Welcome to Your Heart’s Desire
Are you struggling with where you are (or aren’t) in life?
Are you wallowing away in a job you hate?
Is your life stale and unfulfilling?
Are you a teenager anxious about not knowing what major to choose
or what you want to do “when you grow up?”
Are you a teenager who has dreams of doing something big,
but are surrounded by naysayers, and so have no hope?
Are you retired but feeling empty,
like there’s something else out there you might want to do,
but aren’t sure what it is?
Are you happily employed yet carry within you
a secret, “frivolous” dream you would “someday” like to achieve?
Do you feel worthy to prosper
and have everything you ever wanted?
Do you believe in doing what you love
or just working at any job as long as the bills get paid?
Are you a busy mom or dad with young children (or old children)
who, while you love being a parent, have the thought:
“I wish I could do such and such, but there’s no time or money or energy?”
Have you sacrificed your dreams at the altar of
“it’s too late now,” or “it just wasn’t meant to be?”
Do you have talents and gifts you are afraid to use
for fear of what others might say?
Do you have special, tucked-away dreams
you’d like to achieve but feel you would be being disloyal
to your parents, spouse, children, or siblings
if you really stepped out and made them real?
Do you feel like your life is empty and meaningless?
Do you start things with a big flourish, but never see them through?
Are you forever trying to figure out what God’s plan is for you,
but are never quite sure what it is?
Have you lost your passion for life?
Do you have any dream;
regardless of how old you are
or what status you have in life,
where you think: “Oh, I could never do that?”
Are you simply looking
for the most wonderful, exciting, interesting,
and rewarding adventure of a life time?
Then I am truly glad you’re here.
For you about to discover
Your Heart’s Desire
Over the next few months we are going on an exciting journey together. We are going to discover your heart’s desire.
You might already know what your heart’s desire is,
but it is my hope that your heart has many desires.
So stay with us. There isn’t a finish line.
Every Wednesday we will be reading a different paragraph from a chapter called, Your Heart’s Desire, from Emmet Fox’s book, Power Through Constructive Thinking. We will keep going until we have read the entire chapter. After each paragraph I will share commentary, questions, and exercises to help guide you through the chapter and towards your heart’s desire. Some of the questions and exercises are easy, others challenging. You may feel tempted to turn back and quit. I encourage you to stick with it and see it through. Achieving your heart’s desire takes commitment and effort. This journey is not, shall we say, for the faint of heart. If you are willing to do whatever it (lawfully) takes to achieve your heart’s desire, then you are in the right place. This could very well be the most important journey you have ever been on. If you see it through, it will be.
But fear not, we are going together. You can add comments and questions about your experiences or write to my personal email (josephanthony@thewonderchildblog.com) if you have any questions you’d rather not share publicly.
I have worked through this chapter myself, so I know how to navigate you through it. In addition, and more importantly so, the Wonder Child will be your constant companion. For once you start this journey, God gets excited, and walks with you the whole way. The journey will help you find your heart’s desire, and it will also help you discover who you really are. I have found that once you find one, you find the other, but more on that later.
I recommend you buddy up with a friend and travel this road with them. It will help you enormously to find an open-minded partner willing to walk the path to your destiny with you. You can encourage and support each other over the bumpy parts and celebrate with each other when you achieve your goals.
If you want to read ahead, you can purchase the book from Amazon(Power Through Constructive Thinking
Please take every question and exercise seriously. Really think about them. Try not to write “yes” or “no” answers. Flesh them out a little bit. The more honest and clear you can be with yourself, the easier you make the path for your heart’s desire to find you.
Once again, welcome. I am truly glad you’re here.
Your heart’s desire has arrived.
Sincerely, Joseph Anthony
Let’s begin.
Your Heart’s Desire, by Emmet Fox
Questions and Exercises by Joseph Anthony
*Note: You might want to keep your answers in a journal.
Paragraph 1
An old adage says: “God has a plan for every man, and He has a plan for you,” and this is absolutely correct. Your real problem, therefore, in fact the only problem that you ever have, is to find your true place in life. Find that, and everything else will follow almost automatically. You will be perfectly happy; and upon happiness, health will follow. You will be really prosperous. You will have all the supply that you require to meet your needs, and this means that you will have perfect freedom; for poverty and freedom cannot go together. Until you do find your true place in life, however, you will never really be happy, no matter how much money or distinction you may acquire; and until you are happy, you will neither be healthy nor free.
Commentary:
When I first read this paragraph, I had thoughts like: “Yeah, right. That’s a bunch of malarkey. It might be true for other people, but not me.” Pay attention to your feelings, and more importantly, keep an open mind. Emmet writes with authority and this can be off-putting for some. But he speaks from deep spiritual as well as practical experience. He writes as someone who has been there, and he has, so you can trust him.
Question 1: How did this paragraph make you feel?
Question 2: Do you agree with his assertion that “Your real problem, therefore, in fact the only problem that you ever have, is to find your true place in life?”
Question 3: Do you believe Mr. Fox when he says once you find your true place, everything will not only work out, but your life will blossom and prosper?
Question 4: Do you believe in God? I am mean really and truly?
Exercise 1: Reflect on and describe your personal vision of God.
Exercise 2: Reflect on and describe whether or not you feel like you deserve to be happy and prosperous.
Congratulations! You have begun! Come back next Wednesday for Part 2, and write down any thoughts, feelings, or questions that might come up as the week goes on. There is a lot of information here, and a lot of difficult feelings may come up, so please stay connected with me, your buddy, and the other readers who are following their dreams. Cheers.
Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog