Following your heart means to follow that which feels magnetic.
There are many terms we can use to the same thing, such as following your intuition, what makes you come alive, or what feels magnetic.
What’s common in all these is the giving up of the mind.
We rely so much on logic to live our lives that we forget to notice what it is that makes us come alive.
There’s conditioning on what life should look like, what should be done, and what should not be done. That is why beginning to follow your heart can feel dangerous.
Thinking our way through life feels safe, but it’s an illusionary safety.
And let’s not forget that you can fail while playing it safe.
What Does It Mean to Follow Your Heart?
Following your heart means beginning to listen to your body.
Does it expand or contract when considering what to eat, who to spend time with, and what to do?
You have to become familiar with how your heart or intuition communicates. Start with small steps, like where to go for a walk, or what book to read next.
A vital part of this investigation is noticing that fears, traumas, and other feelings will distort what you think your heart communicates with you.
It’s easy to say “I don’t resonate with that,” when in fact you are afraid and you really do resonate with it.
That’s why this path requires the willingness to explore the darkness within yourself, the places you’ve been avoiding.
What Doesn’t It Mean?
This is not a quick fix to feeling good, or guaranteeing that life goes the way you want it.
It also doesn’t mean running away from your feelings. In fact, this path requires the courage to face your fears and to pay attention to when you are fooling yourself.
Listening to your heart doesn’t mean that the challenges and problems of life disappear. It doesn’t mean you’re 100% happy all the time.
There’s no need to wage war with your mind. Your thoughts have served you up until now. They’ve been there to distract you from discomfort, and to divert from feelings you didn’t know how to face.
And no need to do this perfectly. There is no such thing. Perfection is an idea that says that if we would just do things a certain way, we would get what we want.
The First Step to Following Your Heart
The first step is to begin experimenting.
What do you most resonate with right now? What excites you, not an excitement of getting something, but a movement from the present moment?
Put your attention in your heart right now.
Take five deep breaths to calm down. Let go of any ideas of where you want to go, and what you need to be happy.
Don’t try to be anywhere. Don’t try to be anything. Don’t try. Just be here.
Now notice, does something feel magnetic right now?
If not, just sit until movement happens.
Did you like this article? Then you might like my book Follow Your Heart: 21 Days to a Happier, More Fulfilling Life (Amazon affiliate link).
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