live a life of love

what does it mean to live a life of love?
i've been thinking about that a lot lately...people do things in their life and claim its out of love, but is it really? usually its because they get something out of it. living a life of love is sacrificing what you get. its doing something for other people and not only not expecting something in return, but not accepting payment. i tend to go thru life asking myself, what would i get if i help this person? but thats so wrong. God doesn't say "help others, but only if u get something good out of it." he commands us to help people in need, and not expect anything in return because he will reward us in heaven. the world is so full of selfish people. it really bothers me when people do things for others, like babysitting or cleaning someones house who can't do it themselves, just for the money. and yet i do that! the only reason i babysit is because i get paid for it. i don't enjoy babysitting. hmm...i guess that makes me a hypocrite. =/
but isnt' everyone? is it possible to live a life free of hypocrisy, without ever saying one thing and doing the opposite? i'm not sure. i think...if we believed everything we said, truly believed it, we would never do anything other then that. but we're human. we say what sounds good, whether we believe it or not. we do things for ourselves, and if it benefits others then thats great, but we're not going out of our way to do things for others that don't benefit us, and/or could potentially harm us in some way. i want to live my life serving God. which is the same as serving others selflessly. meaning, i want to think of others before myself, and help them, and trust that God will take care of me.