W e know it is important for our minds to understand things and have perspective, yet there comes a point in spiritual growth that our minds cannot conceive. That moment is when we must think through our hearts not our heads. We must "lose our minds" and live from our hearts. For me, and many others the journey from our intellect to our hearts, although only about eighteen inches is the greatest adventure that there is.

Part of this work of love is bringing us to seeing ourselves as valuable. By recognizing our worth, it is far easier to see others in the same way as well. Love is more than a feeling — it is a constant and consistent choice.

When authority figures from our childhood, usually our parents, criticized rather than directed in a loving way, we took those thoughts into our subconscious and used them as identity statements about self-worth.

The self-concept then becomes based on other’s standards of value rather than on our own intrinsic self-evaluation. If our parents and teachers had healed their past, they would have shown us unconditional love. Then our life process would have been so different. We would have naturally evolved. However, most of us got stuck or stunted into some process that was not natural. For instance, trying hard to be perfect; suppressing our emotions so we can feel strong; shutting down and withdrawing because we were afraid to be true to ourselves. We simply did not know what was going on. When we did not get our needs met, we convinced ourselves we did not want it anyway. (rationalization) Then, we shut down our hearts and started operating from our intellect.

The path of the heart is a process not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination. It is a deeper awareness of what we want and who we are. For the vast majority who did not have an optimal childhood there is hope for change and a better life. Through therapy, personal coaching, counseling, or transformational work in which the focus is to develop self-worth. This is the path of the heart and the soul journey.

Some tell me, "This is not easy work!" Some say, "this takes too much time." Yet, in this journey, you are building something so awesome that it is more than recovery from your traumas; it is a system of learning that is based on being more of who you are. Life is a "field experience" of a new way of being. When you follow your heart or even put your heart into your relationships, career and daily life, you are filled with passion. That passion can be as simple as looking at a sunset or a realization that you are love.

Becoming who you naturally are may seem awkward at first, especially when you feel as if there is no need. After all, we were born — isn’t that enough? Why do we need to examine our selves so much? The answer to that question is simple. We are getting more and more real with ourselves. By being real, maybe you just feel better. or have more energy — joy. Maybe you have the courage to take on something that has been your downfall and now you succeed.

The path of the heart is an opening, a beginning, and a birth into a process that takes us somewhere different. The good life comes from tearing down those beliefs that hold us prisoner. Each of us is very different, unique and special — we are a "work in progress."