reckless with any potential financial investment. Whenever I don’t follow this approach, things can get a little hectic and the benefits of love can begin to allude like a buried treasure. It can begin to feel more like the result of a wrecking ball in a construction zone. 

 It may even make me think of the lyrics to songs like Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball†which I think sends a powerful message and doesn’t feel for me like how love should feel and make me want to dance. .

“I came in like a wrecking ball. I never hit so hard in love. All I wanted was to break your walls. All you ever did was break me. I came in like a wrecking ball. Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung. Left me crouching in a blaze and fall, all you ever did was break me, yeah, you wreck me. I never meant to start a war, I just wanted you to let me in. And instead of using force, I guess I should’ve let you in.†These lyrics remind me of the ups and downs of love just as the stock market has ups and downs in life.

Whether you represent typical, atypical, differently-abled, people with disabilities, or any other member of inclusive communities, I believe we must celebrate- who we were born to be, love ourselves first just the way we are made to be, and if and when that special person comes into our life you can fly high together and can truly share your love and experience the way love was meant to be.

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