The Heart of The Matter: Beyond Conventional Wisdom

Have you ever come to the realization that something that was supposed to make you happy, didn’t?

Conventional thinking tends to take us away from the essence/heart of things, as well as from our own heart. Yet, in the essence is where the fulfillment for which we yearn is found. For example, at the heart of most religions are simple ideas like compassion and love. When conventional thinking disconnects us from that heart the promise of the spiritual life is lost.

One of my favorite interpretations of the 10 Commandments is far from conventional wisdom. Instead of Moses getting a series of “Thou Shalt Nots.” I like the idea of Moses hearing God say, “Tell your people that when I (God) am in your heart you will not . . .” Trying to legislate the 10 Commandments has been a colossal failure. I’m interested in finding a better way.

It took years for me to discover the simple truth that everything for which I truly yearn, such as happiness, peace of mind, joy, abundance, a meaning life, serenity, and meaningful connections with others and myself, happen when I’m connected to my heart.

Without that knowledge, I wandered in the desert of many spectacularly failed careers. I didn’t have a clue that my heart was not in being a stockbroker or building contractor. It wasn’t until I stepped into the classroom that I recognized that teaching was my heart’s desire. Even when I became a psychotherapist, what really lit my fire was teaching, whether as an author, workshop leader, motivational speaker or guest expert on television and radio programs.

Although I found my heart in my career, I never fully embraced it in my marriage. Instead, the fears of losing myself and not being able to create my own sense of well-being, left me fearful and needing to stay in control. Only from the ashes of that failed relationship did I rise to confront and learn how to listen to, and give from, my heart.

The path of the heart is the road less traveled. The pool of beliefs that we unquestioningly accept as true, often create the fear that disconnects us from our essence. Heart-less living is a recipe for dissatisfaction.

The first step in rediscovering the soul of most areas is to embrace our human hearts. If we are designed to follow our nature, then living more heart-connected is how we can simultaneously improve our lives and change the world.

I’m excited to have launched a project that supports our journey to evolve past the conventional wisdom that takes us away from both our own hearts and the heart of the institutions that deeply affect our lives. BeyondConventionalWisdomBlog is a place that brings together the ideas about the heart of many issues from people who are thinking outside the box.