Heart's Adventure

Do you ever get frustrated waiting for the right conditions to set sail, i.e.: just the right opportunity, calm seas, enough resources? There are times I certainly find myself there, sitting at shore, wondering when the storm will pass, waiting and waiting – and I ask myself, “Do I know where I really want to be?” – “Am I clear about my destination?”, “What do I need, or need to let go of, to get there?”….and then I sigh, and take a step back, and appreciate the horizon and this moment in my life and all I have to be grateful for – The destination becomes clearer, my journey continues, the only thing I was waiting for was me.

Every so often in life you realize that it’s time to move on – to pull up anchor and chart a new course. This doesn’t always mean making a physical move – it can be a spiritual or emotional movement – but what ever it is, it is a time of letting go, i.e.: of bad habits, of old ways of thinking, of unhealthy relationships, and perhaps of possessions that have begun to weigh you down. For me this is such a time. I want to open myself to greater opportunity, to new experiences and new ways of being in the world. It’s time to make that next move to continue to create the life I really want.

I recently read Karen Kingston’s book, Clearing Your Clutter with Feng Shui and it has really helped give me that extra push to move forward on my journey of letting go. This includes letting go of my home, those possessions that no longer hold energy for me, and creating a new space for a healthier and more fulfilling life. Like any new journey, it is beginning not only with excitement and anticipation, but with fear and trepidation. As I move forward, however, I do so with purpose and intention. I can see the horizon of where I want to be and seeing it makes it that much closer as I set off once again on my heart’s adventure.

What does it mean to live an intentional life? Is it about having goals, assuming we know what we really want? And we can ever be sure that our goals will bring us what we need since we can never imagine what will happen between now until then? I know people with some great intentions, i.e.: a client of mine is excited and focused on starting a new career, a friend is dedicated to become a published author, and my nephew is dreaming about college to become a mechanical engineer. While their future goals are clear, it seems to me that it’s their excitement, dedication, and ability to dream – being fully engaged in life – that makes their lives intentionally lived. Beyond that I think it’s the energy that pulls us towards a goal and living life in a more conscious way; it’s having an understanding of one’s values and strengths, and how to utilize them effectively to create a life on one’s own terms. Life may hold many surprises for us, and we may stumble at times, but as the captain of our ship it’s what we make of the journey, and not the destination, that makes all the difference.

When is it time to let go of things that keep us from moving forward in our lives? Perhaps it is a psychological pain, i.e.: anger, remorse, grief, or unhealthy relationships. It can also be a tangible things, real-estate, automobiles, recreational equipment or just items that we’ve collected over the years that now weigh us down. It’s not always easy; sometimes we get end up holding on to things out of fear, even unhealthy ways of being in the world, because they are so familiar; tangible items hold meaning for us, evoking memories, becoming symbols of status; they help define us and our world. How often do we take stock of the things that hold us back, the barriers that keep us from moving forward no matter how much we may dream of doing something different with our lives? How often are we pro-active with this process as opposed to being forced to let go by circumstance? Letting go is a process that can take time, but the first step is always finding greater clarity about where we want to be. If we can truly really get a sense of the world we want to create, we can better understand what we need to get there. Creating forward movement towards ones dreams can help us move away from things that weigh us down. What course have you set for your life’s journey?

As we go through our day to day routine, what do we hope to accomplish? How often do we sit down and get a clear idea of where we want to be and what we really want out of life? Whether we’re working to achieve a personal goal, gain a new skill or pursue a new career it’s important to ask the question, “Why”? – Where would we be if we met those goals, had those new skills, new job or promotion? Would we be happier, more peaceful, and more financially secure? If we can be clearer about where we want to be and why we want to be there, we can begin to tap in to our own internal resources and start to take action. We can plan all we want for success, but it is really having clarity of vision and understanding the meaning of our journey, that truly enables us to embark on our hearts adventure.