The Work of Your Heart
“Follow Your Bliss.” Joseph Campbell
I’ve always loved this quote from the first time I heard it. That happened during a Bill Moyers documentary on Campbell. Speaking of whom, there is another great man!
Often I talk with people who are struggling with the decision of what career path to choose. Sometimes they have trouble narrowing it down because they are interested in so many things. However, another source of confusion is hearing from others that they need to be aware of what the job market is, where the hottest prospects are, and go where the action is.
I don’t think that is the best way to make a decision. If we don’t begin from a place of honoring our passions, things will not end well. Either we won’t be happy doing what we do, no matter how outwardly successful it is. OR things just won’t gel for us because our hearts aren’t in it.
Listening to our hearts doesn’t preclude being practical. They are not mutually exclusive! There is a huge difference between allowing outside opinions and factors to choose what you do and choosing your path based on your heart, then allowing practical considerations to be beacons that guide you.
Our lives are our art. If we don’t contribute what we’re capable of, the world will be the poorer for it. This takes trusting ourselves, taking the leap of faith, and not letting our fear stop us!
- Trusting ourselves involves taking the time to know who we are and what we want. We have to go within and take time to do that which is important to us. I call this marinating time. This allows us to receive our “images”. I see this as similar to sculpture artists who “see” the image in a block of wood or clay as they work it. But sometimes we have to relax and let it go before it will speak to us.
- Taking the leap of faith means not letting “naysayers” rule our lives, including our internal ones!! Everyone has those; people whose own fear governs their lives so much that they project it onto everyone else. They may do this out of love for us even, but it isn’t the best way to guide.
- As far as fear goes, feel it and keep on going! As Winston Churchill said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Find people who support you in your dreams and they will help you fly!
Here is a beautiful poem by Rumi to inspire you. I first heard this at a wonderful retreat that helped me “marinate”.
SPRING GIDDINESS
Today, like every other day,
We wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
Where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.“
Find yours!
