Do you follow your mind or your heart?
Before I turned 40, I was mostly following my mind as this was the way I was trained in school and by society. By the time I reached my late 20’s, I hit a snag in my life. Materially, I had everything I could possibly ask for in the outer world but in the inner world, I was in total shambles. I was lost in life lacking the source of inspirations and purpose. My body was aching so badly that I carried a constant irritation and non-fulfilment. The depression of success became my guest in my inner space!
It was only when I started the path of yoga which taught me how to listen to my heart again. It was my heart that led me to seek my true Self. I discovered that the heart never lies, but the untamed mind is the cunning one. Through authentic listening to my heart, my seeking led me to meet my Guru, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji). He created a big cognitive shift in me and gave me the courage and inspiration to follow my heart. He made me realise that fulfilment was the only thing I was truly seeking in my life.
In April 2009, I decided to leave my marketing profession at the peak of my career because I had to honour what my heart was yearning – not for material existence but to get back to my original state of Ananda (bliss). For the last seven years, I discovered my passion which is to enrich with world about the science of living enlightenment and the science of Yoga and healing. Without a binding corporate job, I was able to explore and experiment so many new things in life like starting up my own business, volunteering for children programs and discovering the space of a child, writing a blog site sharing my experiences with yoga and healing in laymen terms, conducting healing workshops for various modern ailments like insomnia and anxiety, enjoying more quality time with my son, most of all – doing what I like which is deepening my spiritual knowledge and practice. All these wouldn’t be possible when I was having a marketing career. Honeslty, at this current life stage, because of my courage to follow my heart, I am able to experience so much fulfilment, freedom and joy. There is no tension nor irritation but only pure inspirations and an inexhaustible energy to manifest a new reality as I want.
How did I make the shift?
One fundamental question everyone needs to ask themselves is – ‘At the end of my life, is my mind going to judge whether I am a success or failure, or is my heart going to judge whether I am a success or failure?’
The truth is only your heart is going to judge, your mind loses its power on you at your deathbed. When you are doing the final calculation of your life, your heart is going to be the judge, not your mind. If your mind is the judge, all the rich fellows should have a complete and satisfying death, because as far as the mind is concerned, the material things such as money, status, enjoyment, beauty and everything – it was a great life. All the people who are rich, who asked for all these material things: good husband, amazing kids, wonderful house, and good friends and family, should be having a very fulfilling death, a very satisfying end. But that is not happening because fulfilment is what that matters.
Swamiji says:“Fundamentally it is your heart which is going to be the judge of whether your life is satisfied, complete, or if you have wasted your life. The heart is the one which is going to tell whether you are fulfilled or not. The mind is just a prostitute as it will just play any side it wants. One small reason is enough for the mind to completely tumble you, make you lose the very basis of your life.”
Why do you think people commit suicide?
Swamiji explained that this is because when the mind tumbles you, it makes you imbalanced, you do some things impulsively which you can never repair after that. Suicide is always the decision of the mind, never of the heart. People say ‘Oh, his heart is broken, so he committed suicide’. No. His mind is broken, hence he committed suicide. It is never the heart. Whenever you have a dilemma between the mind and the heart, always choose the heart, because even if you are a failure as per the mind’s cognition, the heart is the one who is going to make the judgment at the end of your life.
In essence, follow your heart because it is the heart which is going to lead you to the ultimate fulfilment of your life. Namaste. 😀