I have a heart that beats inside of me that is good and wise and true — as we all do. My heart knows what it wants, and it even knows the ways to connect to what it wants. This is what I mean by inner knowledge — the knowledge of the heart. But the number one thing that gets in the way of me being able to live by this rich and wise source of knowledge is my mind. And that’s because my mind, like all human minds, is full of fear. Don’t do that, or else you risk this! is what the mind calls out, more or less frantically, more or less all the time. The undisciplined mind, then, could accurately be called the biggest cockblock to living by the vast and untapped wisdom of the heart. Which is ironic, because most of us would swear that our minds are the source of all our knowledge — not to mention, of all our inner strength, which we arrogantly call willpower. Let me tell you, I’d be in deep trouble if I counted on my fragile little mind for all my inner strength and power! On the contrary, the real source of human strength and power don’t originate from our minds at all. The mind is actually just a tool, one that can be put to its best and highest use by being a faithful servant of the heart. But even the heart has to have a master — call it a parent, if you will — to draw strength and direction from. Otherwise, it is subject to being silenced by the same fears that plague the mind. Our truest and most constructive strength comes from the most powerful force that exists, and that is love itself. Some call it God, or the creative intelligence that underlies the Universe. (Personally, I call it True Love.) So yes, we are all born with a deeply individual heart: that intelligent blueprint that holds the key to all the love inside us. But there’s only one way for my heart to gain the strength it needs to connect with the love it so badly wants. And that is to connect my heart and my mind (as early and often as I can) to all the love outside myself, too. ❤️‍🔥—Y.B.D.