Does Your Heart Listen To Your Head?

We've all had moments when we had to make big decisions; those decisions that make you stay awake all night playing out every possible scenario in your head. What if I choose (fill in the blank) and it's the wrong choice? What if it's not the right time to (fill in the blank)? What if I choose one direction and find out later I should have gone the other way?

The thing is that none of us have a crystal ball. None of us have someone that can tell us what the right choice is. The choices we are presented with aren't always clear; we won't always know what to do or if the choice is really what is being presented. Maybe we think it is offering us one thing, when in reality it really isn't. Sometimes if an opportunity seems too good to be true, chance are it might be. It's always going to be difficult to know.

When you have to make a big decision or a choice, people will say to 'go with your gut', 'trust your instincts'. Then you have to ask yourself, 'Do you tend to react with your heart or with your head'. Those that react with their heart may be more emotional; how will something make you feel? Happy, sad, stressed, needed, appreciated? Some tend to react more with their head. They will look at a situation or decision and think about the pros and the cons. What will the job offer? How much time will I be on the road and away from my family? Will the choice they make get them where they want to be and doing what they what to do?

Choices can be about relationships, finances, starting families, choosing the right health treatment, new jobs, taking risks, going back to school, etc. We all make tough choices and make decisions each and every day. We need to have faith that whatever decisions we make are the right ones for us. Will we make mistakes? Undoubtedly, we are human after all. Will we learn from our mistakes? Hopefully so. Will whatever choices we make in our lifetime develop and define our character? You bet they will.

When you have a big decision to make do you tend to go with your heart or your head?

Does your heart ever listen to your head or vice versa?

Does making a big decision tend to keep you up at night?

How do you view your successes?

Many people do things to get recognized: movie stars, pop stars, people that want reality TV shows, and people with a YouTube audience. I suppose it goes with the territory if that's the business you're in. If people don't know who you are then they won't follow up on you to see what you're planning next. It's a clear case of supply and demand. Other times people do things for the sole sake of doing something positive for their community (not for the notoriety); they run non-profits, they volunteer in their neighborhoods, they plant beautiful gardens for people to visit, or they help the elderly man who lives next door.

We all have goals and dreams of what we would like to accomplish in our lifetime. Maybe we want to run a marathon (just once), maybe we want to have more people read what we write or listen to our music. I think if we're being honest, when we're passionate about something that we do we want people to notice, we want them to be as excited about our work as we are. It's validating and we want to know that we aren't alone. 

Sure, I can tell you that I write for myself, because it helps me to process my life and all that I see in our world (good or bad) everyday. But I would be kidding myself if I didn't admit that I would also love more exposure with my writing, to be able to reach a larger audience ... not because I have a big ego and think that I'm all that and more, but because I feel so strongly about what I do. When I write it feels like I am allowing myself to be vulnerable and sharing a piece of myself, that alone can be a scary feeling. What if people don't like what I write about? What if no one cares? But we can't dwell on the negative 'what-ifs'. If we did that we would never get anywhere. 

We need to keep our goals personal; do what we do for the right reasons. If we do that, only good things can happen. People will notice; they'll be intrigued and they'll ask questions, they'll talk about it with someone else, they'll SHARE a Facebook post or a website, and people will start to notice the genuineness of your work. It won't happen over night. There are no easy routes or short cuts. Hard work, diligence, honesty, and integrity in your work are what will get it noticed.

As busy as our world gets and as busy as we each get dealing with the responsibilities of our own lives, we need to remember that life is a two-way street. If we want people to support what we pour our hearts into then it's only right to know that we need to return that favor. Start to pay attention more to the young mom who is standing in line with three little kids; open the door for her and tell her she is doing a great job. If you have a good waiter at a restaurant, don't take them for granted. Make conversation with them as 'the person they are' and let them know you appreciated their good service. When you hear someone playing the guitar or singing in church on a Sunday morning, tell them afterward how good their music made you feel. When you read something online (Facebook, Instagram, etc), LIKE someone's post and most importantly SHARE it. That's the only way their work will spread.

What is your passion that you're trying to share with the world?

How can we help get the word out?

How Do You Measure Success?

The world seems to be full of competition and personal drive. How do you measure your successes? As an artist do you measure your achievements by the number of paintings being displayed in a gallery or by the number of music CDs you’ve already sold? As an employee do you define your success by how far you’ve been able to climb the corporate ladder? As a gardener do you only feel accomplished once you’ve been invited to participate in a garden walk and received formal recognition for the fruits of your labor?

Do you ultimately measure your success by how YOU see yourself or by how others see you?

Do you consider yourself a good parent if your children are healthy, happy and well-adjusted? I watched a Hallmark channel movie just last night and heard a wonderful line. It went something like this, “A mother is only as happy as her saddest child.” I considered it a sort of epiphany. If you are a parent, like me, who is very tuned in with her children (whether they are still at home or grown and on their own), then this is probably pretty accurate for how your emotions can be weighed in with those of your children.

This is my 200^th blog post for A New Season of Insights. Who would have thought just a few short years ago that I would have THAT much to say or share? I know I wouldn’t have thought so. I wanted this 200^th post to be special and monumental and significant and whole lot of other important things. Wow, talk about putting a lot of pressure on yourself, but then I stopped and asked myself, “What’s your blog all about anyway?” I consider it to be conversational and real and relative. Nothing more, nothing less. So we’ll get back to measuring successes. How do I measure my success as a writer? I have a little more than 100 Facebook followers. Have I reached 500 or 1,000 readers yet? No. Will I get to that point? I can’t say (my crystal ball is still in the shop). At last count my Admin. page says I've had 9,667 page views of my blog. That seems impressive; at least to me. I’ve written 199 posts (before today that is). I’ve had some GREAT feedback from readers; some amazing questions and some heartfelt comments. The fact that I still get to wake up every day and think about what I will write continues to bring me great joy. So with that in mind, I guess that makes me a success.

How about you? How are you measuring your success?