Be My Valentine

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Hello, my friends.

This blog comes to you on February 14^th, Valentine’s Day.

Many think that Valentine’s Day is all about candy and flowers, romantic dinners, and diamonds. (And it is to some extent.)

But my message today will give you a little bit of a different perspective on Valentine’s Day.

It is actually the feast day of St. Valentine of Rome. I remember as a kid going to the St. Valentine feasts in the north end of Boston.

St. Valentine was a third century Roman saint, the patron saint of young people, engaged couples, happy marriages, and interestingly, of people who suffered from epilepsy.

Not a lot is known about St. Valentine aside from this, except that he was friends with the Roman emperor, Claudius, right up until he tried to convert Claudius to Christianity…and then he was martyred.

St. Valentine is commonly known as the Saint of Love.

You may ask: “Now what does that have to do with coaching and personal and professional development?”

Well, that is a good question.

In Ascend on Demand, a personal and professional transformation coaching program, we use phrases like, “Become the best possible version of you.”

When many people hear that, they think of being a better worker, more talented at their job, more effective, more organized, more productive; or they envision making more money in order to buy a better this, that, or the other thing.

Of course, if those are your goals, the Ascend program will help you.

But what about, “How you are being?” as opposed to, “How are you doing?”

We are all about doing and having, but it is really, in essence, about who you are as a person.

For many of us – and I hope it’s true for you – who you are as a person is really about who you are to others. (Tweet this.)

What is the greatest gift of all?

The greatest gift you can give to others is love.

This is certainly true in my life experiences with people I know and love – that when we are giving of ourselves – our time, talent, and treasure – to other people, that’s really when we become the best possible version of ourselves.

You can become a better person on your own, or with the help of a program like Ascend on Demand, which provides tools, coaching, encouragement, and accountability partners to help you become the best version of you.

Wherever you are, make it a great and loving day!

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Ed DeCosta is one of the most engaging executive coaches and thought leaders of our time. He delivers results with companies of all sizes, from high tech start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations. Ed is an ICF certified professional coach. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in international management from the University of Texas, and an MBA from the University of Texas. Ed is also an adjunct faculty member in West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics, teaching Professional Selling and entrepreneurship courses.