The Difference Between Real Love and Infatuation

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The Difference Between Real Love and Infatuation 1

In real love, you want the other personโ€™s good. In romantic love, you want the other person. ~Margaret Anderson

Real love is never ownership, only stewardship of this momentโ€™s experiences. ~Karen Casey

I love the quote by Margaret Anderson. However, I would add that in real love you also want your own good as well as the other personโ€™s good. When you are supporting your own and the other personโ€™s highest good, you never need to possess the other person. You want to share the love with your beloved, rather than get love through owning the other person.




There is nothing controlling about real loveโ€”it supports your own and your partnersโ€™ freedom. In contrast, infatuation is often jealous and possessive, coming from fear of loss. โ€˜Loveโ€™ that comes from fear is not loveโ€”it is neediness. Infatuation comes from inner emptiness and expects the other person to fill the empty place that comes from self-abandonment.

The Difference Between Real Love and Infatuation

The real love of another comes from the real love of selfโ€”from knowing and valuing your true self so that you can know and value the true self of your beloved. Infatuation comes from projecting onto the other person the qualities that you disown in yourself. When you are infatuated, you are seeing the other person through the ego wounded eyes of your self-abandonment.



Beyond Infatuation to Real Love

Sharing the real love with a beloved partner is truly the highest experience in life. Nothing comes close to the joy of sharing your heart and soul with another while the other is sharing his or her heart and soul with you, and you are each fully receiving each other. Nothing is more profound than these moments of sharing the love.

Most people sense the truth of this but often confuse the sharing of love with the getting of love. While getting love may provide a momentary good feeling, it is a mere shadow of the joy experienced in the sharing of love.

You canโ€™t share what you donโ€™t have. If you are not loving yourselfโ€”through defining your own worth, speaking up for yourself, taking responsibility for learning from and managing your feelings, creating financial and relationship safety, taking care of your body and managing your time and your environment wellโ€”then you are not filled within with the love that is Spirit. We get filled up with love when we are loving and valuing ourselves. Our intent to love ourselves and to learn with Spirit about what is loving to ourselves is what opens our heart to being filled with the love that is God.




Real love comes only from this full place within. If we are not loving ourselves, then we are abandoning ourselves, which creates an empty place with. Infatuation comes from this empty needy place, which is why it doesnโ€™t last.

Love that lasts is love that is not based on what you get, but on the true cherishing of your own and the other personโ€™s essenceโ€”the true authentic self. If you donโ€™t know your own true self, you likely canโ€™t see anotherโ€™s true self. If you believe that you are your ego wounded self, filled with fear and false beliefs and needy of being seen and loved, then you have not yet done the Inner Bonding work necessary to discover the magnificence of your true, authentic self.

If you want to share the greatest experience in life with your beloved, then focus first on learning to see, hear and value your true essential self. The Inner Bonding process is a powerful way of discovering the beauty and fullness of your essence so that you can share real love.


Written by Margaret Paul, PhD

For information or to schedule a phone or Skype session: 310-459-1700 โ€ข 888-646-6372 (888-6INNERBOND) http://www.innerbonding.com

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The Difference Between Real Love and Infatuation


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