Heartmanity's Blog

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater.” — Viktor Frankl

We often pursue our goals with a lot of focus on the perceived destination. Viktor Frankl is elegantly sharing that it is healthier for us to focus on being present-minded while also organically exploring our values and what motivates us internally. Of course, having goals and something to aim at is very healthy [...]

When the COVID-19 outbreak hit last year, we used several ways to handle stress during this challenging time. Many found music to be their best friend while trying to deal with stressful thoughts and circumstances.

People have written music to poke fun at, as well as, promote social distancing, handwashing, and mask-wearing. During the pandemic and the required isolation, music was a go-to for many people, listening to it in their homes on a substantially larger scale and even learning to play instruments.

Dr. Charles Raison said in an interview recently with The Sun magazine: “We’ve replaced a fictitious certainty with an honest confusion.” A statement has never felt truer.

Whatever certainty we may have thought we possessed has since blown away like an empty plastic bag in the wind. This past year has been unprecedented and challenging, with disruption felt to our core. The pandemic has taught us many lessons, and one shouts louder than most: we affect one another—profoundly. In times like these, emotional fitness, resiliency, empathy, and inner peace are priceless treasures.

It's been a crazy time for everyone with the pandemic. Not only do we now need to keep up with our work, but unexpectedly we can be required to quarantine due to Covid-19. And if you're a parent, it's even trickier as school shifted to virtual learning so you're responsible for this big change as well. We haven't yet found our new normal so mindfulness is even more important. 

Are you feeling more overwhelmed than usual with work stress? Is multitasking not helping you keep up? Is your mind racing so much at night that you can’t sleep? Yep, it’s time—time to carve out a few minutes daily [...]

“Gotta pick up the kids from school.” “Gotta get this report done by tomorrow.” “Gotta shop for dinner.” “Gotta pay the bills!” “Gotta get to the gym and lose this extra weight.” Gotta, gotta, gotta.

A lack of work-life balance and the need to get somewhere are themes I hear frequently. We are seekers. And personal transformation is high on the list for many. Yet, we are often unaware that we are reaching for something, even if it's self-growth. While ignoring what is happening right now within ourselves and around us, the present moment evades us.

When the seasons change and the holidays approach, many people experience a building sense of excitement. Just the thought of decorating, shopping for gifts, planning holiday get-togethers, and organizing family travel is enough to make some people feel merry. If thinking of the holidays doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, however, you’re not alone.

If you’re worried about the holiday blues and feeling the pressures of the pandemic, here are some simple tips to keep your mental, emotional, and physical health in balance all the way through to the New Year.

Is the concept of minimalism a limiting framework? To me, minimalism appeared simply to be the denial of our desires. Since our brains are built on the premise of more, better, and always transcending yesterday, the concept seemed like a trendy girdle to hold back the grand expressions of self-expression. At the very least, I viewed a minimalist life as boring because of my love affair with abundance, flow, variety, and beauty.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, so many of us have been longing to go back to normal. However, what would be more helpful is examining which parts of “normal” are worth going back to.

Now is the perfect time to examine what parts of our lives are no longer serving us—and create a reality that supports our goals, visions, and dreams.