Rumi said, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.“ My personal life mantra is a kind-of gruff translation of his extreme eloquence, “trust your gut”.
Sounds like sage and wise advice, but is it really that simple? With all the noise cluttering the world, how can we even know the truth of our own hearts? The gentle whisperings that speak more quietly but are perhaps a little more worthy of our attentions?
From infancy, our culture, life, and experiences teach us what is expected of our actions and communications. Most of us understand the meaning of the word “no” by the age of 9 months. This is the beginning of a life-long training and sensitivity to what our family, community and society expect from us.
Since the beginning of time, we learned organically. We mimicked family, society, animals and nature. And in much of life, this served us well. We learned to walk and to speak. We learned to interpret words, body language and facial expressions with seemingly little effort. We learned when to conceal our emotions, and when to share them. We learned the ways of nature, spirit and our hearts by observation. This was our first nature.
In relatively recent history, however, education has shifted. As societies moved from agrarian to industrial, more of our learning became outsourced. Although we still learn from family and nature, we absorb a lot of foundational information and guidance from formal teachers at school, community leaders, bosses at work, books, TV and the internet.
Today, we’re consistently exposed to commercials and social media. We hear the news and read inflammatory headlines on our phones. And it seems, the more actively we’re stimulated by noise from the outside, the harder it is to go inside and hear the truth of our own hearts. Is this my own truth or someone else’s?
The other day, I pondered some questions that came up in something I was reading. I thought of my friend Mitch who had recommended the book and picked up the phone to ask his opinion. But my ‘social’ mind grabbed hold and I realized I didn’t have much time to chat. Ringing to ask a friend a 60 second opinion about a book might be rude. I set the phone down.
Approximately 33 seconds later, my phone rang. “What did you need? Why am I calling you?” Mitch asked. I laughed, exhaled, and found my heart. Our friendship has never relied on societal norms or expectations, but on the natural energy that we allow to flow between our hearts.
Mitch didn’t provide me any riveting insights into the book that day. But he did remind me to trust my gut, and that always brings me back to my own heart.
How can we connect with our own heart every day? Like any skill, learning to trust your gut takes practice.
An easy first step is through a simple deep breath. Close your eyes. Take a slow breath in, and slow breath out. Repeat. Slow down the pace. Let go of the outside noise and clutter for three deep breaths and find your own take-away from this experience.
Take away everything you read on social media. Take away the news. Take away the opinions of your friends. Take a deep breath….
Exhale. Relax. Repeat.
And this is where the experience of Faceplant begins… at the corner of peace and relaxation.
From the time I started the company in 2008, I was strangely drawn by the pull of what I really love. I trusted my gut. From the beginning our mission has been to bring luxurious relaxation and comfort to the lives of our customers.
We don’t venture into the land of loud prints or fleeting trends. Our style is more subtle and quiet. We’re most comfortable working in quality classics crafted from the finest fabrics. We’re committed to the highest quality signature bamboo blends that take your breath away and I don’t think that will EVER lead us astray.
