Instead of: How do I want to feel?
Ask: WHAT DO I WANT TO EMBODY?
10 years ago, my New Year’s Eve fireside revelation called The Desire Map came to be. Over 300,000 people resonated with the idea that “We should consider how we actually want to feel as we plan our lives.” It was a soulful take on goal setting.
[Tomorrow I’m releasing the next evolution of this movement, if I can call it that. Drop your info here if you want the full details.]
I’ve never been afraid to change my mind in public. I’m anchored to love and I’m here to evolve. And I’ve grown (one would hope, after a decade). I’ve been traversing shadow work and compassion. Moving closer to the heart center.
Here’s what I figure: we’re here to heal and live purposeful lives. And purposefulness is not predicated on feelings. You can feel sad and still do something meaningful. Even in your deepest suffering, you can bring healing to someone else’s life. I know many of us can relate to this now. We’re holding our own fears, and we’re showing up to hold others.
In my darkest moments, reaching out to check on someone else was medicine for both of us. So then, was my purpose that day about feeling happy? Nah. It was about being love.
Emotions come from the subconscious. Virtues are states of consciousness. Love is not an emotion, it’s a state of consciousness.
DESIRE HIGHER
Desire is part of the human construct. Believe me, I have looked at this every which way and inside out. Should I relinquish worldly desires? Can desire be virtuous? Have I just swapped my Catholic hangover with New Age halo polishing?
Here’s the conclusion, and my evolution:
Feelings are beautiful information. Every feeling—when observed through the heart—helps us become more conscious (it’s the heart that expands consciousness, not the other way around). Feelings are a global positioning system for the soul.
The mind will always desire. The mind is a numinous and powerful force that manifests our realities.
How does the mind serve the heart? In virtues. In “desiring” for higher states of consciousness—Loving Kindness, Compassion, Forgiving, Resilience, Courage…
Let’s use the mind for love.
. . . . .
So… “How do I want to feel?” blossoms into a fuller question:
WHAT DO I WANT TO EMBODY?
Honour the feelings, embody the virtues. THAT’s what this next chapter is about.
Okay. Tomorrow we launch. The path is paved and Love will lead the way. Join me here.
With Love,
Danielle
Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.
