Guest Blog by Marci Shimoff

I want to give you a taste of what I call Love for No Reason. Over the past few weeks, I've been on more than 50 radio interviews, and each time I'm asked what I mean by that phrase.

Maybe you're wondering the same thing.

Well, this is one of those times when an explanation can only take you so far. To really understand requires experience. For example, how do really know chocolate ice cream? You have to taste it.

Here's a simple process to give you a taste of the difference between Love for Good Reason and Love for No Reason.

This exercise only takes a few minutes, so sit comfortably, relax, and follow these steps:

1. Close your eyes and think of someone or something you love. It can be a person, a pet, a place, or an experience.

2. What do you love about him, her or it? Appreciate all the wonderful qualities you love about that person or thing. Let yourself savor the object of your love.

3. Ask yourself an unusual question, one that most people never consider: Where does this love come from? What's causing me to have this wonderful experience? The vast majority of people will answer that the love they feel is directly caused by the object of love they're thinking about. This is the experience of Love for Good Reason.

4. Now try something different. Switch your focus from the beloved to the experience of love itself. Put your attention on your heart and feel your appreciation independent of your thoughts about the object of your love. Instead of thinking of the qualities of the person or thing, let yourself really feel the love you have inside for whatever it is that you chose.

5. Be with that inner experience of love. You may feel warmth in the center of your chest and/or find yourself smiling.

The difference between these two experiences of love is that the second one is generated from your heart and doesn't depend on the object of your love. This is Love for No Reason.

We've been conditioned to think that "it takes two to tango," that we love something, we don't just love. We consider love as something that happens between two people.

Embracing the idea of love as an independent state and learning how to experience it on a continuing basis is the key to living a life of unconditional love.

When you fill your own love tank, instead of looking for love outside yourself, you bring that love to everything in your life. Which I guarantee is even better than chocolate ice cream!

Reprinted with permission.