Loving another person is one form of love, but you can also love a grand purpose or vision that doesn’t directly involve loving a specific person.

By expressing love at the individual level, you may make another person happier. But by channeling love into an expression of purpose, you may delight or inspire a great many people, even well beyond your lifetime.

Consider the creation of Star Wars, a grand labor of love for George Lucas. Or consider the love energy that Walt Disney poured into Disneyland. These creations go far beyond one-on-one expressions of love and affection; they provided value to millions of people.

Loving people and loving a purpose aren’t mutually exclusive. You can channel energy into both. They’re different frequencies of experience, and they can support each other harmoniously. A person you love may also be supportive of a purpose you love. And a purpose you love can add spice, variety, meaning, and depth to a personal relationship.

Listen to your energy to get a feel for where it wants to go. Sometimes you may feel that it wants to focus narrowly on closeness and intimacy with a person. Other times you may sense that your energy wants to stretch, explore, and soar.

Do your best to honor this energy when it feels like stretching. Don’t limit the flow of love to an interpersonal relationship when you feel inspired to go big. When your heart wants to open, let it open as far as it can.

Just as your mind can wander imaginatively through the world of visualization, your heart can explore the world of feeling. When the energy to do so is present, see if you can stretch your heart to feel a sense of love and connection with any of the following:

• A meaningful purpose
• A creative vision
• A new way of doing business
• Technology
• Art
• Music
• All musicians and artists
• Live theater
• All scientists
• All athletes
• Your extended family
• Everyone who works at your company
• People who’ve hurt you
• Your ancestors
• Your country
• Other races
• Other genders
• All humanity
• All animals
• All life
• Planet Earth
• The Moon
• Human history
• The solar system
• The galaxy
• The universe
• All dimensions of reality

Don’t confine your heart to just one area. Let it roam, wander, and explore. Notice what lights it up. Notice what doesn’t.

Let your heart explore beyond interpersonal love. This doesn’t steal any value from that mode of love; it helps you hear the whole symphony when you connect with one person alone.