“What has your heart has you.”
A simple phrase, isn’t it? What has your heart has you. How many times have you snapped out of a moment (or perhaps longer) of obsessing about something that was probably not worth giving the time of day?
I once heard someone say that what lies in the center of your thoughts is your god for the moment. An interesting thought. What occupies the center of your thoughts? Is that thing truly worthy of deification? So often people obsess about things they don’t like or that they wish would go away, but such great emphasis on those things inevitably backfires, for what has your heart has you.
Likewise, fixating on that which you wish you had, that which you feel would make you happy if you had it – person, place or thing – is ultimately focusing on that which you don’t have, on an absence. What has your heart has you. If you center your thoughts on an absence, what will you likely feel…even after you are fortunate enough to get that thing? You guessed it, the empty shell of victory…more absence!
Finally, preoccupation with the past also consumes the otherwise productive lives of far too many people. “If only high school had gone better…” “If only I hadn’t said that…” “If only I had chosen differently…” While the past is worth considering so that mistakes are not repeated, obsessive compulsive infatuation with the “if onlys” never get anyone very far in life. In fact, the “if onlys” tend to suck the marrow right out of life, leaving an empty and brittle shell of regret, blame and bitterness.
Hence the power of appreciation. A heart full of appreciation for what is, for the starting points now available to you – no matter how big or small – is the perfect place to start in any given moment. What has your heart has you. Appreciation is an attitude that opens doors, that inspires others to help and that heals life’s little bumps and bruises.
These are the physics behind every downward spiral that any person has ever gone through on earth. Conversely, this is the logic which makes it possible to emerge from the low points in life into a new and fresh experience of joy and exultation. What has your heart has you.
Whether theist, polytheist or atheist, you are always worshipping something. If you’ve ever wondered what you worship, look at what lies in the center of your heart, for what has your heart has you. The choice as to which god or gods you worship from day to day is up to you.
No one can make you worship anything, no matter how big, bad, imposing or impressive they might seem. The choice is always yours. Use your freedom of choice wisely. You and the world you center depend on it!
Gregory Hake 
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This post well’d up tears for me… very moving. To not only learn to live in the moment, but how to do it is to achieve… the “appreciation for what is”
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The heart is an amazing governor for us. It can rule us mercilessly; one minute happy and the next despair. That “roller coaster” existence is frustrating and leaves us feeling futile by our teens.
To use the heart for what is was intended is to find peace, balance and power.
I love the book “The Heart Math Solution” as it outlines the physiology of the heart which sheds some light on it’s purpose and what might be possible as we gain some expertise in using it.
One such statement is, ” The heart isn’t mushy or sentimental. It’s intelligent and powerful, and we believe that it holds the promise for the next level of human development and for the survival of our world.”
It sounds lofty and maybe unbelievable but what would our own lives look like if we thoughtfully controlled the direction of our heart for a week?
This is a critical subject to explore and test out as it is fundamental for intelligent living. Thanks for your thoughts.
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I’m always seeking gauges to help me stay on a positive course. The simplicity and depth of this post is stunning to me. I have been using appreciation as my yardstick. It works for me whether its a small thing like, my coffee is awful or a bigger thing, like problems at work or with family.
It’s somewhat like playing the kids game “Shoots and Ladders”. When I take the time to look at my appreciation gauge I’ll usually land on a ladder but if I don’t stop to think, I’ll most likely find myself in a shoot…yep I’m going down and doing it to myself.
Years ago when I first read about appreciation it seemed too simple; wasn’t life supposed to be complex? I think it is supposed to be complex but not just full of complex problems but complex wonders too. They are both there but which do we give our attention and heart space to? If there is a complex problem I have discovered they are more easily solved or borne with appreciation.
Finding out that I make that decision for myself was the most empowering and liberating realization in my life. Breaking the habit completely is taking some time. I don’t actually know anyone that would say they are there but reading things like this really helps me to stay on the positive side.
Outstanding post, thanks for the ladder!
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This is a beautiful call to “action” for all of us. How often do we find ouselves being the agents od destruction in the world around us because of our attitudes? Attitudes emerging directly from a deep and profound sense of lack or being badly done by.How is it that we so often try to justify those feelings, even though the evidence of their destructive power is all around? I will be sure to check what “has my heart” regularly. Thanks so much for the practical and simple statement,”What has your heart has you!”
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Interesting to see your mechanics on the continuum of life. All we truly ever have to work with is today, is right now, and both regret and worry cause a displacement of a proper use of one’s vital energies. No doubt the world faces many problems and there are many pressures that affect each and every one of us, but I do believe what you say here allows one to consider that even so, there’s a stillness in the middle of it all from where genuine gratitude and appreciation can emerge from and cause true meaningful and lasting positive change for oneself and even beyond.
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I’ve heard before that ‘passion is a positive obsession and obsession is a negative passion.’ The heart is designed to be fired up by something, as to what either makes for a source of life or a source of destruction. Great consideration you’ve posted as to what happens when the scales are tipped either way.
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“What has your heart has you” – possibly the most profound thing I have ever heard! Shines a new, penetrating light on where the onus of responsibility lies. Thank you!
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