Following your heart can lead to a life beyond your wildest dreams, but it will require leaving behind the familiar and safe and facing emotional challenges like pain, grief, and uncertainty. This week, I’d like to offer some practical tools and advice to help you navigate those challenges, including tips for leaving behind your past self, coping with the inability to turn back, and surrendering to a higher possibility. Let’s dive in!
When my Portuguese grandfathers left the Island of Madeira in 1860 to settle in Georgetown, British Guyana, they knew in their hearts that they might never be able to return to their homeland or see their loved ones again. Sadly, they never did. However, more than a hundred years later, many future generations of Gonsalves visit the island of Madeira each year to honor their courageous ancestors who ventured into an uncertain New World.
Each person who has ever embarked on the path of their heart had to pay the price of leaving the safety of the life they had planned to go after the life that was ultimately waiting for them.
Inevitably, the price most people pay for following their heart will include feeling the emotional pain, grief, and feelings of uncertainty associated with leaving behind the person you once were, not being able to turn around and go back, and surrendering yourself to a higher possibility.
Leaving behind the person you once were so that you can become the person you’re destined to be.
As you move forward in the direction of your heart, expect everything that is not aligned with the new direction to fall away. This can be a painful process, as it may include releasing behaviors, places, and people close to you who no longer align with your path. This can be particularly difficult when it comes to releasing relationships with family members and close friends. However, it’s important to remember that your energetic vibration and worldview are changing, making it increasingly difficult to connect with others who aren’t aligned with your new path.
Practical advice:
- Practice self-compassion: Recognize that it’s okay to let go and that you’re doing what’s best for yourself. Be gentle with yourself and avoid self-criticism or judgment.
- Cultivate a support system: Seek people who are on a similar path or who have experience navigating the challenges you’re facing. Join groups, attend events, or connect with others online. Having a support system can help you feel less alone and provide encouragement and guidance when you need it.
- Set boundaries: Protect your time and energy by saying no to social engagements or limiting time spent on social media. Remember that your time and energy are precious resources, and you deserve to use them in a way that supports your growth and well-being.
Not being able to turn around and go back, so you can move forward in the direction of your dreams.
With each step you take, the likelihood of turning around begins to disappear. A whole new world of possibilities is now starting to open right in front of your eyes. Eventually, going back will no longer be an option available to you because it is synonymous or worse than death. Even if you were to go back, you would ultimately realize you no longer feel at home in that old place. That’s because you’re not the same person who left. You’ve changed. The only way is forward, and you won’t accept anything less!
Practical advice:
- Embrace change: Change is often a necessary part of growth, and by embracing it, you can open yourself up to new possibilities and opportunities. Remember that even though change can be uncomfortable, it can also lead to positive outcomes.
- Practice heart coherence: When you feel overwhelmed, take a few moments to tune into your heart and breath deeply, slowly and rhythmically. Notice any thoughts or emotions that arise, without judgment or resistance. Simply observe them and allow them to pass. Practicing heart coherence regularly can help you cultivate greater awareness and resilience, allowing you to navigate challenges with greater ease.
- Cultivate a support system: Having a support system can help you feel less alone and provide encouragement and guidance when you need it. Seek people who can offer you support and who understand the challenges you’re facing.
Surrendering to a Higher Possibility so that you can be guided into the life that’s waiting for you.
Letting go of the life you planned means you are embarking on a journey towards the life of your dreams. But even this life – which is also a planned life, must eventually be surrendered so that you can welcome the life that is waiting for you…
A life beyond your wildest dreams or creative imagination.
A life that will surpass anything you’ve ever thought, imagined, or believed possible.
A life that expresses the Highest Possibility and is in service to the Greater Good.
Pain, grief, and uncertainty are the price we pay. And in that messy space, we begin to find a new home.
As you walk, you begin to see your pain, grief, and feelings of uncertainty not only as part of the human condition but also as a clear indication that you’re following your heart and becoming a higher, better, and more expanded version of yourself.
Practical advice:
- Practice self-care: As you navigate the emotional challenges of following your heart, it’s important to take care of your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This may include getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, engaging in physical activity, spending time in nature, or practicing meditation or other mindfulness techniques.
- Ask for guidance: Surrendering to a higher possibility means acknowledging that there is a force greater than yourself at work in the universe. Whether you call it God, the Universe, or something else, there is a power that can guide you on your journey. Take time each day to pray, meditate, or simply ask for guidance from the divine.
- Trust the process: Following your heart can be a long and winding road, and it’s easy to get discouraged or doubt yourself along the way. Trust the process and remember that every step you take is leading you closer to the life that’s waiting for you.
In Summary
Following your heart requires leaving behind the familiar and safe, and facing emotional challenges such as pain, grief, and uncertainty. But by practicing self-compassion, cultivating a support system, setting boundaries, embracing change, practicing heartfulness, and surrendering to a higher possibility, you can navigate these challenges with greater ease and confidence.
Take care of yourself, embrace vulnerability, and trust the process, and, before you’ll know it, you’ll be on your way towards a life beyond your wildest dreams.
From my heart to yours,
