All You Need is Love

Being yourself sounds simple until you realize how much energy we spend trying to be what others expect. In June 1967, the BBC invited the Beatles to represent Britain in Our World, the first-ever live global satellite broadcast reaching 400 million people. The assignment? Write something to transcend language barriers. John took the challenge and delivered an anthem about universal love.

Everyone heard the refrain and assumed it meant love conquers all. But listen closely to what John actually says: with love, you may not get all you want, but "you can learn how to be you in time." The song isn't about love making everything perfect. It's about love planting the seeds to discover who you really are.

You become comfortable in your own skin when someone loves you without demanding you change. The Beatles recorded the song live for the satellite broadcast, surrounded by friends like Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, with balloons floating everywhere. That joyful celebration obscured the hidden message in the song: authentic self-discovery requires the foundation of genuine love.

Overcoming the pressure to conform takes tremendous courage. We spend years building personas we think will make us acceptable, lovable, successful. John's message suggests that real love does the opposite: it gives you permission to dismantle those false selves and discover who you've been all along underneath the performance.

Unlearning who you thought you should be takes time and patience. As the new year begins, remember that we will love others better if we learn to know and love ourselves. When you love and are loved in a healthy way, you can learn how to be you in time. It's easy.

Today, I will thank someone whose love helped me to become who I truly am. 

Where in your life are you still trying to be what others expect instead of who you truly are? How might genuine love, including self-love, give you permission to finally be you?