How To Combine Your Two Most Powerful Assets
February 10, 2010
People with high levels of mastery…
cannot afford to choose between reason and intuition,
or head and heart, any more than they would choose
to walk on one leg or see with one eye.
—Peter Senge
When it comes to pursuing our Professional Destiny, many of us learn at a young age to tune out our intuition and choose the safe and secure route. In other words, we make a decision from the head, not the heart. But, does this path ultimately bring us success and fulfillment? Chances are—an overwhelming “no!” A choice made purely from the head is a choice that saps our creativity and motivation. We operate on autopilot and are simply not our best. On the other hand, a choice made from both the head AND heart is a choice that inspires and energizes us—and leads us to great breakthroughs. The following is an excerpt from Professional Destiny about the struggle between head vs. heart and the ultimate power of combining the two:
“The duel between reason and intuition, or head and heart, is a constant and powerful force in our lives.
Head—also known as our mind. It is the home of our rational thought and logic. Our drive for survival.
Heart—also known as the soul, spirit or essence. It is the home of our intuition (some also call it our “gut”). It is the home of our higher self and represents who we really are at the core.
HEAD VS. HEART
| Head | Heart |
| Voice of reason Rationality Logic Survival Experience Persona/Personality |
Inner voice Intuition Soul Spirit Possibilities Essence |
Achieving stature and safety in life serves to satisfy and comfort the mind. At some point, if we are committed to a path of purpose, we will experience an insurgency of the soul—an insistent demand that we live more consciously and meaningfully. Our job is to stay focused on this deeper message, so that we can call it forth reliably and use its guidance to steer ourselves in a more satisfying direction.
The moment we stop learning is the moment we begin to stagnate. We go to sleep and our life becomes empty with an unsettling combination of anxiety and boredom.
Once you start on your journey and follow your deepest yearning, you won’t be able to turn back and keep it quiet. Human beings are born learning and growing. Even if you keep yourself so busy and pretend not to hear it, you will feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction and experience disenchantment with your life. Your inner voice will always be there, even if buried, waiting for you to listen.”
We are given the gifts of rationality (head) and intuition (heart). The former helps us with survival in the physical world we live in, the latter allows us to have breakthroughs that are genuine, unique and fresh. In terms of discovering your Professional Destiny, finding harmony in the combination of head and heart is the most powerful mix.
Filed under: Doing What You Love
edition
4 Comments Leave a Comment
1. Patrick Murray | February 11, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Some interesting concepts and insights. It occurs to me that the dicotomy between head and heart is more of an issue where the assumption is made that we follow a single career path through life. However, it is apparent that career transition is now the more common approach, and the ‘job for life’ is no more. In that context, it is never too late to change direction, and perhaps follow your heart when finances and life circumstances allow
2. Paul Unni | February 12, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Great insights indeed. As one who was recently impacted by corporate restucturing and is currently “between opportunities” I too, struggle with the head and the heart as I search for my next role. However, I agree with Patrick that finances and life circumstances can delay or protract those decisions made with the heart. That does not mean that we stop pursuing our individual calling because the circumstances are not ideal; press on! It is more about the journey than the destination. In fact, as soon as we believe that we’ve “arrived” I think we have missed the greatest opportunity of all.
3. Valerie Hausladen | February 13, 2010 at 12:13 pm
@Paul and @Patrick:
Totally agree with your points. In my book, Professional Destiny, I talk about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Once you satisfy the basic Need for Survival (finances) you are free to address the need at the top of the hierarchy of Self Actualization. The problem for many is that we often get confused by the concept of what is “enough” and what are we willing to invest, or possibly cut, in order to fund our freedom to express our true gifts… and follow our heart. It’s such a big subject and I will write about it more. It’s absolutely true that it’s more about the journey and that a job for life is less and less common. Our profession can change as we morph and change.
Thanks for your insightful comments!
4. Professional Destiny &raq&hellip | August 25, 2010 at 8:54 am
[...] a continuation from a post I’ve done earlier about the difference between Head vs. Heart, we are given two very powerful gifts—rationality and intuition—to help us navigate through [...]
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