<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Love is essential in life, and people tend to choose either love or something else.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The most important relationship is with oneself, and then with others.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Love is light and can illuminate in relationships.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The speaker leads a guided-imagery exercise where three items are associated with people who represent the sun, a lighthouse, and a disco ball.</li></ul>

How to love and be loved | Billy Ward

<ul><li>Love is essential in life and should be chosen over anything else.</li><li>Relationships should be based on unconditional love, and it is important to identify people in our lives who exhibit this type of love.</li><li>Love can come in different forms, such as guidance or fun-loving energy.</li><li>Being authentic and true to oneself is a crucial aspect of being able to love and be loved.</li></ul>

Key Takeaways

<ul><li>Take time to connect with yourself and nurture the relationship you have with yourself.</li><li>Identify people in your life who love you unconditionally, and express gratitude towards them.</li><li>Surround yourself with people who encourage you to be your authentic self and follow your true path.</li><li>Use guided imagery exercises, such as the ones discussed in the talk, to connect with the love in your life.</li></ul>

Actionable Insights

The most important relationship that a person can have is the one with themselves, followed by the relationships they share with others.Love is the key to happiness and fulfillment in life.Love is unconditional and shines like light, illuminating our relationships.Guided imagery exercises can help individuals connect with the love in their lives.

Learning Outcomes

Through a story of one of his students, Billy shows the importance of loving others and of being loved. Billy Ward is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and has been practicing in for the past 13 years in the New York City Suburbs of New Jersey. In addition to having a private practice, he has also been counseling students at Seton Hall Prep High School since 1998. Currently he is the director of retreats for the school and also teaches a senior course for Human Development and Theology. Billy's approach to teaching centers on the development of mind, body and spirit. His personal philosophy is LOVE and Be LOVED. Billy is a graduate from Georgetown University where he studied Psychology. He was also the quarterback of the football team for four years. He had a short stint with the Baltimore Ravens in 1999, which was a great experience and personal achievement. He continues to credit his athletic experiences with helping him to understand the mind-body connection and the ability to set a life goal with great determination and tenacity. After leaving Baltimore he continued his study of psychology at Seton Hall University where he attained his Masters Degree and Post Masters Degree. Billy is married to his soul mate and best friend Lia. They have two sons, two-year-old JD and 5 month old Casey. The family is completed by their Golden Retriever, Grover Ward. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

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Through a story of one of his students, Billy shows the importance of loving others and of being loved. 

Billy Ward is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and has been practicing in for the past 13 years in the New York City Suburbs of New Jersey. In addition to having a private practice, he has also been counseling students at Seton Hall Prep High School since 1998.  Currently he is the director of retreats for the school and also teaches a senior course for Human Development and Theology. Billy's approach to teaching centers on the development of mind, body and spirit. His personal philosophy is LOVE and Be LOVED.
Billy is a graduate from Georgetown University where he studied Psychology.  He was also the quarterback of the football team for four years.  He had a short stint with the Baltimore Ravens in 1999, which was a great experience and personal achievement.  He continues to credit his athletic experiences with helping him to understand the mind-body connection and the ability to set a life goal with great determination and tenacity. After leaving Baltimore he continued his study of psychology at Seton Hall University where he attained his Masters Degree and Post Masters Degree.
Billy is married to his soul mate and best friend Lia.  They have two sons, two-year-old JD and 5 month old Casey. The family is completed by their Golden Retriever, Grover Ward.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED's format and rules.

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). 

For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request here: https://media-requests.ted.com.

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