You need to open your heart to possibilities in order to let the opportunities flow your way. I struggle with living a heart-led life, like many others I’m always worried that my heart will lead me astray and I will get lost and or I will be blindsided. I don’t know when I started believing that being an adult meant only ‘thinking’ about what your life is like and completely forgetting that you have body and heart intelligence that is full of wisdom and energy, guiding you towards opportunities and experiences that can light you up in ways your mind can never imagine.
I am slowly coming to realise that in order to live a happy and purposeful life you need to let your heart lead and utilise your mind as the enabler or the executor. Using an analogy, my mind is not the owner of my car (my life), it is the mechanic that helps the car drive smoothly, safely and when required at speed. At some point though my mind sat behind the steering wheel and forgot that it was only there to prepare the car for it’s rightful owner and that it needs to give the keys back to the owner (my heart).
I can only recall a few times where I have allowed my heart to sing a song that is out of tune from the music that my mind is playing. But every time I’ve courageously stepped into the heart space I’ve made decisions that have altered my life for the better. They’ve led me to the best experiences of my life and it has resulted in the memories that I now cherish. So, what wisdom can I take away from this?
That I need to pay attention to the underlying reason why I cannot seem to trust my heart. I am too stuck in my way with thinking things through, rationalising them and finding the logic within it and in doing so, I’ve become consumed by the false sense of control that my mind is experiencing. What if I could enable my heart to be the leader she was always meant to be and give her confidence to shine instead of criticise her for being different to my mind?
For many the distinction between head/mind and heart is not obvious and that’s ok, we all walk through life in different ways. But for me, the distinction is that the heart is where the essence of our being sits and the mind is where all the programming has been stored. The decisions we make using the mind cannot be made without the influences of our whole life experiences. One can even ask if we have any sense of self in the decisions because every single thought that is formed has been shaped based on the accumulation of our experiences which is influenced by every single interaction we’ve ever had.
For example, this fear that holds me back from making mistakes has been programmed into me by god knows who and when as a child. I clearly haven’t been surrounded by role models and peers that have enabled me to think in a bold way and act in accordance of it. I’ve been in environments where getting it right is more important than giving it a go. So, today as an adult I struggle to make decisions where I don’t know what will happen next because if I don’t get it right then I can’t do it. This of course all happens subconsciously and it isn’t until I reflect that I pick up on these patterns of thought and behaviour. So, I’m left being led by the influence of the adults and people around me as a child, who have taught me this way of being. Had I been brought up in an environment where failing was embraced, encouraged and even celebrated, then I have no doubt that as an adult my experiences would have been different.
This is why making decisions with the mind at the forefront results in making decisions that aren’t fully based on your personal desire, wants and knowing. This is why a lot of coaches and teachers say that when making decisions listen to your body and make decisions that your whole body says yes to. Because there is heart and body intelligence that is far wiser, more pure and more aligned to the truth of your being than your mind. So, technically speaking your heart and body are much better positioned to steer the ship that is your life than the mind which is the sailor. It takes courage and a lot of trust in yourself, because the moment you go down the path that the heart is guiding you, is the moment you have to let go of all the ‘programming’ that has made your mind think a certain way. Swimming against your own tide is a really exhausting and difficult thing to do, but in my experience it’s worth it.
What would happen to this world if we lived a heart-led life? What would happen to my life if I embraced this approach?
I am curious to find out and will try and be brave enough to give it a go.
Love Always,
M
Souloom™ 