Any excuse to express love is a good excuse.
For instance… Valentine’s Day. It’s one week from today.
Now, I have friends who think Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday designed by greedy retailers who want to sell more flowers, candy and sappy cards. I also know people who hate Valentine’s Day because they believe it makes single people feel more… single. Or it makes husbands feel guilty if they don’t come home with flowers and dinner reservations.
Scheeez! Lighten UP, people! I mean, it’s just Valentine’s Day. Not an evil conspiracy.
As for me, I don’t have strong feelings about Valentine’s Day, but I do believe it offers a fun opportunity to declare your love. Not just romantic love, but any kind of love. Your love for your spouse or romantic partner. Your love for your family, your friends.
And your clients.
So, here’s what I propose.
Let’s declare Valentine’s Day the holiday during which we express our love and appreciation for others in both big and small ways. Yes, we can certainly do that on any day of the year. But on Valentine’s Day, let’s dress it up a little. Add a bit of flare and fanfare. Maybe even some chocolate treats. Because, like love, chocolate is always welcome.
To spark your Valentine’s vision, I’ve come up with a few easy, inexpensive, and I like to think creative ways for you to express your love to anyone you choose this Valentine’s Day.
A Handwritten Note on Fancy Stationary
While this would be a lousy choice for me (because my handwriting is completely illegible), I love the idea of giving (and getting!) an old-fashioned, send-in-the-mail letter that holds a declaration of love and appreciation.
Don’t send a corny, pre-fab Valentine’s Day card with a sappy saying inside. Write your own message of love. Use your own straight-from-the-heart words to declare your love. And dress them up in some gorgeous stationary.
A Valentine’s Video
Now, don’t just whip out your smart phone and record a quick video of you saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” Get creative. Have some fun. Because the possibilities are endless.
First, think of what you want to express in your video. Then, ask yourself… how can you communicate your Valentine’s Day message with more than just your talking head? For instance, can you use some music? Or insert photos that evoke what you want to say? Or create a kind of video collage that combines live video with photos and music and captions and more?
If this sounds too overwhelming, remember, your video doesn’t have to be a feature-length film. It can be really short. It just needs to creatively communicate your love and appreciation.
A Text (or Email) Marathon
I love this idea! Especially if you have a main squeeze or spouse or even a very special friend. But I also think it would work with your clients as well. Here it is:
Throughout the day and into the night on Valentine’s Day, send multiple text messages or emails (or both), each message declaring your love in one single sentence.
If you need help coming up with multiple, one-sentence messages, no problem. Alexandra Franzen has you covered. She’s written some phenomenal ones you can steal. Right here.
A Love Story
While I adore the text message idea, my favorite way to express love and appreciation is to share a personal story, one that either relates to how you feel about the recipient or one that can easily lead into a message of love and appreciation.
You can start with any story that means something to you. Or start with a story about a Valentine’s Day that made a big impression on you, either positively or negatively.
Like the story of when your 3rd grade crush gave Valentines to everyone in your class but you. Or the one where your husband gave you a box of chocolates except when you opened it, there were plane tickets to Paris inside.
Whatever story you choose, it should reveal something about you and what you feel on this Valentine’s Day.
Then, use that story to transition into your own personal message of love and appreciation.
For example, if I were to use the story of being heartbroken when my 3rd grade crush completely ignored me on Valentine’s Day, I could transition by saying something like…
“It took me 3 years or more after that tearful day to not feel slightly sick and anxious on Valentine’s Day. Even now, I get a little queasy at the sight of those flimsy, pink and red, punch-out Valentines we used as kids. But today, I’m falling back in love with Valentine’s Day. Because it gives me the perfect opportunity to express my love and appreciation for you.”
Then continue with your declaration of love. Tell this person what you love about him or her. Lay it on thick! Go overboard! Heck, it’s Valentine’s Day! Why be shy?
What I love about this story method is you can use it in almost all of the previous ideas I mentioned above. Start your email to clients with a story. Start your handwritten love letter to friends or family with a story. Bring that story to life in your video!
Whichever way you choose to express your love on Valentine’s Day, it doesn’t have to be elaborate or hard or a big messy deal. Choose your own way to express your love and appreciation. One sentence on a post-it note can melt someone’s heart if you write it with sincerity and true love. Though… you may want to put that post-it note on a big box of salted caramels. Just saying.
And don’t forget your clients! Or those colleagues who always seem to have your back. Let Valentine’s Day be your opportunity to express your love for them in a fun, playful, creative, and heartfelt way.
If you have your own favorite ways of expressing your love and appreciation, share a few in the comments below. We can all use more ideas and ways to let our love shine.