Choose love over fear. So much of what comes at you today is fear-based. Fear of not looking like a Photoshopped Hollywood celebrity. Fear of not being part of the "in" crowd. Fear of not having what others may have. Fear! Fear! Fear! But each moment contains a choice. And I say, choose love.
If you operate from fear, the decisions you make regarding your education, career or relationships will all come from a place of fear. Maybe not at first, but at some point, that fear will permeate all aspects of your life. No educational pursuit, job or relationship will ever satisfy. They will all be fruit of the poisonous tree of fear.
If you choose to operate from love, love will permeate all aspects of your life. Not the fleeting idea of romantic love that can only be gotten from someone else, but the deep, lasting and energizing love that comes from deep within. The kind that inspires you, that steels you through the tough times and inspires you to operate at a higher level.
If you choose this love, then you will choose an educational track that you love and that inspires you. You will bring that enthusiasm to your studies and, more than likely, your grades will be high. You will choose a career path you love and that spirit filled work will give you more creativity and animate you with a sense of teamwork that will enhance your final product, whatever that may be. Staying in love can also help guide your career choices, as you can feel where energy and deep joy are pulling you. You will be taking the advice of the great comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell; you will be following your bliss.
When filled with love, you will also choose to be in relationships with people, both personally and professionally, who choose love and respect as a touchstone. And it will be easier to empathize and reduce judgment of those souls that live off the fruit of that poisonous tree. You will be more forgiving of yourself as well, as we all have bouts of increased self-criticism and negativity that could lead to fear based decision-making.
As I tell my 9-year-old daughter: You are filled with much power, don't give it away out of fear. Choose love.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in conjunction with our women's conference, "The Third Metric: Redefining Success Beyond Money & Power" which will take place in New York on June 6, 2013. To read all of the posts in the series and learn more about the conference, click here. Join the conversation on Twitter #ThirdMetric.