I have never had trouble listening to my heart.

In fact, my heart has been my North Star for as long as I’ve been walking. In all honesty, I was probably crawling wherever my heart led me before then. And I’m not going to try and say it’s always led me to make the soundest decisions, but I think listening to it and following your dreams will blow rational decisions or playing it safe out of the water any day. Even if things don’t always work out – you learn from it, and at the very least, you tried it.

As I’ve gotten older, things like adult responsibilities, owning two businesses, and the fact that I’m a chronic worrier sometimes make listening to my heart a little trickier. I’ve gotten pretty good at squashing fear, and I do tell the universe every morning that I am unstoppable. This daily intention setting is non-negotiable.

But sometimes, the fear of the unknown and the pressure that comes from wanting to do a million things with only 365 days a year to do it, can be hard on the soul.

This year’s Work of Heart Weekend 2018 made me realize how a little thing called fear holds me back and why I’m sticking it in the trunk from now on.

Artwork by Katie Doiron

Here are five incredibly valuable takeaways from this year’s event.

FIND YOUR DOORWAY

“Stepping outside of your safe place will bring you through the doorway. It will lead you into the realm where the magic is and into the place where life’s natural highs lie.” 

The day began with Stephanie Johnston, Founder of the Goddess Gatherings, who shared her story about stepping out of your comfort zone and how that led her to where she is today. Not only was I beaming with pride to see such a good friend gracing the stage in her goddess way, but because this past year has been all about stepping out of my own comfort zone. In a BIG way.

It’s not easy, but let me tell you: things are so much better when you follow your heart to the other side.

They’re even better when you meet the universe halfway.

Smoothie Bowls by  Highvibe Gatherings

BE A FAN OF YOURSELF

“If you’re a fan of Kanye West, you’re not a fan of me, you’re a fan of yourself. You will believe in yourself. I’m just the espresso. I’m just the shot in the morning to get you going.” – Kanye West

How many of you listen to Kanye West? Admittedly, I wasn’t a big fan of Kanye, and then suddenly two out of six talks at Work of Heart had Kanye in them. Not surprisingly, I loaded up my playlist for California with some Kanye after the weekend ended.

See here’s the thing about Kanye, as explained by speaker Marc Basque: love him or hate him, Kanye does one thing really, really well- he’s his biggest fan. And maybe that’s why we all love to hate him. Sure, he’s pretty full of himself, but that’s because he believes in himself.

I’m not telling you to let your success go to your head, but I think we could all stand to be a bigger, better fan of ourselves. Just like Kanye.

Photo Credit: Work of Heart

MAKE THE UNCONSCIOUS CONSCIOUS

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung 

As a worrier, this one from life coach Tracey MacDonald was HUGE for me. For starters, she pointed out that fear really is just: False Evidence Appearing Real.

Which, if you stop to think about it, woah! How many times do we hold ourselves back from doing something because of what we THINK might happen? We have no confirmation of the outcome, just what’s in our head. What we THINK — or more importantly, what our inner critic wants us to think might happen- THAT is enough to stop us.

While we should be in the driver’s seat of our own life, far too often, it’s this inner critic that’s really running the show, and it’s time we put them in the trunk.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO LET GO

“Abundance is a process of letting go. Absence makes us able to receive.” 

We all have a lot of clutter in our lives. If you don’t, well, what’s your secret? 

One of my biggest struggles when it comes to decluttering (especially my closet) is my attachment to items. For example, if I have a dress that I haven’t worn in years, but let’s say I wore it on a date with D that was extra special, I can’t possibly give it away or donate it. It’s got an emotional attachment.

The same applies to life. By getting rid of intentions or goals that aren’t serving us any longer (even though they once did or perhaps once made us very happy) and that are not in line with our current dreams and goals, we are making way for more goodness in our lives.

Energy Shots by  Highvibe Gatherings

COULDA, SHOULDA, WOULDA

“Stop letting people should all over you.” – Natalie Davison 

How many times have you heard the words: you should?

“You should do this.” “You should do that.” “You should follow this trend.” “You should grow your business/blog this way.” “You should live your life like this.”

We’ve all been there. In fact, we’ve all been up against the “should” since birth. But here’s the thing – no one is forcing you to do anything. It’s YOUR life. You are in the driver’s seat. So why are you continuing to let people tell you what you should be doing?

Stop letting people should all over you. You do you, girl. 

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These are simply five of the many takeaways I wrote down from the Work of Heart Weekend. And just like last year, the timing of the event could not have come at a better time, especially as I left for California two days later and did a whole lot more soul searching from there.

If you don’t already, make sure to follow Work of Heart on Facebook to stay up to date on upcoming events, workshops, coaching, and more. These events are not to be missed, and I promise you, your heart + soul will thank you for it ❤️

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend Work of Heart as an ambassador, but all views and opinions of the event are my own.