Listen To Your Heart

If I could, I would play “Listen To Your Heart” by Roxette in the background while you’re reading this. Go ahead, listen.

The heart. What is it? What is its job, its purpose? It functions to pump blood through our circulation system, oxygenating our blood, keeping us alive. Is that all it is? A pumping machine? I believe it’s more, much more. Maybe you’ve heard of stories where a recipient of a heart donation not only receives an organ and its physical functions, but also memories of the deceased. The question is, do we underestimate the heart capabilities?

I believe that an internal compass is guiding me towards living a life beyond my wildest dreams. The more I open my heart and start to trust and believe in my heart, the more clear I am able to hear the gentle whisper of this internal guide. When guided by my heart, my perspective on life evolves; circumstances and events present themselves at precisely the perfect time. The saying “when the student is ready, the teacher will come” has become evident in my life. No longer do I wait for my teacher, for something outside of me to come and save me, to fix me. I don’t recall when, but I stopped looking for that special fixer. “When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.” As a result important teachers have flooded my life, offering me love, abundance, direction, knowledge. My greatest teacher being my heart.

My heart!? Noooo…this not a tangible nor reliable source for direction. I can’t reply on my heart’s opinion! I can’t go to my heart with problems and demand a solution! What if it’s all an illusion? What if I’m crazy?! Who can I blame if I make the wrong decision?! I can’t blame my heart.

This little organ of mine is persistent, relentless, and extremely influential. As much as my fears try to lock up my heart’s desires, my little heart continues to beat and beat and beat; my heart’s power far surpasses my fears illusions.

It’s been sometime now since my lovely heart has been ever so nicely whispering to me that it’s time for me to move on from my current job, in my current profession. My logical mind screamed “no way Jose!” I have a fantastic job, I work with amazing people, I am contributing to the world becoming a better place, all while earning a living! People would die to be in my shoes! Anyhow, my heart didn’t give up. It’s whisper grew, louder and louder, until it was shouting in my ear. Eventually, I had a difficult time getting through a day without the urge to drop everything and sprint, fast, somewhere. What helped me cope with ignoring my heart was yoga, and the yoga was opening my heart, making its voice louder and clearer. Ironic, no? I waited and waited for some a concrete solution. I talked it through with friends and family, waiting for the “right” validation for my heart’s decision. Of course, I was offered varied responses, the majority of opinions urging me to stick to security, to the logical side of my thinking. I eventually backed myself into a corner, creating my own suffering, forcing myself into making a choice. I took a plunge and talked to my boss.

Gratitude does not begin to describe the feeling I have for the people in my life. I told my boss that I needed to eventually move on and follow my dream. He was unbelievably respectful and understanding and supported me in pursing my dream (my dream that I will share about in future post). I had the company’s best interest in mind, will to do whatever it took for a smooth transition, and the company had my best interest. We worked out a plan for me to work for them on an hourly basis, still securing healthcare.

Security has always been number one on my list of priorities ever since I was a child. I needed to make sure I knew that was going to happen and that I would be ok. Knowing exactly what would happen in the future, even if it meant that I needed to sacrifice my happiness, was what I thought was required for security. Today, I see it differently. Gradually, steadily, I am having faith, acting on the faith, that my heart’s whispers, or sometimes shouting, should be the number one priority in my life. It seems as though through following the heart’s desires, security is simply a byproduct.

Mommy, Parvin, thank you for being a part of the blood that my heart works so hard to pump and oxygenate. Did I make the right decision? I know so. My heart feels light and happy.

To the reader, I challenge you to ask yourself, what are your dreams, what does your heart ache for? What is keeping you from living the best version of yourself?

“The important thing is this: to be ready at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you could become."

- Charles Dickens