Make a list of what you love. Seriously. Get a pen and paper. Open up a word document. Find an old napkin or receipt. Take a few minutes and write down all of the things you love. Don’t leave anything off. Nothing is too small or insignificant to love.

Are you done? Me, too.

My list of things I love took me less than three minutes to make. It has 42 things on it:

Getting mail, breakfast, deep conversation, sunflowers, giraffes, black coffee, the ocean, rain, sunrises, sunsets, the stars, warm blankets, mugs, rings, polaroids, pictures, books, records, learning new things, kisses, beer, cheeseburgers, music, trying new things, new peanut butter, fresh snow, when you can see your breath, other people’s birthdays, when others talk about things they love or are excited about, good pens, writing, doodles, talented people, t-shirts, fate, love, faith, tattoos, bare feet, sunscreen, and textiles.

Okay now go ahead and read back your list. All the things on it bring you joy and make you happy. They give you that feeling. You know the one I’m talking about, the feeling of pure amazement that something could be that incredible.

When I see sunflowers, I am amazed that God could make something so perfect and bright. When I see the ocean, I am amazed He could make something so powerful. When other people have birthdays, I feel so lucky that they exist and that I get to know them. When people are good at art or music, I feel lucky that they are sharing their talents with me. When I see a sunrise or a sunset, I know I am fortunate to live another day. When other people talk about the things they love, I am honored they gave me such an intimate look into who they are. I love the way their faces light up when they are sharing their excitement with me.

I could go on all day about everything I love and why I love it. As I write this, I am thinking of things I want to add to my list.

Now, take a minute and write down everything that you fear.

My list of fears goes like this: rejection, loss, and regret.

Three. There are three fears on that list.

I fear loss because I miss people very deeply when they are gone. I fear regret because I don’t want to waste my life. I fear rejection because I worry about being accepted.

While the fears are not as tangible as the list of loves, the list of loves is longer. The list of things you love is exponentially longer than the list of things you fear. Love will always conquer fear. The light will always conquer the dark. Don’t let an insignificant amount of fear shadow so much love and light.

Don’t live you live avoiding the things you fear. Live your life experiencing the things you love and finding new things to add to the list. Part of being alive is being faced with things that are scary. If you remember that the fears are temporary and love stands firm, day-to-day problems don’t seem as scary.

If I get rejected, I can find some blankets and put some coffee in my favorite mug and try again. If I experience loss, the waves of the ocean will still crash to the shore and sunflowers will still bloom. If I am feeling regret, the sun that I love so much will still rise tomorrow, reminding me that I have another day to live a life that I love.