Leading with your Heart
Are your heart strings being pulled by the unsettling events that surround us in the world today? Many women around the world are feeling despair about what is happening and are urging us to speak out. Some are calling for us to march in protest.
But before you take your first step in responding to what’s happening, I urge you to lead with your heart.
How do you lead with your heart? One of the first steps is to learn to listen to your heart.
In the guidebook that accompanies her “Lightworker Oracle Deck,” Alana Fairchild says, “The hallmark of a dysfunctional society is that the mind is expected to dominate the inclinations of the heart, rather than to serve it.”
I don’t know about you, but I never learned in school or from my parents or from anywhere else how to listen to my heart. When faced with making a decision, I was taught to use logic above all else, and that emotions were something to push aside or suppress. “Don’t be emotional,” was the dominant message that I heard. Yet it is through emotions, which we can generate through the heart, that we can make choices that resonate with the greatest well-being for ourselves and others.
Our hearts typically sense what is right for us. Much more than merely a physical organ that pumps blood through our veins, they also possess an inherent wisdom that makes heart transplants possible. Our hearts sense things that are threatening and set in motion within our bodies the fight or flight mechanism to keep us safe.
In order to learn to let our mind be in service to the heart, as Fairchild suggests, we can begin by creating a regular practice of emptying the mind. This is important, because often our minds are full of fear-based thoughts that may have accumulated there as a result of what we have seen, heard, and experienced.
Meditation is a great tool for emptying the mind. If you have difficulty sitting still, try a walking meditation. If your monkey mind likes to chatter, focus on the sound of running water until your thoughts fade away.
Once you empty your mind, the next step is to focus on your heart. You can do this by placing your hand on your heart or by just setting the intention to let your heart take the lead. Try asking your heart what the best path for you is at this point in time. Invite your heart to show you what is most important.
Once you have received this information, the next step is to draw upon the power of your mind to map out a logical course of action. Ask what the best next step is. Even if the answer doesn’t come immediately to mind, look for answers in the hours and days to come.
Leading from the heart takes practice if you’ve spent years leading from your mind. Yet, it is worth the effort, because when you practice emptying your mind, it can become a place where optimism can grow. And from that space come thoughts of encouragement, creativity, and hope, instead of self-criticism, fear, and doubt.