What's in your heart?

I ask myself and my family this question all the time, "What's in your heart?" as a response to making personal decisions about our lives.

"Should I quit my job?"

"What's in your heart?"

It triggers your super-ego, your ideal self, you personified, to choose good things and not be swayed by the opinions of others.

"What do you feel is right for you?"

It's another way of saying it, but with less rounded corners.

But the super-ego is not you, it's your ideal self, something you don't live up to. Often, people discuss themselves in relation to their perfect self, believing it represents who they truly are.

However, this ideal self is actually a version of them if they weren't a flawed human full of folly and hypocrisy.

It's what their true north is, but people mistake it for who they are now.

This is because people reject their shadow, the parts of themselves they don't want to acknowledge.

So they only see the good parts and remember the good parts of themselves rather than recognising their own flawed humanity.

And if you can't see those parts, you can't control them, let alone fix them.

You should take someone at their word when they say something like, "I don't judge people" or "I love everyone equally."

In reality, these statements are their ideals and values.

To truly understand who they are, you need to be around them and observe their words and behaviour.

If a person doesn't incorporate their shadow and acknowledge all parts of themselves and their nature, most people with good hearts and caring natures will have these negative parts leak out without them recognising or accepting it.

So, it's good to ask what's in your heart and be directed by your best self, but if we don't know ourselves, we may rationalise our decisions as one thing and see them as good and right, while the underlying truth might be something uglier.

So, follow your heart, but know your nature, so you can make decisions that are right for you, that not only feel good, but are good.