We humans are a strange bunch.

Apparently, we’re the only planet in our known universe where life exists. Yet we spend so much time focussing on competing, beating and killing each other. That’s almost hilarious considering that each and every one of us is pretty much the same as everyone else genetically. We’re on this planet to love. Our humanity comes from knowing our sameness. Life is not about accumulating. You’re not taking any of your material possessions with you when you die. You’ll only take the love you’ve embodied.

The thing that keeps this destructive merry go round going, in one form or another, is ‘selves’ that relate to lack and negativity. She has more than I do. He’s cleverer. The moaning, complaining and comparison could go on forever. It’s the negativity and relating to lack that keeps our Selves intact.

Our Selves are constructs. All the ideas, emotions, stories and conditioning we take to heart and believe is what we are. Yet, all it takes is stopping the thoughts of “I don’t like’ and thriving in the heart opening meaning of “I like that”.

This simple shortcut can change lives. See for yourself. Watch how many times a day you relate to “I don’t like”. Whether it’s your body you wished was different, or your partner you wish to change or the world you’d like to save. Whenever we hold to an idea or conclusion that’s based on lack, our hearts close to what we know at the deepest level, leaving our minds to run the show.

But the second you let go of dislike and start relating to what you like, in all the big ways and all the little ways, your heart opens and softens again, bringing you back to the innocence you knew as a young child. Delighting in what seems like the tiniest thing. The miracle and mystery of being alive. The heart opening also takes you within, instead of focussing on the outside to tell you what’s true.

The reason this simple shift to what you like works is that whatever muscle you use gets stronger. Anyone can do it, there’s no technique. It’s just relaxing back into the heart. When you’re focused on what you don’t like, that’s all you see, it shapes your perspective and your cup is always half empty. When life becomes about liking, at ever deeper levels, you’re strengthening your love muscle and it gets stronger every time you open and soften your heart.

The levels and depths of ‘liking’ opening are endless. It’s not necessarily liking what you see, (all the bottom lines you’ve created), but it’s liking THAT you see, where your honest awareness realises that you have a micro-choice every second to open or close your heart. Closing to protect ourselves means we cut ourselves off from the streams of ever-present love that always surrounds us. As we open, beyond our personalities, past our Selves, we get to the doorway of our hearts, where we can enter our being and live from what we truly are. Love is not an experience, love is what we are.

The lovely journey of this mediation is that you’ll get to see and get past anything you’ve put in the way of being able to receive and give love. All the stories you told yourself about how and why you don’t deserve it and aren’t good enough. Just stories, that dissolve when you honestly relax back into your innocent heart.

This isn’t about the power of “positive thinking”. It’s not about pretending to like something you don’t. That’s still a function of the Self. It’s only about liking opening the heart, which is a level deeper within than the Self.

Dolphins can also take us to this shortcut of being. Meeting them in the open ocean, they are fully present. You quickly realise they live in the moment, no preferences, no checklist of I do/don’t like that.  They’re just being.

We hope this meditation is an inspiration to you. A call to try a simple experiment.  And then, we’d love to hear how you get on. What did you learn and see in the process? Write to us at info@WildQuest.com and let us know.

To sum up. Remove from your vocabulary the phrase ‘I don’t like’. And remove its meaning from your heart. Live in the openness of “I like that” and you’ll set yourself on a journey that uncovers the real you. Discovering deeper places within of real delight. Not because you’re getting a reward, not because there’s a result, just because you know to keep your heart open, no matter what. And that’s the stinger, no matter what. Keeping the heart open no matter what life throws at you.

Then, when love likes, there’s no liking like it.