Following the Heart - A Radical Way of Being

This is for the dreamers who are waking up to their desires, speaking it into life, and taking the leap of faith in pursuing their dreams. To you, I pray that you follow your heart.

If your heart could speak what would it say?

What is your heart calling you to be, have, and do in this lifetime?

If you’re reading this then you may be someone who wants to live in greater alignment with what is true for you. The dialogue between our head and heart is often lost and drowned out by our busy hustle worlds. Living in this information-rich world has benefited us in our search for knowledge, but we’ve developed a dependency on external validation and expertise rather than nurturing the counsel of our own wisdom. Google can tell you which books to read to “follow your dream”—but it can’t provide the detailed map that your heart seeks. The way to following your heart is unique to each person and each of us cultivates different practices on the path.

When I started following my heart, I underestimated how much my life would change, and how much change was required. I intended to spend my 27th year on this planet living a life of my own design. That meant ending relationships and starting new ones. I moved out of town and sought out to experience another version of myself. Following my heart meant taking accountability for the damaging patterns that were controlling my life. Following my heart also meant I had to learn to ask for help. Whatever our greatest dreams are, we can’t do them alone.

“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” — Federico Garcia Lorca

I found myself asking these questions:

Do you have the courage to be disliked?

Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures within you?

Do you have the courage to face your fears and follow your heart?

The challenges and difficulties we face when we want to follow our hearts can be overwhelming. The stories we tell ourselves about our limitations and expectations create tension, fear, anxiety, and paralyze the mind—leaving us in a state of confusion and apprehensive to act on inspiration. The resistance to following your heart is costly. The impact can look like: the high-stress of working a job you hate, staying in an abusive or unharmonious relationship, numbing yourself with social media or alcohol/drugs, and feeling unfulfilled and frustrated for no apparent reason day in and day out.

Disempowerment occurs when we choose to identify with limiting beliefs, stories, and the opinions of others. The worst outcome is that we die with our heart’s song within us. I trust that you’re here because that’s not the story you want to live.

Not sure if you’re on the right track to following your heart or unclear what your heart wants?

To find clarity, begin with asking the right questions.

I invite you to sit in silence somewhere you won’t be disturbed. Set aside five to ten minutes to take inventory.

Have something to write with nearby to write your answers.

Maintain a steady deep breathing and allow yourself to dive into these questions.

Allow time to listen with your whole body and notice if your body is tense relaxed.

Inquiries for the heart:

If I knew I was supported, how would I be living?

If I knew I was capable, what would I be doing?

If I knew I was loved, accepted and safe, how would I express myself in the world?

The main practices that support following the heart:

#1 Practice: Writing my vision, intentions, and goals regularly.

The act of writing allows us to live in the past, present, and future. Taking time to reflect, reassess can be a powerful tool that helps us get clear on who we were, how we’ve been, and who we want to become.

Identifying and releasing thoughts, beliefs, and patterns that get in the way of what I want. Healing childhood trauma or past hurts.

Learning how to reprogram the subconscious mind of negative and limiting patterns through techniques like EFT has allowed me to heal behaviors like emotional eating and acts of self-abuse.

Practice #2: Speaking my desires into life and being witnessed.

Engaging in sharing my passions with my family, friends, and a community that values my passions and my dreams. This allows me to really feel the positive emotions of following my heart.

Practice #3: Anchoring my desires with focused intentional movement.

After my morning meditation, I anchor the intention in my body through mind-body practices like breath work, yoga, internal martial arts, swimming, hiking, or even a leisure walk. While I practice, I focus on the desired feelings I want to experience living a life of passion, pleasure, and purpose.

We are free to choose another way.

To choose a new story, imprint new beliefs, and design a life where you feel the most alive. That means changing inner dialogue from “I can’t and impossible” to “I am willing to learn.” When we face fear with curiosity, questions become our greatest ally. It helps us face fear and uncertainty with an open mind and preparation.

Following your heart is not just a cliche in the stories of love and ambition, it is a way of being. It’s the clarity, integrity, and ability to make a decision. Intend on what you want for yourself in any situation, and commit to the path that you’ll take to be, have, and do what your true self truly desires. When we make the decision to pursue our desires, we create a space within us that is devoted to this vision. This space is sacred, it’s yours to tend and nurture. Following our hearts can seem etherial—but following the aligned and inspired action will impact you in the real world.

So again I ask, what is it your heart calling you to be, do, and have?

Are you brave enough to be your most authentic version of yourself and follow your heart?

I believe you are.

Love,

Dion

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