The Power of the Heart: Finding Your True Purpose in Life (22 page)

If you want to have more money (or if you want to have another job) so that you can give the gifts that you were born to give, that is not the pursuit of external power.

Inner values like friendship, trust, honesty, and compassion are much more reliable than money—they always bring happiness and strength.

—DALAI LAMA

 ECKHART TOLLE

If making money becomes your primary goal, then know that you are not connected with the deepest dimension in yourself that we call the heart. So making money as a goal is not an effective way to live. You will find, even if you achieve your goal and make a lot of money, that ultimately it leads to frustration and unhappiness. This is not to say that money is inherently not spiritual. That is not the case. It often happens that when your actions become empowered and contribute something vital to this world, then abundance in some form—and it may be in the form of money—can sometimes flow to you. Because there is such an enormous output of energy into this world through you, the world gives back to you.

When you combine personal enthusiasm with the desire to create excellence, your actions are noticed and appreciated. Reward follows spontaneously and sometimes abundantly. And because you are living your best life, there is a good chance that money will follow, too, either sooner or later, although without guarantees as to how much.

 PAULO COELHO

Your heart has a very good way to tell you whether you are on a good path or not. It’s called enthusiasm. Enthusiasm comes from the Greek word that has
theos
in its roots—as in theology. Enthusiasm is the manifestation of God in your heart. So from the moment that you feel enthusiastic about everything—even
if this thing does not fit into your logical world—you know that you are following your heart. And from the moment that you are following your heart, your life will be full of wonders. And you look around and say, “My God, I am having fun.”

You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.

—MAYA ANGELOU

 PAULO COELHO

In my case, for example, when I started writing, I never thought I would make a living out of writing. I was writing because I wanted to do it, I had no choice. At the end of the day, I not only made money out of writing, but I made a lot of money out of writing. And everybody says, “If Paulo Coelho can do it, we can do it.”

When you stay connected to the present moment, you have a sense of completion and abundance.

 ECKHART TOLLE

The fullness of life, Jesus called it. He was not talking about abundance of goods, abundance of stuff. Abundance on a deeper level is not about stuff. Abundance is in you inherently, one with
the heart, because it is the abundance of life itself, the creative principle itself, the creativity, the source, the aliveness within you.

You may be showered with material abundance, but you don’t need it for your fulfillment. What matters most is that you do something that is close to your heart, that makes your heart beat faster. The chances are that by doing so you will feel fulfilled and rewarded and you will reap the tangible rewards.

 DEEPAK CHOPRA

Happiness and success are the progressive realization of worthy goals. Happiness is also the ability to love and have compassion. Happiness is a sense of connection to the creative mystery of the universe that we call God.

Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, has said, “If you think ‘How can I make lots of money, let’s bring the accountants in, we’ll work out the business plans,’ it’s just the wrong way around. You get one set of accountants who will say, ‘Yes, you can make lots of money’ and another set of accountants with exactly the same input will say, ‘You will lose lots of money.’ It’s got to be from your heart and do something you’re passionate about, which is gonna be your hobby, and it’s likely to be successful.”

Deepak Chopra

 PAULO COELHO

I think that it is very important to first think “fulfill your dream” and second “money may come.” And if money does not come, you will still have a life full of joy, full of fun. And finally, when money comes, be responsible for that and show yourself as an example. Because life is not changed by opinions, life is changed by examples.

Fulfill your dream by listening to your heart. Remember: dreams have no deadline. Do what you can and bear in mind that when things appear to be going awry, there is a reason; the cosmic plans are much more far-reaching than you can imagine. As long as your intention truly originates in the soul, the universe will lend its full support to everything you do, and money and other forms of abundance will also come your way.

A lack of money will only bother you when you are disconnected from your soul. Restore that connection and the abundance of the universe will flow your way again. Once you are truly converted to the power of the heart, you end up shining in a unique piece of theater directed by the universe.

 DEEPAK CHOPRA

To get out of this mess, ask yourself, “What are my unique skills? How do I serve humanity?” Do something once in a while that is not about yourself. Do something once in a while that is not about business and you’ll see that your business also improves. So you want to get out of the suffering? Build a real economy and this real economy is the economy that comes from your heart.

If you replace money with the power of the heart as your measure of success, you will be pursuing your passion and your true vocation. You
will have less stress and tension, a better work-life balance, more time for your life partner, family, and friends. When you look back on your life, you will have a long list of highlights and no regrets.

 ECKHART TOLLE