Every day, we face various choices – what to eat, what to wear, what to do. Most of the time, we might just make random choices and not put a lot of thought on each. But what about major life decisions that make us unable to sleep at night? What about choices that require us to really think, and reflect?
Too often, when we’re faced with a life-changing decision, our hearts and our heads come into conflict. But what should the choice really be? Should we always go for what our head tells us, or should we give our heart’s desires a chance?
Is Going for What the Head Tells Us The Best Choice?
In an ideal world, we would all be following our hearts, especially when the pursuit of what makes our hearts jump and leap can ultimately make us happy. Unfortunately, it’s generally perceived that making decisions from the heart is a recipe for disaster. Parents telling children to pursue a profitable degree over a degree that the child is passionate about is one example.
In a world where we need to survive, going for what the heart wants has become the lesser choice.
But is choosing the head over the heart always the better choice?
Heart Over Head: Relationships
Although relationships are better when founded on love, a lot of factors can sometimes cause us to make mind-based relationship decisions.
And far too commonly, when we lean on the mind too much, we end up playing in a game with our ego which leaves a relationship opportunity in a grey area. Security and safety can stop us from completely following our hearts, our own emotions, in a relationship.
I believe it is important to take into consideration what the mind tells us, as it’s equally important. Honestly, the heart can be too trusting to the point of blindness. But relationships will become more meaningful when most of the decisions are lead by the heart.
When we let our heads take over, we can put a wall up, preventing us from truly knowing the people we share a relationship with.
Taking risks, and making a huge step inspired by a heart-led decision can help us see relationships better. Yes, we become more vulnerable, but it is in this vulnerability that we can see and discover compatibility.
Read More: 9 Signs It’s Time to Move On from Unhalthy Connections
Heart Over Head: Career
I love the reminder to “Choose your passion, and you will never feel like you’re working,” but I believe it’s easier said than done.
I learned it firsthand when I was at the crossroads of choosing between my fast-paced PR career and pursuing what my heart loves – holistic healing. I was sincerely skeptical about my choice – I had a stable job, a great income, and I was blessed with wonderful opportunities ahead, but I didn’t feel fulfilled.
The more I sank into my heart, the harder it was to do my job day-to-day because it didn’t feel aligned with me. It was hard to “spin” things around when it didn’t feel right. I grew tired of negotiating between situations for a client’s favorable outcome. I was losing the desire to grow as a publicist and decided it was time to take a giant leap of faith and create coriechu.com.
If I had decided to go with what my head told me to do, I would have stayed. I would’ve probably had several promotions, made a hefty amount of money, and lived luxuriously, but I would’ve had to drag myself out of bed every day, drown myself in caffeine, eat a LOT of comfort foods to fill the void, and have FOMO (fear of missing out) about not having chosen a life as an energy healer.
But the heart’s passion was so strong – I couldn’t resist it. Five years after, even though it wasn’t the easiest to start from zero, I’m so glad I went for what my heart truly desired.
This is why when welcoming clients, one of my first questions is “What does your heart tell you?” I strongly believe that taking in the heart’s desire every step of the way can unlock so many answers, and possibilities.
A little disclaimer, though. After following your own emotion, I believe we also need to make mind-based, wise decisions like creating a plan, mapping out the next steps, and creating a clear vision. Simply going for the heart without making a sensible plan can leave us frustrated!
Why You Should Follow Your Heart Over Your Head
Following your heart over your head may sound like a big move, but it surely has its benefits. Why should you give what your heart wants a chance? Here are some reasons why:
Following your heart can inspire you to be bold
I love the illustration I saw a while back where it showed the heart and the head arguing about a choice. The heart simply wants to go for it; the mind, as always, has a lot of hesitations. Following your heart can give you the courage to simply go for what you want, which can eventually make you feel happy and free.
Following your heart can free you from regrets
Can you think of times when you tell yourself, “Ahh, I should have done this!” Reflect on these choices – during the time of decision making, did you let the head influence the heart?
I’ve learned through the years that stubbornly resisting what the heart wants us to do can lead us to so many regrets. Think: unspoken confessions, failed relationships, missed chances. Follow your heart – it will lead to fewer regrets.
Following your heart can make you smile despite failures
The great thing about following your heart is that you already know the risks, the limitations, and even the consequences.
Still, you go for whatever your heart tells you to do. This makes failures less painful – sure, you failed, but at least you honored yourself and your passion, so you won’t be thinking you should’ve, would’ve, or could’ve.
Following your heart can help you feel like you’ve achieved your purpose.
When we follow our heart, we become true to ourselves. We pursue what our heart tells us to. We go for advocacies and paths that make us contribute better. We don’t settle for what will only help us survive, – but for what can set our heart and soul on fire. When we follow our heart, we are led to journeys that can make us feel at home.
Following your heart can make you see success differently
Success – it’s different when we follow our hearts. It’s not about money, fame, and recognition anymore. It’s more about happiness, fulfillment, and seeing that you’re truly making a difference.
What If Things Go Wrong?
But what if – despite following your heart and doing all you can – things go wrong? Following your heart will not always spell success. But doing so can change us.
Yes, things might go wrong, our passion projects may fail, our heart-led activities may not be so fruitful, but there’s one thing I’ve learned – when we follow our heart, we live with only little regrets!
Choosing the heart over the head might sound counterintuitive, but doing so can unlock so many possibilities for us! Discover what your heart-based choices can bring you by giving your heart’s true and sincere desires a chance.
