Follow Your Heart (a book by Andrew Matthews)

Article Title: Follow Your Heart (a book by Andrew Matthews)
Submitted by Craig Lock
Web Sites: http://www.craiglockbooks.com and http://www2.webng.com/writernz/
Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles.html
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, words of inspiration and money management)

Publishing Guidelines:
This new article (in point form) is a short summary of a short and simple, yet excellent book 'Follow Your Heart' by a talented Australian author and illustrator by the name of Andrew Matthews. This summary (as with all my articles) may be freely published with acknowledment to Andrew Matthews, please.

"We share what we know, so that we all may grow - to help and encourage others in the amazing journey that is life."
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SUBMITTER'S NOTE:
I am sharing the contents of this work in the spirit of encouraging and hopefully even inspiring those people, who really want to "follow their own hearts" to read Andrew Matthews's book in the spirit of sharing and encouraging others to 'follow your own hearts' in whatever endeavour you may choose... and that you may get whatever you really want out of life. By sharing this "info", I learn too.
The following is a brief summary of what I feel are the most important points from this little, yet inspirational book.

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FOLLOW YOUR HEART:
Finding Purpose in Your Life and Work

An inspirational, illustrated book by Andrew Matthews

Copyright 1997 by Andrew Matthews (Published by Seashell Publishers, Queensland, Australia)

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

The Ten Concepts;

1. We are here to learn lessons, and the world is our teacher
When we fail to learn a lesson, we get to take it again... and again!
Then once wev'e learnt the lesson, we move on to the next one. (and we never run out of lessons!).

2. The universe has no favourites. Your success and happiness depend on natural laws and principles; so USE them. Eg. the Law of Cause and Effect. The universe rewards effort, not excuses and no effort is wasted. Have the discipline to do little things you don't like, and you can spend your life doing the big things you DO like.

We cannot change things, unless we accept them."
- Carl Jung

3. Your life is a perfect reflection of your beliefs
When you change your deepest beliefs about the world,
your life changes accordingly.

"The things always happen that you believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen."
- Frank Lloyd Wright

The beliefs that you hold determine your quality of life.
It's not your job, it's what you believe that makes the difference.
"It's a funny thing, life. If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."
W. Somerset Maugham
Enjoy what you have.
It's not what happens to you, it's HOW YOU SEE IT!

4. The moment you get too attached to things, people, money... you screw it up.
The challenge of life is to appreciate everything and attach yourself to nothing.

"The only people who think more about the poor are the rich."
If you really want something, GIVE it away.

"The origin of sorrow is desire."
- Buddha

5. What you focus on in life expands.
We have about 50000 thoughts a day and any conscious thought repeated over a period of time becomes a programme.
Positive thinking shapes your subconscious.
Our subconscious mind is a collection of all our thoughts. Our most common thoughts have created our strongest subconscious behaviours. THOUGHT REAPS RESULTS; so think about what you DO want!

We CHOOSE how we see people. YOU CREATE YOUR REALITY.
"Show me one happy, ungrateful person."
- Zig Zigler

As we express gratitude for what we have, we feel richer...and so more comes our way. Have a sense of gratitude and an inner knowing that life will bless you.

6. Follow your heart down the 'journey of life'.
Your mission in life is not to be without problems - your mission is to get excited about something(s).
"Always do more than you are paid for, and one day you will be paid for more than you do."
You don't work for your boss - you work for YOURSELF!
Your life will only work when you take full responsibility for your CHOICES. And your CHOICE of VOCATION is top of the list.

"Work is love made visible."
- Kahlil Gibran.

The world is a market place. Once you develop a skill, people will pay you for it!

Simplify your life. Too often we underestimate our own talents.
To find, you first have to seek. Get comfortable with the idea of doing what you like. But to do what you love doing, you have to believe it's possible.
Ask yourself this vitally important question:
What do I want to do with my life?

"...the only ones among you who will be truly happy will be those who have sought and found how to serve."
- Albert Schweitzer

When we express our talents, we find joy.
Being rich is not a goal; it's a by-product of the process.

When you care about what you do, enthusiasm carries you through.
When you are passionate about something, no-one else has to motivate you.

7. God, the universe is never going to come down from a cloud and say: "You now have permission to be successful." You have to give YOURSELF permission.

"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."
- Henry Ford

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got."

"Stay cool" living in the present moment. Forcing things never works. It's not where you start; it's how you finish.

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

8. When you fight life, life always wins.
If you want more peace of mind, stop labelling everything that happens as "good" or "bad".

Don't be too hard on yourself. Give yourself a break sometimes.

Develop an 'attitude of GRATITUDE'.
"If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you', that would suffice."
- Meister Eckhart

Peace of mind comes from contemplating on what you already have... and not on what's lacking in your life.

9. How do you love people? Just accept them (as they are)..
Complete acceptance is unconditional love.
We are here to learn to love one another.
"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."
- Mark Twain

Pain is inevitable; whilst misery is a choice.
Love your neigbour, as well as yourself. "Love cures two people, the person who gives it and the person who receives it."
- Karl Menninger

10. Our mission in life is not to change the world - our mission is to change ourselves. And by changing ourselves for the better, we help change the world. There are no "outside" solutions, only "inside" solutions. Whenever we change, everyone else changes!
Your experience of the world is actually you experiencing yourself. Be the change you wish to see in the world, YOURSELF.

Shared by Craig Lock (Eagle Productions: "Incorrigible Encouragers, Information and Inspiration Distributors")
(thanks, Andrew!)

"Our Greatest Good is perhaps not to achieve wealth and share our material possessions, our money and 'riches' with others, but through encouragement and faith in other people, to lay the firm foundation of revealing the rich treasure that lies within themselves.
Perhaps that is true success in life."
- craig (as he follows his heart down the journey of life)

http://www.craiglockbooks.com
http://www2.webng.com/writernz/

Together, one mind, one soul at a time, let's encourage, impact, uplift and perhaps even inspire the world."

THIS PIECE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED