I’m referring to the passionate love we feel in the early stages of a relationship, not the more companionate style of love that we develop over time where it’s like, “Yes, I love you, but I want to sleep in separate rooms.” Think about the last time you fell in love and how in the early stages thoughts of that person interfered with your ability and motivation to perform other tasks. The last time I felt that way was when Sarah and I first started dating (how crazy would it be if I gave a different example?). I was in Los Angeles writing my last book; she was in Colorado on a therapy contract. It was a long-distance relationship, but neither of us is a stranger to travel and every weekend one of us would visit the other. When we weren’t together, we were on the phone. It would be an understatement to say that this had an impact on the pace of my writing. Negative emotions may have an even stronger impact on our behavior. Have you ever known someone with depression? One of the most difficult symptoms of depression isn’t feeling sad, it is feeling unmotivated. Anxiety has a similar impact on our behavior.
