This post, The Heart’s Desire, is part of series dedicated to solopreneurs and small business owners and how they can make the most of their lives both personally and professionally.
“The heart has its reasons, which reason knows nothing of.” — Blaise Pascal
I believe that before you can be successful in any area of your life, you must start with discovering what success means for you. Several years ago, in therapy, my therapist introduced me to the concept of the heart’s desire. The concept of the heart’s desire has stayed with me ever since, and, both professionally and personally, it is my goal to help everyone I interact with achieve just that.
What is the heart’s desire?
A successful person is one who satisfies his or her heart’s desire. I define the heart’s desire as the set of gifts each of us has to give the world and the way in which each of will deliver those gifts to the world. While this definition of success is, of course, a matter of opinion, I truly believe that each of us has something uniquely positive to offer humanity and that it is part of being a fulfilled human being to offer it.
Unfortunately, in many cases, there are huge obstacles. Many people are unwilling to do the work it takes to figure out what their heart’s desire is; far fewer are unable. That may sound harsh, and perhaps it is, but there is good news.
Discovering and uncovering your heart’s desire is a life’s work. As long as you commit to yourself, there is no rush. The answers will come.
How to discover and uncover the heart’s desire.
Discovering the heart’s desire falls into the category of simple, but not easy. The requirements are this:
- Willingness
- Consciousness
- Persistence
- Compassion
You have to be willing, despite every obstacle, and there will be many, to explore your inner self very consciously. By “consciously” I mean that you look into your heart deeply and fearlessly to see what’s there. You take time to listen to your thoughts, feel your feelings, and use those thoughts and feelings as clues to guide you to your heart’s desire. You will need to be persistent.
Because of all the internal and external trauma, social injustice, and ignorance, with which we live, the process is often heart-breaking, but in a good way. Through self-reflection, your heart will break open and you will find infinite possibility. Compassion for yourself and everyone around you is the magic ingredient.
More good news.
If you are willing, conscious, persistent, and compassionate, you will find your heart’s desire and experience increased success in all aspects of your personal and professional lives.
The importance of truth-telling.
How can you accomplish something if you don’t know what you want to accomplish? If you let the world’s negativity drown out the voice of your heart, you will never know what you want. In order to be successful, however you define that, you must be truthful with yourself. Let me give you an example from my own life, something I actually already shared with you.
I want to help everyone I know understand and realize their full potential. I did that as a social worker and a yoga teacher, and I do it now as a mother, writer, and digital marketer. Although it’s a hard job, it’s one that can be done anywhere and requires very little overhead. It would be easy for me to question myself, and sometimes I do. After all, who am, imperfect as I am, to try for something so lofty? It doesn’t matter, actually, how difficult or unreasonable the heart’s desire is.
So what do you want? Go ahead, be brave, and find out.
{photo credit: Wikipedia}
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