Finding Your Heart During a Busy Day

Does this sound like you? You rush from one meeting to another, deal with demanding customers, handle employees' concerns, put out the latest "fire" at the office or at home, return phone calls and wade through a knee-deep pile of emails. With a day like that, it can be so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the day -- the din of a hectic schedule drowns out the calm of your true heart.

The good news is your quiet heart center is always available and it is just waiting for you to tap in, however briefly, to its calm. Here's a tip for finding the calm in the midst of a busy day:

Sit or pause quietly for just a moment and turn your attention to your heart. Focus on your heart until you can hear and feel it beating. You may need to close your eyes to block out distractions and zoom into this awareness. It sounds so simple, but when you are caught up in the day's pseudo-emergencies, it is not easy. Rest for a moment in the strength and the love of your heart. Plug in to its power. Listen to its faithful beat. Once you feel its strength and power, imagine sending love from your heart out to all those around you.

Because the heart is the body's energetic center of love, compassion and forgiveness, this practice connects you to those higher virtues. This mini-moment of awareness will allow you to go back to your tasks with renewed energy. It is moments like these that help us become "Everyday Mystics."

You might want to post reminders to yourself to find the stillness in your heart. You can post sticky dots (you can find them in office supply stores) on your computer monitor, your refrigerator, your mirror and your car's dashboard as a reminder to listen to your heart. You might take a moment before opening your email, your postal mail or before eating to focus on your heart. Or, you may wish to wear a heart chakra (the body's energetic center of the heart) bracelet to remind you to focus on this powerful energy.

The result? You will be happier, calmer, more connected to Source. You will be more productive. Others will want to be around you. And, these are good things.