There’s a crazy, pressure-filled world out there. It’s oppressive and suffocating. And it can feel like you’re being inundated by all of the expectations. But that doesn’t mean that your wild heart needs to stay hidden inside your chest.
The wild at heart person knows how to have fun. She knows how to be wild and free, even when the world is hectic and stressful. She’s a force of nature who can’t be tamed. Her energy is infectious and she inspires those around her with her fearless spirit.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about how to be wild at heart in a chaotic world with these 13 practices.
How to Be Wild at Heart
In the heart of every woman or man is wildness and adventure. Life is a journey, a beautiful path to discover and wonder and enjoy.
Much of the time, this journey is filled with ups and down–natural waves of life. But when you’re wild at heart, you know how to ride these waves. You know how to communicate with people.
In the words of shame researcher Brene Brown,
Strong back. Soft front. Wild heart.
When you have a wild front, you embrace vulnerability, courage, and true authenticity and belonging (rather than fake “trying-to-fit-in”).
(No, we’re not talking about the book by John Eldredge, Wild At Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul)
Published in 2011, this Christian “man’s” book seems to be quite confused. It’s wrapped up deeply in the social conditioning of men and cannot break free from the social pressures put on a Christian man.
There’s nothing wrong with being Christian or being a man! But you don’t have to be a man or masculine in any way to be wild at heart! And let’s face it, I’m not a man nor am I Christian. And most people in the world are not either.
So here’s to reclaiming the term “wild at heart” to mean something other than bogus toxic masculinity!
Cheers!
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13 Ways to Learn to Be Wild At Heart
1) You balance your masculine and feminine energies
What we think of as successful in this life usually comes from masculine energies. It’s what drives us, gives us passion and motivation, helps propel our dreams forward.
But feminine energy is just as valid. It is the energy of rest, connection, and compassion. Feminine energy has been long repressed and viewed as “lazy”. But it is just as necessary in our world as masculine energy.
Someone who is wild at heart embraces all of their energies and goes with the flow.
2) You go after your dreams
What a wild woman wants, a woman shall have. When you’re wild at heart, you know what you want and you pursue it.
This may sound like it could apply to anyone, but not so. People who are wild at heart know instinctively what they need and want out of life. They are honest with themselves and go for their dreams regardless of what other people think or want from them.
3) You see the beauty of life everywhere
“I suppose there are a lot of reasons to be jaded or sarcastic or bitter in life, but I hang on to the reasons why life is beautiful.”
Kelli O’Hara
Life’s beauty is there for our enjoyment, if only we look. Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle and keeping up the Joneses that we forget to look.
But when you have a wild heart, you don’t forget to look. It comes naturally to you to see life’s wonder in every step, every flower, every breath.
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4) You listen to your gut
When you want to learn how to be wild at heart, you have to learn to listen to your instincts. As mentioned above, this comes from rest, reflecting, going inward, and truly listening to what our hearts are telling us.
Over the generations, since childhood, we were taught to squash the whispers of our gut or instincts. It’s been called your “inner barometer”, your “gut”, “that little voice”. Whatever you want to call it, this voice shows you your truest path to happiness.
5) You make the little things count
To someone who has a wild heart, the little things are where the glimmer of life resides. Sure, we all want those big moments: graduation, Disneyland, the proposal, the wedding… these are all valid.
But some of life’s most memorable moments aren’t the big things. They’re cuddling with your newborn as he sleeps in your arms. It’s finding spring’s first flower. It’s that amazing sunset.
By making the little things count, you’re letting life, nature, do its thing. You’re there for the ride to enjoy everything you can.
6) You chase after adventure
Another way to learn how to become wild at heart is by seizing the moment. Whether it’s a spontaneous dance in the rain, or having the courage to travel to a completely new country that doesn’t speak your language (or traveling alone), if you’re wild, you chase that adventure of life.
So many people get caught up in the monotony of everyday life that they forget to really take opportunities to have a bit of adventure. (Often, they’re scared of the adventure in the first place, so it’s easy to push aside.)
But not you.
7) You follow your heart
Listening to your gut and following your heart are very similar. While listening to your instincts have to do with that true inner voice that never leads you wrong, your heart is all about passion.
Passion can lead you to many things: creativity and art, love, money. But sometimes the things your heart wants can lead you to pain. (While your gut will never lead you wrong, your heart just might.)
When you’re wild at heart, you know that this is okay. You embrace the mistakes you’ve made in the sake of passion, and you’ve learned from them.
8) You know your deepest aspirations
What is the reason you were put on this earth? What is your north star? Your “why”?
If you’re wild at heart, you know your deepest aspirations. But here’s where the confusion often happens. People who have wild hearts are often those who let opportunities for their deepest aspirations come to them, rather than going out and looking for them.
People who are wild at heart may not want to pursue becoming a doctor, but they know exactly why they were put on Earth and how to reach the people that are receptive to them and what they have to offer.
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9) You embrace pleasure and enjoying life to the fullest
Pleasure is another one of those more “feminine” energies. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to stop and allow themselves to experience something enjoyable.
It’s one of the biggest lies of our world that if we are compassionate with ourselves that we’ll become complacent. Giving yourself a break, some self-celebration, and indulging in pleasure is something than enhances our lives, not takes away from it.
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10) You understand people
Because you’ve done the work on yourself, you understand others. You understand their motivations, their fears, their insecurities. You can see why people do certain things, especially if they are hurtful.
But one of the biggest signs of all is that people’s motivations, fears, and actions don’t bother you. You let people be who they are because you understand them.
11) You know that life’s not a battle
You know that phrase “Choose your battles”? Well, what if these aren’t battles to win, but rather experiences to have and choices to make that lead you through different doors?
Life’s not a battle to win or lose (as much as the capitalist patriarchy would have us believe).
Life is a journey, it’s part of the ebbs and flows, the nature of the world. And you’re willing to go with that without fighting it! (Because you know it always means a losing battle every time you try to fight the nature of the world.)
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12) You express yourself freely
A woman who is wild at heart (sometimes called a wild woman), isn’t concerned with what the world thinks of her. She is free to be who she is in her heart and spirit.
She wears what she wants, creates the art that pleases her soul, loves who she wants, and says what she means.
Expression itself is an art form, and a person who is wild at heart lives a life that is a piece of artwork itself.
13) You know it’s never too late
Maybe you weren’t born wild at heart. Maybe your family tried to snuff out the wild in you your entire childhood and fit you neatly inside a box.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes. If you’re 35, 60, or even 99, it’s never too late to be who you were meant to be, embrace every single aspect of your life, and express what is in your heart.
Conclusion
You don’t need anything to qualify for learning to be wild at heart. You’ve already got it all inside you. It’s time that you embraced it all. Let go of what doesn’t serve your heart or best interests. Embrace those small moments that fill your life with joy.
Do you have a wild heart?
What do you think it means to be wild at heart?
Donna rauschenberg
Saturday 22nd of October 2022
I needed to know this information. I design and upcycle clothing pieces and right now doing flannel shirts and wanted to know what " wild at heart" meant before putting the words on shirts. Thanks