February is national HEART month and one thing everyone has in common is that we all have a heart. A heart is an essential organ to keep us alive. If you’re not careful, every once in a while, it can malfunction. Of course, we all know anyone can have heart attacks or develop heart disease, but you can also have heartbreak. Nothing is worse than a broken heart caused by not being able to conqur your dreams or living your truth. At age 49, there are many things I want to see come true that will make my heart happy. I’m so glad my employer has recently started a free program called H.E.A.R.T that will start me on the path to turning my dreams into reality. I am so excited about this program that I wanted to share the concept with all of my friends. Please lend your attention to my co-worker and today’s guest blogger Amanda Mountjoy as she explains more about this unique program.
Shari
February is national HEART month. Typically during this time we think about how to make our heart physically stronger; are we exercising enough for our heart? Are we eating the best foods for our heart health? And those are good questions to ask and think about. But today, I would like for you to think about the emotional side of your heart.
Do you have a dream you are waiting for the ‘right time’ to pursue? Do you have goals that you just can’t seem to get around to completing? Have you started something, but never finished? Why is that? What is stopping you? Let’s change those thoughts into actions!
Last month, Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley (GESMV) launched the new program for its employees called the H.E.A.R.T. program. H.E.A.R.T. stands for Helping Employees Achieve Results and Triumphs. This free internal program will allow employees of GESMV to explore their dreams and try to make them a reality.
So why is it important to follow your heart and pursue your dreams and goals? Dreams are important! They give us something to look forward to doing. They help us feel fulfilled in our lives. It is exciting to try something new – or complete something started a long time ago. “I did it” is a great a feeling! Dreams are IMPORTANT! Big or small…all dreams are worth pursuing!
So, ask yourself what is your dream? Are you thinking about going back to school? Are you thinking about a bucket list activity and are you now ready to do THAT? Want to explore options for a second career in your retirement years? Would you like to learn new skills to add to your resume? Would you like to work on time management or budgeting skills? Finish these questions: What if I did…..? I wonder if I could…..? I have been thinking about….? I would like to try….? What comes to mind when I ask these questions?
What will you experience after fulfilling your dream? You will feel optimistic and enthusiastic about your life. You will feel encouraged to try other things. You will go from just existing, to actively engaged in your everyday life. You will feel good!
So as we celebrate February and Heart Month, take a moment to think about taking care of your emotional heart. What is it saying? Take the step to answer those questions and help your dreams become a reality.
It is an honor to be apart of such a fulfilling program. To have an organization recognize and care about the well being of their employee’s outside of work is admirable. Shari H.E.A.R.T is what we’ve been missing for quite some time. It takes special, caring, empathetic, patient and understanding people to encourage, inspire, and hold other’s accountable at all cost. Amanda exudes compassion and is even working with me to pursue my dreams/goals. I’m personally grateful for the change of pace within the company and looking forward to sharing many successes with the participants, as well as some of my own.
There is an actual heart condition that is called Broken Heart,” and it has to do with more of your arteries I believe. I had most recently read of it. I decided then I would no longer use the term unusely.
Very interesting blog and as always Shari and Amanda thank you.
Thanks, Amanda! What a great program.