Several years ago, I was invited to apply to become one of the Celebrity Producers on ITV’s This Morning. It was truly an amazing opportunity and a dream to work with a fantastic team and, the tempting glitz of TV glamour it would bring, also sparked appeal. At the time, I was also lucky to have the opportunity to work on ITV’s huge banker show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, though in a more junior role. To my surprise and, no doubt yours, I took the latter. I had worked on the corporate side of the business for many years and really wanted to get more involved in the creative side, the production arm of the television industry. I followed my heart and, joined the large team of UK and Australian production staff, working long and hot, yet fun and exciting days, to help the show run like clockwork.
As I reflect on that choice, I have come to know that by following my heart, more doors opened where I was able to gather more skills and knowledge in my field.
Fast forward 7 years, I now manage an emerging video production agency, Hart In Media. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s been far from easy, with many highs and lows, sacrifices, mistakes and failures, though I am able to look at the path I have trodden and know that I am a better version of myself today. Not only have I followed my heart, I put my heart’s desire into my life and business choices, therefore, bring joy and learning into each day.
As a business owner, particularly when starting out, I sought advice in many ways; attending business seminars, financial and marketing workshops along with the advice from peers, leaders and family. It can be overwhelming with everyone’s opinions and thoughts but, only you know what is best for you. Whilst practical workshops are incredibly useful, and you can take those new tools and techniques with you, it’s best used when you remain grounded and true to your values and vision.
Here are some things I’ve learnt by following my heart:
1. When we follow our heart, we no longer have regrets. While there are no promises that the path won’t be without challenges, at least we will have tried and will not live asking ourselves, “what if…?” You learn to trust your instincts and know that if you listen, your heart will guide you in the right direction.
2. When we follow our hearts we may actually find that we develop a newfound respect for ourselves. Not only that, we may get the respect of those that we love and admire. Why? Because we are now focusing on what truly matters instead of the many distractions that have no meaning at all. You learn to move past meaningless activities for activities that fill us with purpose and passion.
3. When we follow our hearts, we get to know who we really are and what really matters to us. If we listen to our hearts, we may even be surprised that we can find a way to make our hearts desire manifest.
4. When we listen to our hearts, we can ask ourselves if we are on the right path. If there is uncertainty or lack of interest for what we are doing, we know that we have gone off course. I find that by focussing on my feelings, I am able to make better-informed decisions. Our hearts will guide us towards our true path of fulfilment, our ultimate calling.
5. When we listen to our heart, it tells us that it does not want to get hurt. Holding grudges only hurts the individual having those feelings since the person you hold the grudge against is probably just getting on with their lives with no knowledge of your pain. And, we too make mistakes that we struggle to let go of and forgive ourselves for. We cannot erase or control them. What we can control are our thoughts, so let it be kindness to self and others – to focus on the present, forget the past, and to not worry about the future.
6. When we follow our hearts, we truly begin to love ourselves. We start to believe that we are good enough and, that everything that has happened to us, good or bad, has made us the person we are today. Each experience has happened for a reason, taught us a lesson, and enabled us to develop some skill and knowledge we possess today. We are just as we should be, and we should love the person we are.
7. When we follow our hearts, we learn to trust our intuition. We are more in tune with what our hearts are telling us to do and what direction they are leading us. When we learn we can trust our intuition, we are more open to following our hearts.
9. When we follow our hearts, we stop overthinking things and stay in the moment. We are able to deal with life’s challenges more easily. Why? Because we have faith and believe in our hearts that we can survive anything that comes our way, and that it has come our way for a reason.
10. Listen to your heart — it knows your true desires. When we are honest with ourselves, when we are willing to ask ourselves what is truly in our hearts, we open ourselves up to possibility – Possibility to fulfill our hearts desire, and to be who we were truly meant to be, doing what we were meant to do.