I have a somewhat better idea now but there are still some large unknowns. And that's okay with me. I continue to trust my heart to guide me.
I've spoken to many people who have told me that they would like to take a similar journey, in an RV or not, who feel held back for whatever reason - job, finances, family, house, relationship, etc. Oftentimes, it boils down to one thing - fear.
There is security to hanging on to what we know. Even if it doesn't bring us the happiness we hope for. It is a known. There is no security or certainty in the unknown. And that can be scary.
It requires us to let go of what we have and what we know and to take the risk of having something else. For me, it came down to this - I was no longer afraid of losing or letting go of what I had; I was far more afraid of never uncovering what I knew was buried deep inside of me, what was calling me from my heart, and never experiencing what true happiness would feel like.
As I look ahead to the future and the still unanswered unknowns before me, strangely, I feel absolutely fine. The risks are still there yet life feels perfectly divine even though I don't know what it will entail in the weeks and months ahead. I have hunches but no concrete evidence or outcomes to share. I still have no fixed address, no firm plans, no stable income, no life partner, none of the traditional things we like to have in life and yet, I am happier than I have ever been before. I have faith in my heart which keeps telling me, "Don't worry Heather, you'll be fine, just keep going." The signs keep pointing in that direction and as Paulo Coelho reminds readers in one of my favourite books, The Alchemist, "As we look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find us just the same, if we let it." My heart tells me indeed that it's true.
The obvious question is how to follow your heart. I've put together some tips from my own experience that I would like to share, hoping they may be of use to you:
1. Practice letting go.
This is one of the biggest leaps you can make, to let go of things in life that don't serve you, thus allowing yourself to be open to receiving new thoughts, new ideas, new possibilities. What might you wish to let go of? Old beliefs, expectations, fighting reality, clutter, money, power, relationships, jobs, possessions, fears, old habits, emotions and more. You may wish to begin by asking yourself, "How does this serve me?" or "Do I really want this in my life?" Once you've found your answers, you can begin to choose to decide whether to let go.
2. Nurture your heart.
It's important to nurture your heart, allowing yourself to create the space and opportunities to be able to hear its whispers. For some, this means establishing a regular practice of meditation, yoga, exercise, prayer, journaling, etc. Find those activities which take you away from the usual busyness of life and allow you to nurture that awareness.
3. Trust your heart.
This is critical yet not as easy as it sounds. Many of us have been programmed to believe in and trust our minds over our hearts, so we may not even try to follow the intelligence of the heart. Our mind can only respond after the fact based on memory, while our heart - our intuitive knowing - is always in the now responding appropriately to what is actually going on.
Our minds can also often respond in fear to a situation, reminding us of all the unknowns, "What ifs?" or negative emotions. Our hearts will nudge us somehow, giving us a sign or a cue within our body, telling us to pay attention, to listen to what it's saying.
I speak to my heart directly. When faced with a choice, a decision or a moment of worry, I will ask it for guidance: "Do I need to be concerned?" "Am I on the right path?" "What should I do?" And I always get an answer that feels right.
4. Forget your plans (at least for a while or as much as possible).
To follow your heart, you should not let your mind get in the way. One way that our mind gets in the way is in being overly planned in life. So forget your plans, at least for a day, a while or to the greatest extent possible. This way you free your mind to listen to your heart without being limited by your current plans.
5. Open yourself to new possibilities.
To follow your heart you need to open yourself to new possibilities. Often your heart will tell you something that is beyond what you can currently see or what may currently exist in your life. If you do not open your mind to new possibilities, you may not be able to perceive it. Even if you hear it, you may soon discard it because it doesn't make sense.
When a new idea or opportunity presents, say to yourself, "It's possible." rather than dismissing it. This opens yourself to the possibility of turning it into a reality and also sends your heart the signal that you're listening, which helps keep the cycle in motion.
6. Practice calmness.
The voice of your heart is often just a whisper, so you need to first calm the other voices, especially the voices of your mind. Some people choose to achieve this through various means of relaxation - meditation, listening to music, massage, taking a bath, going for a walk, etc. Practice whatever works for you to create that quiet space within.
7. Listen to the small voice within you.
Once you're calm and relaxed, you can listen to the small voice within. What does it say regarding the decision you want to make?
A sign that it's the voice of your heart is you know it is right. You just feel it. You may not be able to explain why. You just know that it's right.
8. Be careful of brain sabotage.
Once your heart has spoken, often your brain will pipe in with its own rational arguments. It may give you reasons why you should or should not do that or why you won't be successful. For this reason, the first glimpse or impression you get is usually the right one. The later ones might have been polluted by rationalizations, which are often based in fear.
9. Build your courage.
Once you hear the call of your heart, the difficulty can be in following it. Often following your heart takes courage to do something unpopular or even seemingly irrational. I can't tell you the number of people who asked me questions such as, "Where are you going? What route are you taking? What are you going to do for work? Where are you going to live when you get back? How are you going to pay for it all? Aren't you afraid of travelling as a single woman?" and so on.
Your heart is your internal compass, pointing you in the direction you need to go. Beware of these types of distractions that can throw you off course. Take a deep breath and know that you're guided by the highest wisdom available to you.
10. Build your support system.
Surround yourself with people who are going to support and guide you on your journey. Those who also seek to follow their own heart can share their stories and wisdom and who can offer encouragement and understanding.
It can be difficult, particularly in the beginning or when people may question your decisions or chosen path. You will need people who will hold your hand as you walk forward.
11. Be willing to take risks (and make mistakes).
Following your heart means venturing into the unknown and taking risks, not knowing what the outcome may be. It means moving in the direction towards what you want to have or create in your life. It means that when you ask the question, "What is it worth to me?" (whatever "it" is for you) you're able to answer that it is worth whatever perceived risk may be attached to going for it. It means that the value outweighs the perceived risk.
You also need to be willing to make mistakes, particularly as you're learning. Just accept them as part of the process and learn from them. These can also be the most valuable learnings on the way.
12. Miscellaneous other things that can also help.
There are many other things I've done and tried before, as ways to build my own faith, power and courage to continue to listen to my heart. I share these as ideas and thoughts, since in the end, each journey of the heart is an individual one.
Read Paulo Coelho's book The Alchemist; try yoga; listen to inspirational CDs; dance, because it makes your heart feel good; keep a journal; pray to someone or something; show gratitude; get outdoors; say yes more often; get enough sleep; feng shui your space; pay attention to life; relax and breathe; go through your memory bank and recall past times when listening to your heart paid off; create a dream book; practice patience; change things up; limit or stop watching television; act when you feel inspired and, of course, be kind and gentle to your heart, always.
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Biography
