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Do what you love. Trust it. Your passions will lead you where you ultimately want to go. It may get messy in the middle of the journey. At times it may seem you’re in the wrong place altogether. Things may get painful and stormy. But trust your heart. Time and life will prove to you that following its calling is the truest path to your greatest fulfillment and happiness.

If you have a dream, a talent, a voice—if you have something inside you that wants to come out, go for it. The only thing holding you back is you. The voices in your head telling you all the reasons you can’t go for it are just ghosts from the past… whisperings of other people’s fears and uncertainty. They’re not yours!

The path your heart unfolds for you might not look like it’s taking you where you want to go. It might not give you the “picture” in your head about how things, life, people and situations are supposed to look. But if you tune in deep and get the feeling of the place your heart has brought you, you’ll realize it’s the deeper gift you were looking for.

Stick to things. Persistence pays! It’s a cliché because it’s so doggone true.

Don’t be afraid to change horses in the middle of the stream. Yes, you might get wet. So what? And yes, this sounds like the direct opposite of persistence. But it’s not. It’s about awareness. You may have persisted long and hard at something—building a career or a relationship or a product. You may have followed a passion for decades.

And then… suddenly your heart’s not in it anymore.

Pay attention. It’s a message. And the message is: Life is movement. When we stop moving, we’re dead.

If life is calling you to another horse, get on and ride it. Wave goodbye to your old steed. Bless it! Be grateful! Honor it! Move on and don’t worry—you’re taking it with you in spirit. The first horse brought you to the second horse. It paved the way. Grew you up. Gave you lessons. Made you a better rider. The next horse … ah, the next horse, where will it lead?

Embrace the unknown.

Court it. Demand it. Sitting around on the laurels of the known is incredibly comfortable. But … there’s no growth there and no new horizons. You don’t know what you don’t know! And discovering what you don’t know is the doorway to freedom.

Let life surprise you. Don’t be afraid. The nature of life is growth and it will bring good things to grow you.

Embrace fear. Make friends with it. Listen to it. But don’t let it choose the path for you.

And if it does, love yourself. Take heart. Take time and find ways to consciously grow your courage. Baby birds wait on the edge of the nest until their flight feathers have gown to support them.

And then they soar.

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A dauntless explorer of inner and outer worlds, Cate is the author of The E Word: Ego, Enlightenment & Other Essentials (Atria) and Unearthing Venus: My Search for the Woman Within. The former editor of the Bleeping Herald newsletter for the hit indie movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? Cate has a master’s degree in psychology and writes and teaches about the ego, transpersonal and transcendent consciousness and quantum physics. She has worked with plant medicines with shamans in the Amazon jungles of Peru, the Andes in Ecuador and the deserts of New Mexico, studied yoga in India, explored ancient South African ruins on horseback, hiked solo through England’s sacred sites, shot raging rivers by kayak, camped alone across the US and Canada, lived in isolated cabins in the wilderness, raised wolves and trained Thoroughbred horses, married and divorced … and … well, lots more. She writes for the UK magazine What Doctors Don’t Tell You and blogs for The Huffington Post. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

 

For more information, please visit www.catemontana.com

Comments (11)

  1. What a beautiful reading !! I’m still going thru a major trauma in my life and I seek out all the supportive, life-affirming pieces that I can find. Fear is a factor and I’m trying not to freeze. (same as not moving) I want to flow ahead and not hang onto the sides, where I’ll just collect a lot of floating debris. Wishing all the best to everyone who is facing some abrupt, unsettling and unexpected changes in their lives. May we offer support to one another in any way we can; we’re all in this together. Thank you.

    1. Letting go and trusting that life will take us where we want to go is SO hard because we’re totally taught to not trust life and think and manipulate our way through everything all the time. I’ve slowly learned that intent and heart (not striving and struggle) actually do work! Best to you and if you want support I’m here!

  2. I sure agree with the author of this article but it is so hard to move on and forget the past. I was so in love for 9 years and now nothing from that person for 4 weeks. I am going to look forward and keep going with the support of this article. Great words for me to think about.

  3. I find the surest guide to be absolutely correct. I have ridden my second horse, and faced my fears in a non violent way, by using communication. Honest communication is a powerful strategy. I wish I had the courage to use it twenty years ago.

    1. Nothing like speaking up (without being pushy about it.) Whether you’re heard or not by the other isn’t the point – at least you said what needed saying.

      1. I agree with you both on saying what you need to say-whether you’re heard or not. I lived with someone for 32 years-gave them love and loyalty-and they betrayed me for someone younger. I’ve never stooped to conquer-always kept my integrity. But I did, with respect to myself and her, say what needed to be said, knowing there would never be any response. And yes, it seems so easy for them to ignore and forget you, especially since you’ve been replaced. There are so many feelings to work through- disbelief, abandonement, rejection, fear, anger etc. And when you’ve loved someone for so long it is awfully hard NOT to miss the essence of them; therefore twice as hard to let them go. There’s always that gentle little bittersweet memory that stirs the longing, the chance that they might grow tired and come home to you. But then you have to force yourself to face the NOW and be in the present in order to go on with your life and find your essence again. I agree, not an easy task at all. But again, I seek the supportive words to encourage me as I try to protect and listen to my heart.

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