Inspired to Hear Your Heart

I read this great quote over the weekend. It was quoted by Michael Mayne in The Enduring Melody.

In his novel The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho tells a compelling
story about a young
boy who is learning to follow his heart. The boy travels
through the desert
alongside a man who is simply identified as "the
alchemist." As they journey the
boy engages in a conversation with his
heart. He learns that he, like everyone
else, has a treasure waiting for
him, and the heart's purpose is to encourage
him to seek that treasure. But
because people become preoccupied with so many
other things, they no longer
pay attention to their hearts. Only children, who
have yet to be so
distracted by life, have the ability to hear their hearts in a
clear way.
The boy learns from the alchemist that because of the pain of going
unheard,
the heart will eventually stop telling people to follow their dreams.
The
boy pleads with his heart to never stop speaking to him. Should he begin to
wander away from his dreams, he wants his heart to sound the alarm and
promises that he will hear it and follow.

Are you listening to your heart today?
What distracts you?
What is your heart telling you?