Sunday Newsletter - Are You Rising - Living with Heart (31 March 2024)

Happy Easter – whatever that means for you. 

I hope you are having a wonderful, restful, ease-filled Sunday.

My dogs are snoozing, the sun is out and I’m drinking my second (very large) coffee. Something of a caramel blend. I am aiming for ‘smooth’ today.  

Grab yourself something to drink and let’s catch up.  

What a Time

What a time to be alive! There’s just so much going on. I have a suspicion that the brakes are truly about to come off. If you are spiritual, I would take this perfect time to connect, have a chat and ask for inner strength and support. From astrological alignments to events around the world – sooo many signs that things might get bumpier. Time to be resilient and supportive and compassionate – only my opinion.

It’s springtime in the UK with the clocks moving forward an hour. It’s Easter which reminds me of resurrection, new beginnings, basking in the light. Things shifting into newness, allowing the old to fall and crumble. It’s an important time to choose where to put your focus – in the rebuilding and renewal or clinging to the past – which will you choose?
That flows nicely into this weeks Business Boost all about heart… 

This Weeks Business Boost 

Above All Else… Guard Your Heart 

I love ancient truths that are still as relevant today as they were when they were originally spoken. One such truth was given from a father to his son and has been preserved over thousands of years. In what is called The Proverbs of Solomon, King Solomon imparted the following maxim to his son:  

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23

Now, I am not really a biblical person. I prefer to think of source, the universe, the creator as separate from the Old Testament books – I have my reasons.

This story presents a wonderful lesson though, so go with me on this. I do have ultimate faith in the power of the heart and it’s connection to the one Creator. 

Today, we often speak of the “heart” merely as the source of our emotions. But what Solomon was referring to encompasses much more than that. A brief study into the meaning of the “heart” in this context reveals four primary areas to which it refers: 

• Our faculty of reason, the mind, and thinking. 

• Our conscience and moral character. 

• Our desires, passions and emotions. 

• Our courage 

With those four areas in mind, it’s easy to see why Solomon urged his son to guard his heart so carefully. We also recognize that if those four areas describe the function of the heart, then it’s true that pretty much everything we do flows from our heart. 

If we accept the above, the big question is: How do we guard our heart, and what are we guarding it from? 

How We Guard Our Heart 

Let’s consider some of the threats to our hearts and various ways we can guard our hearts in these four areas: 

1. Reason, the mind and thinking.  

This is a very broad area. For instance, there’s the corollary, “You are what you think.”
This has to do with the power of positive thinking and self-talk.  

If we think poorly about ourselves and our abilities, it will be very unlikely that we’ll be able to function beyond the bounds of that thinking. This is a very powerful force in our lives. We need to constantly monitor our thoughts and self-talk and notice where our attention, intention and energy are focused. 

On another level that has more to do with reasoning, we’ve been inundated in recent years with what many call “fake news.” This isn’t only a journalistic issue but overlaps into areas like fad diets and pseudo-science.  

For example, for a while we were told that butter was bad for us, so eat margarine. Now that’s reversed. There was a time when eggs were taboo, now that’s been turned on its head.  

And there are hundreds of other such examples. We often let peer pressure trump sound reasoning. 

Another area of reason and thinking has to do with the danger of accepting false premises. If we start with a false premise, any thinking resulting from that premise will be distorted. This problem is more widespread than we might think. 

We need to test information and consider it well. Consider the source. Ponder why something is said and seek truth. 

This is so important in the current environment where logical questions can now be viewed as ‘hate speech’.  

2. Conscience or moral character.  

Our conscience is not infallible. Our conscience is formed and solidified by the input and environments we subject it to. Someone’s conscience can be perverted, soiled, or simply ignored. In recent years, the whole idea of conscience has been influenced by the notion of moral relativity that pervades our culture. 

Consider the fact that “tolerance” has become one of the chief values of our day. And yet, in practice, tolerance seems to only work one way, because anyone who disagrees with the tolerant is pegged “intolerant.”  

Logic should tell us that this line of thinking is self-contradictory. But we often allow emotive language to dictate our morality rather than basing it on what is truly good and beneficial to others and right before the Creator.

We need to anchor our conscience to sound moral principles instead of being tossed here and there by the tide of an ever-changing culture. 

3. Desires, passions and emotions.  

We all recognize how fickle our emotions are. We can be happy one moment and sad the next.  

Again, we hear people encouraging us to “give our emotions free reign.” Really? Since when is yelling and screaming at each other or at total strangers in traffic okay?  

Desires and passions can be good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, productive or unproductive. Emotions offer a very poor basis for making most decisions. 

Instead, we need to learn to work with our emotions. To become the observer; to acknowledge them and to let them flow without allowing them to dictate our actions or response. We must master them as flowing energy, instead of attaching to and submitting to them.  

There are times when it is proper to emote freely, but there are other times when it’s more beneficial to keep our emotions in check. 

4. Courage.  

This area of the heart may seem to be different from the other three. Think of King Richard “the Lion-Hearted,” and “Brave-Heart” in this context.  

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength to act (or not act) in the face of fear. Fear and anxiety are emotions that can cripple and incapacitate us. We need courage to combat them. 

How do we gain and guard our courage? By exercising it. Courage is a strength, and strength is gained and preserved through exercise. We must exercise courage in small things, so we won’t fail in big things. 

This article may feel a little “heady” to some reading it. But these heart issues are matters we all wrestle with. To guard our hearts is a conscious decision and requires active involvement on our part.  

Especially in these times, we dare not leave these monumental issues to chance or the whim of our ever-changing society. Therefore, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” 

Choosing Happy Podcast Update 

The 61^st Episode is launched tomorrow, and I invite you to join me in creating your personal resilience reminder – a short document you can refer to when things get dark – a happiness reset if you like. A reminder that we do have a choice and it is okay to be human; strength can be found in accepting our vulnerability. 

Look out for that tomorrow – 1^st April 2024. 

All previous episodes are available…
You can listen on your favourite podcast host or on the website at www.choosinghappypodcast.com 

Also before I go, 2 quick things: 

#1 - I'm offering a special 1-1 Strategy call for those who want to breakthrough to better results in Quarter 2.
It’s a £60 minute call with me for those who may be feeling overwhelmed and confused and wanting to finish Q2 in a stronger, clearer position for you and your online business?
Do you need clarity before you get too far into Q2? 

I know how you feel. With all that's happening and all of the information out there, it's easy to get lost in the noise. 

In this laser focused session we'll work on helping you in planning your next quarter, get HEAPS of clarity over how your business will look, feel and grow in the remainder of 2024 – I'll help you simplify, become more effective, focus and flow with absolute clearness in Q2. 

Here’s the link if you would like a session – this week only.  

Q2 Strategy Session - Spring Offer

#2 - And remember I have 2 open spaces for this quarters 1-1 coaching, to ensure you breakthrough your blocks and start living your dreams. Email me to chat so you can grab your spot. 

That's it for this week! 

May love, peace and healing surround you. May your families and friends be safe in these times. 

And always remember, if you fancy a coffee and a chat, I am only an email away. 

Wishing you a week blessed with open, strong hearted compassion vibes, joy filled days, good health, prosperity, grace and ease! 

Heather 

Heather V Masters 

Chief Coach, Trainer and Facilitator of Magic 

Taking Your Business Online and Choosing Happy Podcast 

Email: [email protected] or [email protected] 

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 

#1: I just launched a new Coffee and Catchup on my YouTube Channel (beginning Monday (Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning – 11 am – live). I'm putting a ton of energy into creating heaps of valuable live content that I think you'll like. It’s my aim to create a healthy habit of live content that serves you. Come check out my channel, and give me a like and subscribe.  

#2: Q2 Mastermind - 3 Month Sprint

The biggest difference I see between the people who thrive and those who barely survive, is the those who thrive simply get more done than everyone else.  

In the majority of cases, it’s NOT about the level of skill they have, or even their knowledge of business. It’s not even about the amount of time they spend doing. 

And THAT’S why I created the Just 1st Class Mastermind. To help you implement and get more done of the important stuff, that you ever thought was possible.  

We all know that being an online business owner can be a lonely place. But I believe that’s especially true for solo Intuitive Entrepreneurs. The vast majority (myself included) started out as a solo business.. 

🔔 No-one to bounce ideas off. 

🔔 No-one to turn to for advice. 

🔔 Completely alone. 

You’re responsible for EVERYTHING... 

Branding, finding your niche, creating content, Marketing and lead generation. Customer service. Finance and accounting. And of course, the biggest challenge for most to begin with… sales. 

You can feel like you are spinning your wheels, multi-tasking like crazy and just not achieving the results you want. 

You’re selling information online and offline. You’re creating content daily and building your social profile. You’re building your own website and landing pages, and sometimes, just making it so much more complicated than it needs to be. 

Often the result is that we fall out of love with our work. 

As entrepreneurs, sometimes we just need a day with other like-minded entrepreneurs, to figure out what to focus on next. And to keep it simple. And to take the action one-step at time. The actions we take are the ones that power us forward. The steps that matter. 

Sometimes you’re too close to figure that out for yourself. 

How often do you take time out to move away from the doing in your business, and focus on the big picture, reviewing the dream and getting to the nitty gritty stuff that niggles you every day? 

How often do you get the opportunity to meet with like-minded people, who are fun, supportive and do want the best for you that they are willing to share their knowledge, contacts, friendship and insights? 

I am holding a 3 Month Mastermind, beginning 8th April through to 7th July 2024, to include three full Mastermind Days, 3 Workshops and Accountability Sprint. 

This 3-month programme is extremely intense. It’s for those who have really had it being where they are and want to see real results next quarter. 

It’s also very ‘hands-on’ – meaning – it’s as much about doing as it is about learning. 

That’s why I’ve built a high level of accountability into this programme, through online group support, and scheduled one-2-one coaching sessions. 

I’ll be holding your hand (and sometimes kicking your ass when necessary!) every step of the way to ensure that failure in your business goals is absolutely not an option. 

If you are interested, drop me a message and I will send you full details and how to apply. 

I have 6 spaces available. 

I’d love for you to join us. 

 #3: Follow me on LinkedIn for more Tech, strategy, systems, marketing tips, and happiness-building. 

P.P.S. If you are interested in copywriting services and creating a portfolio for your business drop me a line and we can arrange to chat.  

If you have something you want to ask, drop me an email and Iet's get your questions answered. 

Email: [email protected]