DAILY BLOG | MINDFULNESS | SELF-IMPROVEMENT | POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

How I Got The Thoughts in My Head to Align with My Heart

My positive affirmations helped my heart and mind become friends.

“You don’t know you can do it until you do it.” — Jim Carrey

The statement above is simple yet powerful. You don’t know you can do it until you do it; it does sound simplistic, but it takes a massive amount of bravery to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

The hardest part is getting your mind on board. The beauty is once you get your mind to align with your heart, you open the door to a world of possibilities. There is a caveat; you must surrender to the unknown while holding on to your vision. When things get hard, do not let go of your vision!

The day I resigned from my former employer was significant because my mind and heart were in alignment. What does that mean? I knew (with my heart) I needed to leave my career and start a business of my own, and finally, the thoughts in my head were in agreement.

Heart mind imbalance example

Kelly had been training for the last 2 years for a triathlon; that was a lifelong goal, and she was determined to finish the race and make her family proud.

Kelly trained hard and maintained a strict diet; she stopped drinking alcohol and went to bed early each night.

One day at the gym, a week before the triathlon, Kelly began to feel an unfamiliar pain in her chest and shoulder area and decided to take a 10-minute break. Her heart rate decelerated, but she chose to end the workout early.

On the way home, Kelly felt in her heart that something was not right, but her mind began to race: I’m sure you’re okay! You are overreacting! You have one week left! Do not screw this up!

Kelly decided to listen to her racing thoughts rather than follow her heart.

On the day of the competition, Kelly collapsed and was life-flighted to a nearby hospital. Kelly was diagnosed with a heart condition, but she survived.

From that day forward, Kelly learned to follow her heart more (the angel on her right shoulder), not her irrational thoughts (the Gremlin on her left shoulder).

Of course, Kelly’s situation was extreme, but these examples are not uncommon when the heart and mind are unaligned.

Please note that I am referring to the negative or fear-based thoughts of the mind. I am not referring to a mind in alignment with heart and soul.

I knew I needed to cut ties with my former employer, but the Gremlin on my shoulder would not let me rest; What are you going to do? How are you going to pay for this apartment? You have no one that can help you. Shouldn’t you find another job first? What makes you think you can start a business?

To make matters worse, friends and family seemed more concerned with my decision to resign than I was. I was overwhelmed with negativity and did not know how to move forward. So, I had to come up with a plan.

The Plan

I knew that my heart was in the right place, and I trusted her. But I knew I had to get my mind on board to gain the courage to resign.

Let me be honest; it was not an easy task. Our minds are like screaming little brats; it always wants what it wants. But my mind had met its match. I was going to get it aligned — whether it liked it or not.

Step 1 — Remove negativity/Positive Reinforcement

Whenever someone asked, “Girl, what are you going to do?” I kept it short and sweet, “I am moving to Asia, writing a book, and working on a business idea.”

Truthfully, I had nothing set in motion; no flights, accommodations, or visas. When I responded that way, those negative people would reply, “Oh, okay then.” As if it was any of their business (eye roll).

I also blocked or removed all negative “friends” from my contact list. If they wanted to be a part of my tribe, they had to align with my vibe. Otherwise, they were blocked and deleted. Good-bye!

Step 2 — Talk to myself/affirmations

Yes, I talk to myself often (I am talking to myself now). If you are not regularly discussing your problems with yourself, you need to get on board — it is a game-changer.

Every morning and night, I would declare, “I am strong, I am creative, I am brave, I am fearless, I am a successful entrepreneur, etc..” I did this constantly until I noticed something. My thoughts began to align with the words I spoke daily.

I stopped and listened to my thoughts; “You got this! You are creative and strong! You are fearless and successful.”

“Oh my God!” I shouted out in excitement. My heart and mind finally agreed and became good friends. Though, my mind still be trippin sometimes…

All jokes aside, our minds have been programmed and conditioned since birth. I do not believe our thoughts are evil; our brain remembers all the trauma, fear, abandonment, and rejection; and tries to protect us. Unfortunately, most of the thinking is fear-based.

Our thoughts are limited to our previous experiences or the experiences of others we know.

Since our minds have been programmed to react, behave, or think a certain way, what if we disrupt the program? What if we turned left instead of right? What if you went skydiving even though your mind thinks you are afraid of heights? What if you gave that shorter guy a chance even though your mind thinks you only like tall men? What if you packed your bags and moved abroad even though your mind said you could never do it?

Think of the possibilities…skydiving, a new sweet boyfriend, living abroad…all because you switched up the way you think.

Step 3 — Create a vision

Now this part is my favorite, mostly because I am an avid daydreamer. I can daydream a blockbuster movie in my mind, and every detail is outlined. Quentin Tarantino — hit me up bro?!

I have had this gift from a very young age and can create anything in my mind; it is a powerful gift. If you are a daydreamer, please do not let anyone tell you differently.

When I told people I was moving to Asia to write a book and work on a business idea. As mentioned, I did not have anything planned. What I did have was a vision. I envisioned myself living in a mountainous village in the heart of nature. I could hear the birds chirping, the water flowing, and the babies laughing. I daydreamed about simple life.

I held on to that vision of myself In a village in Asia. I kept proclaiming it, but most importantly, I had to start working towards the vision.

Step 4 — Put in the work

Now that my heart and mind were friends, and I had a vision of living a simple life in Asia, I had to put in work. I started researching; all the documents required, apartments, locations, costs, etc. I was focused on Indonesia at the time, but the Universe is hilarious and had another plan.

Here is the thing; I held the vision of working on a book in Asia, but I had no other details. Weeks before I planned to relocate, I noticed signs for India everywhere. I even received a five-dollar bill with the word Manali on it. I had no idea what Manali was, so I Googled it and saw it was located in India.

So, two weeks before my departure, I received my visa and booked a ticket to India.

Today, I am writing this blog from a small village in India. I am surrounded by nature and mountains. This village has one main road and the best spring water I have ever tasted in this lifetime. At night, I see the stars shining bright in the midnight sky. And I hear the gentle flow of the spring in the garden.

“Life is DayDreaming, Death is a Reality.” ― Bharath Mamidoju

© Ari Love, 2022