Oops? Did I write it backward? I mean, isn’t it supposed to be, “Home is Where the Heart Is?” Well, yes… and no. The point here is something entirely different. The point is, your heart is the home, the seat, and the resting place of all that you are and all that you are intended to be. In other words, your heart is the true home of all your desires, passions, beliefs and needs.
Your Heart is Where Your True Home Dwells
Okay, great. So what?
Last month’s theme was Dreaming and Making Dreams Come True. (See Dream Big or Live Small.) So far in this blog / website we’ve dedicated most of our attention to action: things to do and think. But doing is actually Phase II of the intentional life. Phase I of your most meaningful life begins with understanding your deepest inner person, which is both obvious and hidden. It’s about who you are created to be: skills, talents, passions, desires, needs… and the fears and monsters too terrifying for words that you have invented along your personal journey.
So the theme for this month is to focus on your inner life; the place it all begins. It’s finally time to consider the inner space and inner power necessary to live out your dream life of meaning, adventure, and awe.
A Lifelong Journey of Exploration
T.S. Elliot wrote, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
We’re all familiar with the story of the poor farmer who had a dream that he had to go on a long journey to a far-away city, where he was to cross a bridge to a castle where he would find a treasure hidden in a special place. After months of journey he finally arrived at the bridge foot-sore and weary only to be confronted by a soldier guarding the bridge who refused to allow him to enter.
The old man pleaded wearily explaining his dream to the guard who responded to the old man, “You stupid old fool! Why just last night I dreamed of an old man who had traveled months on a long journey to find treasure when all he had to do was remove the bricks of his own hearth to find a real treasure hidden at home.”
Crap! You guessed it. The old man went back home and discovered the treasure hidden in his own hearth. The moral is: we all have a treasure within, but we must go on a long journey to discover it. Yea, maybe it’s a tired story but the message is never tiring. We should tell ourselves that story daily. YOU ALREADY HAVE THE TREASURE you seek—whether it is the great castle or something else. It’s waiting, screaming even for you to simply crack open your crusty old heart to find it.
I can guess what you are saying to yourself. C’mon Charlie, get real. I’ve heard that kind of BS story a million times from a million motivational speakers. And I reply, “Yes, I know you have.” And I know you expect better from me. But you know what? I can’t get any better.
You just can’t get away from the journey motif of your life. It begins at your beginning. From birth you are “exploring” and you will continue till the day you leave this planet. And who knows? The journey will probably continue even from there on.
For the next three weeks I plan to tell you all about my newly discovered travel map and supplies. You’ll discover rituals, habits, and plans to tap into the most wonderfully creative space hidden deep within you. I am way different than I was just a few months ago and yet I am exactly the same person. You will be too, if you’re willing to make some pretty simple, yet demanding changes.
Until Next…
Anytime we dive into our heart we head into both an exciting and murky mush. The problem is unless we dive in headfirst, casting aside our fears of what monsters we might find, we will never live our Authentic Life of Meaning, Adventure and Awe. Note the word authentic, which means IT BELONGS TO YOU AND ONLY YOU.
So here we go. Fearful and fearless, bold and cautious. But you are a difference-maker. Get ready to start the real journey and I’ll be right along side of you. Oohlala. I love the opportunity.
Any ideas? Please let me know in the comments. I believe in this very important subject. Your experiences will be of great help to our community and to me.
