The Sovereign Heart: Taking the Path to Discover Who You Are

By Alex K. Warren

Take in your surroundings. What do you hear? What do you feel? Is your heart beating at a steady pace? Or is it beating fast with the worries of tomorrow?

I encourage you to take a deeper look at what is taking place in the present and change what seems wrong with your life. I use what I refer to as the path to show the continual transition from being afraid of the truth to accepting it and thriving.

This book will take you to the depths of what matters and what doesnt, what is optional and what is necessary, to find what you believe is truly important to living a full life. I embrace independence while also showing how to trust those you may come across.

This book reveals the importance of knowing your true self, along with the necessity to reevaluate what keeps you motivated. The book remains in a format of taking a journey down your destined path. The poetry in this book is a reminder of why you should stay on the path, and it shows how the aspect of why is more important than how. I wrote this book to help all audiences: young and old, men and women, scholar or novice.

The simple lessons provided make it applicable to all who want to find the truth. The preparation and delivery of this work shows how we all can make the journey, if only we pay attention to our sovereign heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524602512

Alex K. Warren

Alex K. Warren graduated from the Ohio State University. He has published five titles: two works of fiction, one work of nonfiction, and two poetry-based titles. He currently resides in Columbus, Ohio. This is his seventh publication.

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The Sovereign Heart

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Taking the Path to Discover Who You Are

Alex K. Warren

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2016 Alex K. Warren. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/14/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0252-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0250-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0251-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016905876

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Dedication

About the Author

Introduction

We wander this earth in hopes of finding out who we are by trying to define our purpose and our reason for living. On the surface we are calm, laughing at the cookout and catching up with friends. Most of the time we revert to past memories in order to keep up a decent conversation. But when the topic of present and future plans comes up, we hide behind a realistic cover. I am focused on my career. I am raising a family. I am doing my best. These simple phrases seem to cover up the truth: we have no idea what we are doing. We are going from place to place, lost and confused, hoping one day we will be rescued by a spot of luck. I will have that car someday. I will be rich someday. I will start [insert dream] someday. We know the truth. We will not have any of these things until we know why we want them. And we will never know why we want them until we understand who we are.

The journey seems to take forever. A few months ago we made plans to take a family vacation. A few months ago we planned to pursue our dream. A few months ago we were inspired to conquer the world. Yet as we look at today there has been no change. We still have not booked the flight. We still have not pursued our dream. We still have not conquered the world. What happened? We do not have to seek therapy to answer that question. We still do not know who we are. We are on the lookout for what we want and why we want it. We are looking for a guide–or, better yet, a guru–to tell us who we are. We are special. We are talented. We have gifts. We have purpose. But what is our purpose?

No one knows. We were not born with a physical map of our destiny. The closest things we have for guidance are basic clichés. You’ll know it when it’s right. Listen to your heart. Follow your dream. We receive as much guidance from this as we would from a fortune cookie. We desire the knowledge necessary to answer three questions:

1.)  Who are we?

2.)  What is our purpose?

3.)  How do we do it?

It doesn’t seem as though any of the answers to these questions will be found–unless we choose our path. It is a path without end. There is no pot of gold, and there is no sign telling us how far we have left to go. It is an unknown path. Our friends haven’t reached the end, and those who have finally made it to their destination are no longer here to explain it. They witnessed the light at the end of the tunnel; they finally understood what their life meant. And if it took others their whole lives to truly know their purpose, what makes us think that we can bypass that journey?

There is no key. There is no shortcut. The only choice we have is to follow the path. Yet the path is not easy to follow. There will be danger. There will be fear. There will be pain. We cannot travel with a companion. All we can hope to do is receive the necessary help along the way. So how do we do it? We are not prepared for this. There is no handbook for us to study. There is no map to follow when the path splits in two. The best advice given is simple: go and do not look back.

Do not second-guess yourself. Do not listen to fear. Do not give into weakness. We are meant to go and never stop. Some begin boldly but return as quickly as they had left. Others try to calculate the path to the best of their knowledge. We pass by them on the wayside, hunched over and confused. Most are still at the very beginning because they are halted by fear. They take a step over the line but go no farther. Others begin to boast, I know what I’m doing. Nothing will stop me. They stop after only a few meters, wondering where that boastful confidence has gone.

We do not know what may come our way. We do not understand the trials we are soon to face. We do not see the obstacles that are ahead. But we do know one thing. It is not about strength, courage, calculation, confidence, or ignorance. It is about heart. Our heart will keep us going. Our heart will help us go through the many trials and tribulations. Our heart will push us when we feel we cannot go on. It is our heart that matters most. We must keep it pure. We must guard it with our lives. We must never reveal it to anyone we cannot trust. It is our guide without having a map. We are at its mercy. We must obey it–and it alone–if we are to make it to the end. It is the sovereign heart that is able to complete the journey.

Chapter 1

Being Present

We look up to see the sun. It is reflecting down on us as we begin our walk down the path. We feel refreshed in a way that we have never felt before. Finally we are taking our path. Many people in our lives told us not to, but what do we care? We are not doing this for them. We are doing this to find ourselves. No one else seems to have the answer as to why we were born or what our destiny truly is. So here is where the path begins: down a dusty, abandoned trail. We notice the trees and the branches that seem to be swaying from side to side. We begin to have one repeating thought: this doesn’t seem so bad. It appears to be a breeze compared to what we believed would happen.

We thought we might be facing a task from the very beginning. Maybe we would be mugged. Maybe we would have forgotten something. Maybe we would have felt regret. Yet none of our worries have come true. We are surprisingly enjoying the beginning adventure. We are taking a look around and witnessing all of the small things we missed while living a life of busyness. The stress of knowing that there is a report that is due on Monday is no longer hanging over our head. Right now the only thought is to survive. Yet even that thought seems to be harmless. What is there to survive if no danger makes itself present? We continue to walk and begin to imagine all of the dreams we are able to make possible by the time we reach the end. All we have to do is stay on our path. We cannot become distracted.

We cannot be tempted to exert more energy than necessary. Yes, it might seem nice to go for a slight jog while traveling down this path. But our heart is repeating to us a simple phrase: do not rush this. We cannot afford to skimp on to the next section down the road. We do not have the option of becoming bored. Now is the time to gain focus. We must remind ourselves why we have chosen this path. It wasn’t to be different. It wasn’t to take time away from daily responsibilities. This is a mission. And like all missions, we must remember the goal: finding out who we are and what our purpose is in this life. That takes time.

This doesn’t, however, mean that we cannot enjoy it. We have to take the time to behold what lies now in the present. We must focus on what we are seeing and not what might come down the road. We must look from side to side and take note of our senses. We can feel the cool breeze over our skin. We can smell the dustiness of chalked-up gravel beneath our feet. We must hear all the sounds: from a bird flying by to the scuffle of a squirrel hurrying up the tree. We know that right now the most important thing is to be in the present. We have already dealt with the confusion that comes with thinking ten steps ahead and taking thirty steps back.

Before the path we used to constantly think about what we would have to do the next day once we were off work. I have to go to the gym. I have to pick up groceries. I have to send in the necessary forms so I do not get fired. The stress of it all leaves us frenzied, completing task after meaningless task. What becomes urgent is no longer important. We are busy because we don’t know what else to be. And when we do find the free time to sit down and relax, we start to fill our minds with new thoughts–or so we think. We feel that our mind should always be put to use–until we fall asleep–so we begin to think on all of the choices we made in the past. Yet they are not productive thoughts. They are, in fact, regrets.

I should’ve asked Suzie to prom. I should have known better than to drive that night. I should’ve told [insert relatives, friends, spouse] how much I loved them before I lost them forever. Regret after regret starts to pile up. We start to realize something: we feel no different relaxing than we do when we are completing our tasks. We are constantly doing or thinking and never relaxing or meditating. We are constantly in motion and know no way to stop. When will we stop? That question repeats over everything else. When will the time come where we can take a