{"id":543,"date":"2020-09-05T10:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northernstarexecutivecoaching.com\/?p=543"},"modified":"2020-11-19T14:24:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T18:24:36","slug":"when-the-heart-calls-7-signs-your-heart-is-calling-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northernstarexecutivecoaching.com\/when-the-heart-calls-7-signs-your-heart-is-calling-you\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Heart Calls: 7 Signs Your Heart is Calling You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn each human <\/em>being there is a meeting with the divine. That intersection is the heart.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

– Coleman Barks<\/p>\n

Jen waltzed into my office with a twinkle in her eyes. This was the third time she came to see me within a 12-month period. Right away, I could tell that something was different this time: Jen seemed calmer, surer of herself. Underneath the nervous energy, her excitement was palpable.<\/p>\n

Jen barely needed me this time. By session three, she had resigned from a leadership position she worked hard to get, sold her house, and bought a one-way ticket to Ireland. After a year of painstaking discernment and wrestling with fear of all sorts, Jen has finally managed to answer the call of her heart.<\/p>\n

Hands down, this is my favorite part of doing this work: to witness the birth of a new life chapter. Not every new life chapter is as dramatic as Jen\u2019s; but almost always, when consciously chosen, a new life chapter brings a burst of energy fueled by a new sense of freedom, excitement, and hope.<\/p>\n

My observation of many of my clients\u2019 experiences and that of my own is this: a new life chapter usually begins with the call of one\u2019s heart. Your ability to hear and, eventually answer that call, determines whether you can move into a richer life experience.<\/p>\n

Why does the heart call for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much of our lives is consumed by activities aimed at achieving physical and psychological survival, safety, and comfort. Once achieved, our brains are hardwired to maintain the status quo. Your heart, on the contrary, is the place that stores your deepest dreams and desires; it has a much bigger agenda: to guide you to a life you really want, a life of vitality, joy, and peace. To achieve this, it will call you to go beyond your comfort zone.<\/p>\n

7 Signs that your heart is calling you<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you know your heart is calling you? Based on my observations, there are 7 signs that point to the call of the heart. The first four are internal signs and the last three are external signs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0#1. Persistent Feelings and Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Research has shown that an average person has up to sixty thousand thoughts a day.\u00a0 Many of these thoughts are passing, never to return; some purely functional, disappearing once a certain task is completed. Those thoughts that persist over a long period of time, seemingly against your will, are the ones your heart wants you to pay attention to.<\/p>\n

These feelings and thoughts are often like the two sides of the same coin:<\/p>\n

On one side, there are feelings of discontent\/dissatisfaction: feeling something is missing, aimlessness, or feelings of boredom. The associated thought is: \u201cIs this all there is?\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other side, you feel the desire to do, to have, or to be something or someone else. You often find your thoughts drawn to the object of your desire.<\/p>\n

#2: Dreams <\/strong>(when you\u2019re asleep)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone who is good at pushing away your feelings and thoughts during your waking hours, the heart will often speak to you in your night dreams when your defenses are down. No one can suppress how he\/she feels in his\/her dreams. Keeping a dream journal and writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up can help you listen to your heart\u2019s messages.<\/p>\n

#3: Gentle Whispers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paradoxically, the heart makes its most powerful call in a \u201csmall, still voice\u201d. The more powerful the call, the gentler the voice tends to be. The quality and the tone of that voice is gentle, quiet, and loving, like the whisper of a loved one. It\u2019s never harsh. It never shouts. If you\u2019re calm and relaxed enough, you\u2019ll hear its crystal-clear message.<\/p>\n

#4: Massive Resistance<\/strong><\/p>\n

One sure sign that your heart is calling you is the massive resistance you feel towards its message. Most of us rather drown in the familiar security of the status quo than venturing into a future we can\u2019t even imagine. The call of the heart challenges status quo and threatens our sense of safety and security.\u00a0 It can evoke massive fear that includes:<\/p>\n