Everyone wants to belong, or be a part of something bigger than themselves, but it's important to follow your heart and be true to yourself in the process. Emily Giffin
When I first became a nurse at twenty-five years of age, I spent a great deal of my energy looking to others for the answers and solutions to my questions and problems. I believed that someone else had the answers and that they knew more than I did. Fortunately, I had a wonderful and insightful nursing instructor who was able to detect in my demeanor that I was struggling for answers. One day she came over to me at the nurse’s station, put her arm around my shoulder and said, “Priscilla trust your heart.” At first, I was taken aback wondering what was she talking about. I didn’t want to press her for the details so I had to figure it out myself. Eventually through the weeks and months that followed her advice had made its way in to my heart and mind. One day I had an epiphany while sitting and listening to a patient who was a cancer survivor. Before offering any advice to the patient I remembered “Priscilla trust your heart.” My heart told me don’t offer any advice, just listen with my heart.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. Steve Jobs
Mary Paleologos who is a transformational coach, clinical hypnotherapist, and counselor wrote in the HuffPost, “We spend so much of our energy looking outside of ourselves for answers and solutions. We believe that someone else has the answer; that they are experts, and they know more than we do. Granted, there are people who are leaders in their respective fields who can offer expert advice; however, when it comes to what is right for you, your heart has the answer -- if you simply quiet your mind long enough to hear it. Deep within you lies the very essence of love, strength and joy. To trust your inner self is to trust your heart. It does not mean that you will not make mistakes or make a wrong turn; this is all part of your heart's journey. If you trust and embrace the journey, your heart will get you back on the right path.”[i]Author John Prendergast wrote in his book: How to tune into the inner guidance of your body and trust yourself that“Openheartedness is one of the most easily recognizable somatic markers of inner knowing. The heart is a highly sensitive center of feeling and knowing. It has many levels and remarkable depth. It is our most intimate area, the one we are quickest to protect. We often touch ourselves in the heart area when we are referring to ourselves or when we are feeling close to another. When the heart area is open, there is a subtle sense of warmth, expansion, sweetness, and aliveness. We feel loving and connected. A different quality of knowing emerges, one that is spontaneous, direct, and unconcerned with outcomes. Our willingness to not know, to not rely on our ordinary thinking mind for guidance, and to let attention rest in the heart area opens up a door to a different way of knowing and trusting. As we do so, we become much more accepting and compassionate with ourselves and others.”[ii]
You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. Steve Jobs
I have long been a fan of the work of Melody Beattie who has been a pioneering voice in self-help literature and the recovery movement. She writes in her book Journey to the Heart that for so long we have relied on our heads to make decisions but now it’s time to make the shift—the great leap into your heart. She asks the question are we beginning to see how our head gets in the way? How it creates so much noise? The chatter, the limited vision, the fear? Are you beginning to see how what you’ve relied on—your intellect, your assessments and sometimes your logic—has complicated your life? She goes on to say that it isn’t the head that sees clearly, nor does the head always see with love. Often it sees with eyes of fear. The heart sees clearly. It balances the mind and emotions. It takes what’s real and processes it into truth, then into action. It takes into account all that needs to be done, then draws a map, an itinerary, for how to accomplish that.[iii]
Trust dreams. Trust your heart, and trust your story.
Neil Gaiman, English author
