The prophet said, “Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it ” However, many times we forget and we fail to guard our hearts. We lose heart. It just happens.
When it does, we lose our passion, our joy, our excitement. The market turns, business is down, and troubles come. Or maybe it was just the stress of life Monday through Sunday wearing on your soul and you lose heart.
When this happens, a mind block of apathy can flood your mind, heart and soul, and you lose interest in what once delighted you. Apathy is partially defined as “a lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference; lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.”
Because of the stresses of your business or life, your emotions may have withered and died like neglected, unpicked, shriveled berries on the vine.
It will take the mindset of passion to revive your parched soul. The soul has been defined as your “mind, will and emotion”. What we think, what we do, and how we feel. When we fail to guard our heart, we neglect our soul. We forget what matters.
Here are some exercises which can awaken your mind, will and emotion:
Mind—What are you thinking about? Remember you become what you think about. This truth was expounded on by James Allen in his legendary book “As a Man Thinketh.” As you reflect on each of the following questions, record your answers and thoughts in a journal or notebook:
a) What are your thoughts about your business? Do you have a clear purpose for what you do and why you do it? Can you truly say you are a purpose driven person?
b) What are the thoughts concerning your personal life and family? Write a clear and compelling vision of where you want to be one, five, even 10 years, from now.
c) If you are experiencing problems or challenges, focus on positive actions that will solve the problem. What are the strategies you could implement which could resolve these challenges?
Will—This is what you actually do. You can think all day long, but thoughts alone will produce nothing. While you may have heard that “knowledge is power,” actually knowledge is not power—action is power. Will is defined as “the mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action. So, the will of your life is what you actually do. You must discover and implement action items and disciplines for every project.
If your business or life is not what you want it to be, what is one thing you could do right now to put you on the right track? What will you change today to have a better tomorrow?
If you are discontent with your current job, and you feel called to another vocation or position, what is one thing you could do today that would move you in the direction you want to go? What are you doing to move you in that direction?
Emotion—What are you feeling? You have probably met someone who was doing something or performing their job duties, strictly because they felt obligated to do it. It was required, necessary, and being forced upon them. And you knew it. When you have passion, you have boundless energy and enthusiasm for your profession and life.
What are your feelings about your business and your life? Have you become discouraged and disheartened? Have you lost heart? If so, write a compelling vision which would ignite a spark of excitement for the future.
Do you believe that anything is possible?
Try the above exercises to bring the passion back into your life and business. Blaise Pascal said it well: “Clarity of mind means clarity of passion too. This is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves.”
