“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
Nelson Mandela.

Our brains and mind are incredible but we can use them too much. We can load our minds with information, trivia and distractions. They can become so busy that we are unable to hear the subtle and insightful messages of the inner wisdom and truth that we hold in our heart.

It’s important that we maintain a healthy balance between our use of head and heart. A busy mind can make life more complicated and complex than it needs to be. As a result we may not find it easy to get clarity on our most important priorities and areas of focus.

Sadly, this is a common story. I have coached many people over the years who have told me that they have tied themselves in knots by getting locked in their heads. They have fallen into the trap of over-thinking and over-analysing things and playing out many different what if scenarios.

In such situations it’s worth remembering the John Milton quote: “The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”

One such client once told me that she felt in a constant battle between her head and heart. She felt that her head rules and normally came out on top and prevented her from following her heart’s dreams and wishes. Her mind talked her out of pursuing her passions and creative ideas.

In order to build its case and ensure she stayed stuck and frustrated, she said that her mind reminded her of past disappointments, bad experiences and previous set-backs. She spent a lot of time reviewing the past, trying to understand it and make sense of it.

She told me that she sometimes didn’t feel that she had the confidence to over-rule her head. She also felt that she lacked the discipline and consistency of action to see her desires through to fruition. All this led to her feeling frustrated and unfulfilled.

She said that she envied creative people such as artists, musicians, writers, actors and actresses as they follow their heart and passion from an early age. She felt they didn’t have to unlearn years of conditioning and habits and behaviours that have prevented her from following her passions.

We came up with some strategies to increase her confidence to pursue her dreams and to let go of the blocks and beliefs that were holding her back and stopping her from feeling fulfilled.

She found it useful to develop a greater acceptance of how her life was and to let go of the past disappointments and set-backs. She developed greater trust and faith in how her life would be moving forward.

A wise person once told me that the longest and potentially most challenging journey we will make as human beings is about 14 inches (35cm) long.

That’s the journey that we make from our head to our heart.

Our mind can convince us that we can do something or that we can’t. Thanks to our conditioning it can be critical or encouraging. It can tell us that we should or must take a particular course of action. It can get into conflict with our heart and we can find ourselves feeling torn between what our head is telling us and what we feel in our heart.

Our heart may have a deep desire to follow a particular course. Our head may have other ideas and convince us that we need to over-ride our natural instincts and intuition. It is possible for the head and heart to work in tandem and harmony but it takes practice and discipline.

The heart guides us to what we really want. The head is useful to help us analyse situations and create a plan to turn our dreams and desires into reality. The heart provides us with passion and creativity. It’s great to follow our heart but in doing so we must appreciate the value of the head and ensure we maintain a healthy balance between the two.

We are all here for some special reason and have a unique set of gifts and talents.

If your head is blocking your progress in life, set an intention to stop being a prisoner of the past. Free yourself from the shackles of the limiting beliefs contained in your mind. Instead commit to becoming the architect of your future.

Make a commitment to express your truth and pursue the desires that are contained within your heart. Life is short so promise yourself that you will be true to you and be the best version of yourself that you can be.

Reflect and ask yourself:

Is there a good balance between my head and heart and do they work well together? Is there any action that I need to take to create greater balance between the two?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk