Key # 3 : Compassion
“ If love and compassion are in our hearts , every thought , word , and deed can bring about a miracle ,’’ says Thich Nhat Hahn . When it comes to following your heart ’ s desire , fear can often feel like a fire breathing dragon who stands between you and your dreams and desires . Now is the moment to hold yourself tenderly . Practicing loving-kindness towards your own creative expressions is essential to your success . You have ideas and dreams in abundance . Are you treating them with reverence or pushing them aside ? Listening to yourself is a key component of compassion . The more you do this , the more compassion you have for yourself , your dreams and the dreams of others .
Key # 4 : Congruence
This key asks that you find harmony and alignment between your thoughts , feelings and your intuition . I invite you to check in with your head ( thoughts ), heart ( feelings ) and gut ( intuition ) as a way to discover where you are out of congruence . Congruence means that you can bring your whole self to the party . You stop doubting or wondering if you can follow your heart ’ s desire and you embrace the vision with your entire being . Bringing your being into inner congruence allows you to release judgment and access clarity .
Once we feel that deep inner knowing that we are on the right path we have even more experience of what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined as flow . You unintentionally stop creative flow when you are out of alignment . When you are in total congruence , it feels like the universe has your back , life just flows , and everything is working perfectly .
Key # 5 : Courage .
“ To live a creative life , we must lose our fear of being wrong .” Joseph Chilton Pearce
Now is the time to be the dragon , to soar into the unexplored territory of your heart ’ s desire and release any fear of looking silly , stupid or failing .
This might be the trickiest key for sensitive creatives who dread being vulnerable or struggle to ask for what you want and need . Often the mantra of the woman who is listening to the whispers of her heart for the first or even the millionth time is , “ I couldn ’ t possibly do that …” followed by a litany of reasons why following her heart ’ s desire is a bad idea .
How then can you lean into courage and start to build that muscle ? I don ’ t believe that being courageous means leaping headfirst off the cliff , I believe courage happens in the smallest of actions in the direction of your dreams . Think in baby steps not trampoline leaps . Instead of saying “ I can ’ t ” try asking yourself , “ How could I ” or “ What is one small thing I am going to try today ?”
Learning to ask yourself these types of questions will help you begin to activate all 5 of these keys so that they are working in harmony . It ’ s easy to stay in curiosity or even spend hours sitting in quiet contemplation and connection , but the magic happens when you take action to move confidently in the direction of your heart ’ s desire .
Make time today to sit and listen to what your heart is telling you . You are courageous enough to follow your heart ’ s desire .
WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH
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