A Path with Heart
The imagery associated with the heart usually links it to love, passion and the softer side of life’s experiences. The intellect is associated with knowledge, intelligence and tangible outcomes.
In our fast-moving society, matters of the heart are often relegated to the back-burner. The more production-oriented we become, the easier it is to settle for a life without heart.
We are bombarded with massive amounts of information daily. One of the skills necessary for survival is a high level of selective perception. We see what we deem important enough to see. What we value determines what gets our attention.
Our core values drive our decisions. We make our choices based on our values. When our core values are unacknowledged or ignored, the stage is set for repeated life choices that leave us unfulfilled.
There are two sayings that speak to the role that our underlying values play in the creation of our happiness or unhappiness.The first saying is: “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear a word you are saying.”
When we talk about love and peace when neither love nor peace is in our hearts, it is a deceptive evasion of the fact that our actions don’t align with our words.
The other apt saying that can help to uncover where we are out of alignment with who we say we are and what we say we want is: “You never get enough of what you really don’t want.” This is a mind twister that simply points to the fact that many of us stop too early in our self-discovery process and therefore get caught in using the Midas touch in reverse.
We each have the innate power to create a life that is full, rich and rewarding. The key to tapping into that creative force is to establish and take ownership of our core values. When we decide to fashion a life that works, we begin the process of taking responsibility for our choices. We become willing to accept both the benefits and prices of our decisions and actions. We become more conscious than cavalier in our decision-making. We begin to choose what we want to create rather than merely avoiding what we don’t want.
When we are overly attached to being seen as in control at all costs, we set ourselves up for a stilted, stifling life of pretense while having our creativity hijacked by our unacknowledged fears and hidden negative emotions.
When we use our powerful abilities to avoid life’s challenges, our selective perception narrows our vision to being on the lookout for the dragons and demons of our past failures and upsets.
We can never move past what we don’t want because we have yet to envision what we do want. When we consciously choose to uncover, honor, and act out of what we value, life cooperates by partnering with us to create a life that works.
When we try to operate through just our intellect’s capabilities, we go after what we want in the moment. When we fail, all we have is our justifications and excuses as to why it wasn’t our fault. We get stuck in the false premise that there is some way to get life to give us all benefits and no prices.
When our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual intelligences are embraced, we can fine-tune our receptivity to hearing the inner wisdom that will guide us to the creation of a life path with heart.
Susan facilitates local groups and is the author of Beyond Intellect: Journey Into the Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind. Connect with her at susanvelasquez.com.
