Follow Your Heart and Intuition

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

{via Jonathan Mak}

Last night, I was watching my DVR’ed Dancing With the Stars and JR Martinez was up. {For those who don’t know, he suffered horrible burns on over 40 percent of his body while fighting in Iraq} He danced to “If You’re Reading This” a song by Tim McGraw about a letter written to a soldier’s wife if he had been killed. Just seconds before the dance started, I pulled up my Twitter feed {naturally} to see something about Steve Jobs passing away. Cue the tears. Between hearing that news and watching JR dance to that song, I couldn’t help but to think of death.

Steve Jobs knew his health was poor. If you pull up his quotes, many of his reflections mention death and dying and how facing death is what ultimately showed him there is nothing to lose.

Lately, as I start my new life, I’ve been reevaluating everything.

My goals, my dreams, my hopes, my plans – many of them now different than they were a year or two ago.

Some days I’ve felt rushed to accomplish everything in this life – meet Mr. Right, get married, buy a house, start a family, etc. etc. Other days I feel like I’m wasting too much time “figuring” it all out as I watch other people accomplish all of those things.

But, I’m realizing the exact thing Steve Jobs said in the above quote. I’m not going to live someone else’s life. I’m not going to take a job that I know I’ll be miserable at. I’m not going to eat the pepperoni on the pizza because I feel bad saying, “I don’t eat pepperoni.” I’m not going to be ashamed that I’ll write a “D” next to the Marital Status blank until Mr. Actually Right comes along. I’m not going to be embarrassed that I’ve had braces twice and my teeth still won’t stay in place. I’m not going to write about one thing when something entirely different is really what’s on my mind.

Why?

Because I’m done letting the noise of others’ opinions drown out my own inner voice.

This is me.

My heart and my intuition KNOW what I truly want to BECOME.

It’s time to stop silencing my dreams. It’s time to start listening to what’s inside. What’s always been there all along.

That’s what Steve Jobs did and I think it’s something we could all learn from. If we reach down, really deep into our hearts, we can find the genius inside of us. Whatever it is, there’s something each one of us is good at. Something we were created for. Not everyone takes the time to follow their heart and intuition.

But, you know what? I want to be one of those people who does take the time. I think I’m already on my way there.

Thank you, Steve Jobs for being an inspiration for this generation and for many more to come.