A couple of weeks ago I went on an outstanding workshop with William Bloom. It was called ‘Strong and Clear – Holistic Leadership, Group Dynamics and Speaking Your Truth’, and from what I’d read, it looked as if it’d serve me well in terms of giving talks and presenting. You see I’d noticed that despite having been on a spiritual path for fifteen years, I’d often get flustered when trying to communicate to certain individuals what it is that I do. And sometimes when giving talks too. I was happy and confident giving talks, but looking back, I’d say that 50% of that was a brave face, trained in the art of public speaking. I actually felt like I was ‘half there’. And now I know why. It was all down to not really being clear — as in unwaveringly, undeniably clear — about why I’m doing what I’m doing in the first place.
Thankfully, William had it covered. A short-yet-crucial part of the weekend was spent identifying our values. Initially it seemed a simple task; surely I knew what it is that I value most. Ummmm. Apparently not. As I sit there thinking, I’m amazed to discover that I don’t know what my values are. How about Peace? I value peace. But sometimes the opposite of peace is required in a situation. What about freedom? Ah yes. I value freedom. But don’t some people find their freedom whilst being imprisoned? And how free are we if we’re consumed by our thoughts? Surely the only freedom that matters is the freedom from our own limitations and weakening habits? And so it went on for the next ten minutes, as I batted a number of altruistic words and concepts around in my head. Before I knew it the exercise had finished and we were on to the next part — sharing our findings with a partner. Eeek. I had no findings, other than I’d discovered I had no values. Or at least, I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Happily, as is often the way at these things, a workshop angel happened to be waiting in those woods. I paired up with a guy who I’d not spoken to all weekend (and I definitely hadn’t noticed his wings) and we were off. He expressed his values with the clarity of a crystal pool, and I jumped on in fully clothed. (After he’d finished speaking of course. It’s terribly bad workshop etiquette to interrupt with a ‘ME TOOOOO!’ when your partner’s sharing their insights.) His words were simply this: I follow my bliss. That was it. That was ‘his values’. His words freed me from the mental wrestling that had been going on for the past fifteen minutes and catapulted me right back into my heart. I didn’t have to have a set of neat and tidy values (may I add we weren’t told we needed them, I’d just assumed we did) but I could simply remember what it is that I do, and why I do it. I graciously and profusely thanked the workshop angel for reminding me that my values are, or is, to follow my heart. That’s what I’d been yearning to know how to do all those years ago, it’s what I went on to learn to do through my training, and it’s how I live my life. Well, it’s how I aspire to live my life and am getting better at. It’s what I’m totally passionate about, and why I can’t help but share that passion with people like you, who are reading this now.
And no doubt ‘following your heart’ means different things to different people. To me, following my heart isn’t simply doing what feels right. It’s a process of deep listening, energy awareness and of course, action. But semantics and energetics aside, it seems as if the universal understanding of the phrase is this: I follow the Spirit.
