Creativity, overwhelm + living heart strong

This week I'm working on a special project for heart month. Each February in the congenital heart disease community, February is a month where we raise awareness and support. The Ethan Lindberg Foundation has participated in the month in all different ways. This year I wanted to do something different. The most life-changing part of Ethan was not his heart disease. Yes, his disease impacted my life, and the physical experience of it all altered my body, mind, and spirit in all ways. But as time passed and I've gained perspective and met so many people, I can now see that the most life-changing part is the way he taught me to live.

In 2017 I started Four Hearts Shop, yes, because I was looking for alternative sources of income for the foundation, but also because I had a bigger vision - I wanted to encourage people everywhere to live heart strong. Life happens. It's messy and complicated. It will never be all joy or all roses or whatever perfect spin you might want to put on it. At the same time, it's not all sadness or pain. It's both. The goal is to take the experience, do the work and find a way through. That looks different for everyone. I'm not here to give anyone a formula, I'm here to encourage people to do the work and find their way.

When I say I'm heart strong, this is what I think:

I'm strong.
I'm weak.
I'm hopeful.
I'm sad.
I'm resilient.
I have a vision for my life.
I use my gifts to make a difference.
I love people.
I am a truth-teller.
I know life isn't always kind I will not let it knock me down.
I have a force inside of me that tells me I am here for a purpose.
I am Heart Strong.

So for February, I'm creating a storytelling campaign over on theheartstrong.com. I'm profiling 20+ people, most of whom have been impacted by congenital heart disease in some way. We have doctors, nurses, social workers, parents, adult patients, kids, and advocates. They've all lived a lot of life and have experienced some pretty hard things. But we're focusing on what they've learned and what they think it means to be heart strong. I'm also collaborating with a little boy named Bowen Hammitt, who has congenital heart disease, and who is also a singer-songwriter. I can't wait to see it all come together.

For me, heart strong has always been about more than congenital heart disease. In fact, it's not really about any disease. It's a posture with which to live life. I no longer live with a child with congenital heart disease daily. And while that is part of my story, that is not my whole story. So I'm including people that are impacted by life in other ways. People who are pursuing their best selves with courage and grace despite the ebbs and flows of life.

They say you should follow and pursue what you are most curious about. I'm most curious about how people grow despite the heartache life brings. The human spirit is so powerful. I think sometimes we need to be reminded that we have that strong spirit inside of us. I've spent extended amounts of time unsure if I actually had that force inside of me and if that idea was just a bunch of crap. I'm here to tell you it's true. Even on the days when I feel knocked down, I can tell you that force lives.

This project has overwhelmed me, and it's allowed me to really examine how I work when I'm stressed and overwhelmed. I tend to bite off more than I can chew. I get a creative idea, I commit to doing it and then I have to actually figure out how to do it. I've intentionally opened myself up to hiring people to help me make this a success. They are challenging me to do things that I haven't done before, and that's a bit uncomfortable. But that's where the growth happens.

Often times we need to leap and see what happens. We'll always learn something and get a little further down the path towards our goals. Discomfort is a good thing. It's the path to growth and expansion. I also decided to shift my thinking from - oh geez Jessica, how did you get yourself into this - to wow, I get to share all these stories and teach and encourage people to be heart strong in their lives. That shift has transformed my heart and mind in the last couple of days. Mindset always matters.

In the midst of all of this, I came across a podcast you must listen to, if like me, you want to work better and feel more fulfilled. Jessica Honegger interviewed Tonya Dalton. Tonya is the CEO of Inkwell Press (a productivity company), and she wrote a book called The Joy of Missing Out. In the time it took me to drive to the grocery store, get my groceries, pay, and drive home, I'd listened to the podcast and bought the book (thank you Amazon Prime). The book is now sitting next to me on my desk. I know I need to examine the way I work, and who and what I give my time to. I'm pretty efficient and very productive, but I want to be better. I want the time I spend on work and with my family to be more in line with what's deeply important to me and better use of my true gifts. I'm excited to give Tonya's book a read.

Check out the podcast here
Buy Tonya's book here
Follow Jessica Honegger on Instagram
Follow Tonya Dalton on Instagram

That's what I have for you this week. I'm back to uploading and editing stories. I can't wait to share this project with you. If you aren't already following the foundation on social, please do.
@theheartstrong on Instagram
Ethan Lindberg Foundation on Facebook
The project will be live on Saturday at www.theheartstrong.com
I'll be sharing behind the scenes thoughts and stories on my Instagram and Facebook pages too.

Have a great week!

Sunday Love to each of you.

One of the amazing women I’m profiling on theheartstrong.com (live Saturday)