"Your heart knows the way, run in that direction."

These words by Rumi are filled with simple wisdom.  Even before I become a mother, and especially now that I have become one, I often look at my daughter and ask myself what I am supposed to give her, to pass on.  The answer is if I can teach her to listen to her heart, her intuition, her gut,  I will have done my job.

Due to romantic Hollywood stories, listening to one's heart is often equated with being compulsive and not thinking with one's head.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Listening to one's heart means being faithful to one own's truth and following it as often as possible.  It means living at peace with oneself.

For example, when she feels in her gut that a certain job may not be right for her, and she should follow a different career path.  Or, when she may feel that the company of certain people should be avoided without being overly concerned how that may be perceived.  That she would not be so worried about being liked or accepted by everyone. That she would prefer her own company to the company of a less than a good man.  That she would not be overcome by adversity and would be able to decide with confidence whether to persevere or let something or someone go.

In order to learn this, she will need my and her father's guidance.  We are ready to provide it.  But what about those of us who did not learn this lesson early on?  Can we learn it later in life?  Is there hope for us?  The answer is, yes, we can, and, yes, there is.

The easiest way to do it is to learn to spend some time in quiet every day, with our eyes closed - to meditate.  Meditation is so beneficial because it frees the mind from the everyday chatter, and it aids in release of established emotional reactions, bonds, and patterns, so that we can get back to ground zero - our heart - and start living with more joy, confidence, and determination.

"There is a voice that doesn’t use words, listen."