Take the free 5 minute ‘Discover Your Goals’ quiz and get your customised Goals Report here:
http://www.FreeGoalsReport.com/quiz

Use this to establish your priorities for the next six months. The quiz is short and helpful.

ACTION CHALLENGE: Download the quiz and get thinking about your goals.

What does this mean? This Youtube clip shows the results of one young woman’s gap year trip and where she ended up. As a result, she says, of following the prompting of her heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2STnO01zGw

Have you watched it yet?

Her babysitting money!

I can’t help wondering what would happen if we all followed our hearts. What would the impact be on our families, our towns, our country, our world? To be honest, it’s too momentuous even to imagine. I get stuck even imagining what might happen if I followed my own heart…

There are so many voices clamouring for our attention. Voices from advertising saying we need the latest car, moisturiser, handbag. The news programmes with messages of fear and tragedy. Memories of voices from our childhood with messages about who we are. Opinions from friends and families, helpful and unhelpful. That ‘gremlin’ voice which tells us we should or shouldn’t or ought.

It can be difficult to tune out the other voices in order to hear our own.

What is your vision, your dream? What do you want? What do you believe? What would make you happy? Do you have a purpose? And in this moment, what is your heart telling you?

Instead of grandiose goals for 2009, I want you to think small, think doable. This New Year, I want to encourage you to start listening to that still small voice. And start to follow some of its promptings. Learn to distinguish between the other voices and the voice of your heart.

Listen to your heart’s prompting about your job and your career. Is your heart linked to what you do? I remember watching the film JFK and coming out of the cinema with a profound conviction that I was in the wrong line of work. I ignored that impulse for many years to come. I’m sure that that time was fruitful and have no wish for regrets. And yet wonder what my life would have been if I had always listened to my heart. If you listened to your heart who would you be?

ACTION CHALLENGE: For a set period, perhaps a few days or a week, make a conscious decision to listen to your heart. Have a structure to remind you, an alarm on your computer or PDA or phone. Then regularly take a few deep breaths and listen.

And if you want some help in following your heart, get in touch. I’d love to support you in that process.

And one of the songs I heard repeatedly over that time had the above line.

“This life is more than just a read through” – quote from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

I used to get my friends to listen out for that line. One of the drivers of the overland truck we used had (it seemed) very few CDs, so we often heard the album this is on.

Whilst I was travelling, I felt my life was not a rehearsal, not just a read through, but I was really living. Some of that was being somewhere beautiful. Experiencing new things. Seeing new places, new countries. Going to a St Patrick’s party in a multi storey car park in Buenos Aires. Jumping off a bridge on a bridge swing. Horse riding through the Andes and through the lush green landscape of Ecuador. Lots of lying in hammocks. And drinking Cuba Libres.

And a long way from rush hours and having to bill my time by the 15 minute slot (will be familiar to lots of you!).

It was also about fulfilling a long held dream. There were lots of practical reasons not to go off backpacking in my ’30s. Lots of more sensible things to do with the money, maybe. But following that dream – and having a great time – made me feel alive. Extra alive!

We only have one life to live right now here on earth. Whatever our beliefs about an after life.

I feel alive right now too. I’m very excited about the work I do with people. Helping them to overcome the fears and insecurities that stop them living the life they really want. Coaching has helped me personally in many ways and I love to see others make changes too.

ACTION CHALLENGE: Do you have dreams? Dreams of starting your own business, living in France or taking up the clarinet? Let me encourage you to listen to your heart rather than that negative gremlin on your shoulder. I have two suggestions. Firstly find someone who will believe in your dream to support you. Secondly, identify one thing you could do this week which would move you closer to that dream and take that baby step.