Follow Your Heart
I discovered Rob Delaney, a comedian who is on twitter, via another pithy soul, Kelly Oxford. The twitter haiku Rob wrote that I fell for was:
“It’s fucked up how many cookies Jesus tells me to eat.”
So I followed him.
Then I checked out his tumblr and found this question that someone had asked him:
Question: “What does heartbreak mean to you?”
Rob’s Answer: “This quote from the Gospel of Thomas hits me hard:
Jesus said, ‘If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.’
If I didn’t follow my heart and do what I feel I must do, my heart would break, and I would die. I don’t associate heartbreak with romance anymore, though I did when I was younger. Actual heartbreak would come if I wasn’t true to myself and my own ideals. For me, this means I have to work full-time at creative pursuits, but in the larger picture it means I must be less selfish, more kind, and work harder than I might “want” to.”
Which I thought was gorgeous. He’s irreverent and reverent–just my type.
It’s hard work remaining true to your ideals.
The first step is identifying them. Sometimes you can borrow from others, but also know that your ideals can change and evolve over time. So the best way to figure out what yours are–since they can differ from everyone else around you–is to go inside. Ask. Listen. You can do this on a moment-to-moment basis to figure out what route to take or to create an overall map for your life.
Once you know what your ideals are, express them. Ask for help, tell someone how you really feel, make a call that will move your business or creative idea forward, finish that writing assignment and book that training seminar.
Take further action and make requests. Do you need to remove someone from your life? Or invite them further in? Do you need to hire a business coach to help you push yourself into action? Do you need to back out of one commitment so you can put effort into another that better reflects the core of you?
It feels good to live your ideals. And it feels shitty not to.
One of the best measures for me of whether I’m living my ideals is how I feel at the end of each day. One of my biggest ideals is growth. Did I challenge myself today? Did I push myself out of my comfort zone? Do I feel like I’m a bigger person because of it? That’s a good day. I can rest now because I put all my effort into making that happen.
At the end of each day, take inventory. Do you feel beautifully spent? Satisfied? If not, figure out where you can you can notch it farther tomorrow.
