While Valentine’s Day has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the pursuit, not so much of someone else’s heart, but the importance of following your own.
Like many people, I regularly struggle feeling conflicted between my desires and my obligations, of fulfilling my own needs versus meeting my responsibilities to others. The sensible ‘must dos’ often win out over the deeper yearnings of fulfillment and connection.
The other day, for example, I needed to run some errands for my elderly mother, while I desperately wanted to go to the riverside park in the opposite direction. I decided that, despite the hassle of all the extra transit time, each were equally important and so I did both. It was tiring and I didn’t see anything particularly special in the snow-encased park, but the saliant point is that I overrode my mind telling me how impractical this was and made time to honour my inner needs as being important as anything else going on in my life.
Following your heart can feel scary, as it is often times involves going against logic and the goal-oriented behaviour we are so regularly conditioned to follow. But it’s always worth trying, listening to that small voice inside of you, even if the outcomes are not what you expected or even wanted, because the more you get used to trusting your intuition and exercising the muscle of listening to your heart, the better it will lead you to places in life that are resonating and uplifting.
Conversely, the times I’ve not acted on my intuition or followed the longings of my heart, the regret has always eaten me up. Over time, if we suppress our deepest desires and needs long enough, we may become chronically depressed and even physically ill.
The greatest gift we have is the ability to live our lives with health, dignity and the freedom to make good choices. And honouring and fulfilling who you truly are as a unique individual is the greatest gift you can give yourself – not just for Valentine’s Day but every day – and the clearest pathway to living a life imbued with integrity and inner peace.