I spent a lot of my life listening to my head- it was logical and made sense. My heart wanted me to take chances and trust others that my egoic mind overruled. The first time I followed my heart was when I married my husband, Phillip. My ego fought me. It told me it wasn’t logical. I was overriding long-standing belief systems in place to keep me safe. But it was the best decision I’ve ever made, and it began my path of living from my heart and not my mind.
Human beings, multitask and try to do it all, and we’ve allowed the mind to run our lives automatically. It dictates our understanding, activities, reactions, and choices, mainly based on old belief systems and handed down responses from others.
We think we’re in control but also feel exhausted. We have conflicting thoughts and confusion. Many times we move in a direction out of fear. We’re stressed, overwhelmed, and out of balance. But by allowing our power-hungry brains to run the show, we’ve quit listening to the heart- the soul’s voice.
When we live from our heart, life feels different. There’s peace and ease as we move forward because we have a deep inner knowing that all is well. We’re relaxed, respond from a place of love, and live in balance. When we live from the heart, our lives transform.
The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the heart. ~ William Hazlitt
So Why do we Listen to the Mind?
Until we become aware of the ego, it’s in charge. It reacts to perceived threats for our safety, which it’s designed to do. The mind compartmentalizes the different aspects of our lives and isn’t concerned with what actually matters to our authentic selves. We listen to the egoic’s voice, or the opinions of others, instead of our heart. We pay attention to the what if’s, the I can’t, and the I should have whirling around in the mind.
We allow the mind to get us depressed about the past or anxious about the future. It’s always critical of the actions we take and more concerned about what others think or how others will perceive us. Therefore, it will lie to us in order for it to maintain control.
The reason we listen to the mind is that someone trained us to do so as a child. The conditioning by the adults in our lives to behave a certain way empowered the voice of others and the egoic mind to conform, so we receive love.
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. ~ Carl Jung
How do we Begin to Follow the Heart?
First, we have to get quiet and learn who we authentically are. We need to know what makes us happy, what our strengths and weaknesses are. By being honest with ourselves about who we are, we can begin to hear what our heart is saying to us.
The heart isn’t ruled by logic, but instead by our emotions. The gut feeling we have is our soul speaking to us. It lets us know that the decision is true for us because it feels right. The heart grounds us with Spirit; it never lies and always has our best intentions, unlike the ego.
When we feel something, let go of the egoic voice and listen to the soul. As you do, the heart opens, and we live from a place of love and freedom. This opening is a daring act as it means that we’re putting our authentic self out into the world.
Your own heart never lies. Ask, what is the right action for this moment? Follow your deepest truth. ~ Brandon Bays
Be Courageous and Live from the Heart
Yes, it takes courage to be vulnerable. The heart might get hurt, but it’s better to live fully than to just survive from moment to moment. I think we all want to thrive and not feel stuck in the fears of the egoic voice.
When we have a decision to make, and our heart tells us one thing while the mind tries to keep us safe, what direction do we take? There is the logical option of the ego and the one that feels right from the heart.
When our soul speaks, it bases its idea on its connection to Spirit, which only sees possibilities. Whereas the mind looks at the pros and cons-it sees limitations. The ego looks for cause-and-effect scenarios to make a choice. We need to allow room for new prospects in our lives instead of letting the mind to override our gut feeling to do what our heart desires.
Following our heart is learning to recognize the wisdom of our soul and then moving forward with faith.
It is the heart always that sees before the head can see. ~ Thomas Carlyle
How to Tune-In to the Heart Voice
We base most decisions on habit. The breakfast we have, the route we take into work, are routines that take minor consideration, if any, on our parts. Society has conditioned us to accept rationality and analytical thought over our intuition because instinct cannot be scientifically proven. Our culture encourages conformity versus differences and puts a premium on making rational decisions instead of trusting our guts.
So we lose our individualism because society feels that it’s rebellious. And if we lovingly accept our uniqueness, culture meets us with resistance, and it conditions us to conform. Repeatedly this scenario plays out, and we feel trapped. As we live in the rational world of humanity, we cut ourselves off from the Source of life. But by turning towards the heart voice, we open ourselves up to becoming our authentic selves and truly living the life we desire.
If you go deeper and deeper into your own heart, you’ll be living in a world with less fear, isolation, and loneliness. ~ Sharon Salzberg
Becoming Comfortable with the Unknown
As we listen and decide from the heart, we have to learn to deal with the unknown because the soul moves us forward without our mind understanding the decision. Trusting this process gets more comfortable with time as we see that the authentic self always has our best interests in mind. This alternative way of perceiving the world also feels better than the self-judgment and criticism of the egoic voice.
As we step into this new process of decision making, there will be resistance by our ego. The uncertainty that rises is the egoic voice trying to understand the choice. It’s looking at the current evidence it has, and it’s not aligning with the path we are taking, and that’s all right.
I understand that what I’m saying is easier said than done, but this is a process to strengthen the trust we place in living from the heart. We can only build this confidence by moving forward along the path of life and see what magic and synchronicities unfold.
As we move through the process, ask ourselves how we feel about the decisions we are making. Determine if we’re choosing because it’s something we should do, or is it based on our gut feeling. By engaging in this self-reflection, we’ll be able to determine if the heart or the mind is controlling the decision-making process.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
We May Need to Reframe the Words You Use
As we are mindful of the choices you make, we’ll see patterns where we stumble and notice where the mind and heart work together. This alignment can occur more easily by changing the words we use when mulling a decision.
Choices, like any change, is neutral. But when the egoic mind interferes, it allows duality to affect the decision-making process. The ego labels outcomes as good or bad.
It attaches to the results the ego wants instead of allowing the Universe to give us what we need. Don’t enable the labeling of the situation. Just let it be what it is and recognize that there are endless possibilities that the mind cannot comprehend.
By reframing our perceptions about the situation or the outcomes, we allow the magic of flow into our lives. We open up to the limitless possibilities available to us instead of the limitations the ego imposes.
The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. ~ Blaise Pascal
How to Build a ToolKit
Awareness of the present moment allows us to recognize patterns. Pay close attention to our feelings and where they show up. Realize the thoughts we have about a choice and how they make us feel. As we do this, we will see the differences in the fleeting impulses and the callings from the heart.
Notice what we take action on, the impulses or callings. As we become more familiar with the soul’s voice, we’ll let the whims float by like clouds in the sky. We are discounting them as not worthy of our time and effort. But the callings become something significant as we value our innate potential.
Pause before we allow the egoic mind to speak concerning the calling. Maybe take a baby step towards this beckoning before deciding to turn away from it. As we take action, we build our confidence to trust living from the heart.
Take time to reflect on the progress we’ve made. Check-in with ourselves through prayer or mediation to determine if the path we’re on is what our authentic self desires. Verify that our feelings align with our soul and that the mind hasn’t overridden the heart. As we reflect on the process, we see that we will trust the choices being made, even if the mind thinks it’s irrational because we’ve learned to trust and navigate the unknown.
When your heart speaks, take good notes. ~ Judith Campbell
What Are Some Ways to Live from the Heart?
Focus on the small things that may go unnoticed. Smile at others we meet along our path. Be kind to all we see. Kindness and consideration of others have an immediate positive impact on the world.
Be our authentic selves, always. Our honesty helps build trust in ourselves and others.
Remember that everyone matters. We all can be friendly to those we encounter and build each other up. Compassion is a great healer if we reach out to one another.
Be vulnerable, and don’t allow fear to rule our decisions. Our sensitivity is a strength that permits empathy to flow. It opens us to authentic interactions and relationships.
Tell people how we feel about them. Saying I love you, I’m sorry, or please forgive me, means there are no regrets.
Live for the impact we have on the lives of those we meet. The value of life isn’t based on productivity, but on how we positively affect others. Our actions are the testimonies we leave behind to what we believed.
Accept what is. Be open to what will be. Respond with love in all situations and seek transformation of that we wish to change.
Cooperate with others. We all want the same things in life – love and happiness. Working together instead of hindering one another will move us forward quicker.
Only do what your heart tells you. ~ Princess Diana
Living from the Heart Brings Peace
Being heart-centered reduces stress and separation by appreciating and caring for others. By serving one another, we help to relieve the suffering of ourselves and those around us.
We begin to see the abundance around us as we express our gratitude for the people in our lives. Our gratitude connects us to our hearts and keeps it open to receive all life has to give.
As we become our authentic selves, our negative behaviors like judgment, self-centeredness, and blaming fade away. We become empowered to create the peace we all desire because it comes from within ourselves, from our hearts, not our minds.
It will chart you a life’s journey as unique and authentic as your fingerprint; send you out, full of hope and breathtaking exhilaration, onto paths you never thought you could travel. It is the way you were meant to exist. If you stop to listen, you’ll realize that your heart has been telling you so all along. ~ Dr. Martha Beck
Recognizing a Heart-Centered Life
Just because it makes sense on paper doesn’t mean it’s the best way for us to move forward. Paper doesn’t have our emotional data taken into consideration. And if we live out the plan of the mind, we lose ourselves to the chaos of our unhappiness.
Our minds are limiting, based on filters others imposed. Our hearts urge us to discover our own limitless possibilities. It’s not asking you to take unnecessary risks, but making those that push us towards our dreams.
We know that the mind can only take us so far because we’ve all ignored our gut and followed our head to our own detriment. The brain is the hardware; the mind is the software, but the heart feeds data into the system through our feelings.
The heart and mind continue to expand. As you maintain your awareness, the heart continues to open itself to all the world offers. The soul is timeless and dedicated to supporting us in creating our dreams. It’s wiser for us to listen to its guidance instead of the minds as love offers security that transcends every situation. We are born to be so much more than what our minds can comprehend.
The heart is the perfection of the whole organism. Therefore, the principles of the power of perception and the soul’s ability to nourish itself must lie in the heart. ~ Aristotle
Moving Forward
We listen to the mind because society has conditioned us. But the ego leads us astray. Instead, we need to be brave and listen to the heart. To do this, we need to get to know our authentic selves. Getting comfortable with not knowing, trusting the Universe, and reframing our perspective helps us build a toolkit that allows us to live from the heart and not the mind.
We connect to Source through our hearts, so it makes sense that following our soul would allow for a better experience. We’re living on purpose, so we have flow and clarity. And with no ambiguity, we build confidence in trusting our intuition- that gut feeling. By listening to the soul’s voice, we bring peace into our lives.
Seek the wise and loving counsel of your Higher Self in the secret chamber of your heart. ~ Marilyn C. Barrick
As you become more aware of the heart’s whispers and realize that it has your best intentions, you can change your life.