Lead with wild heart by embracing paradox

You laced up fresh running shoes at dawn, chest rising and falling to the chorus of birds. Today’s 5 K route felt like pure freedom—your favorite running playlist singing you down empty streets. Your calves ached but your spirit soared. You paused on the ridge, pink sky spilling across the horizon.

Later, sipping lukewarm coffee, you opened your laptop to an email from a refugee center seeking volunteer tutors. A pang of agony hit your chest—stories of families displaced flooded your mind. You hesitated: “I just had euphoria. Can I do both?” You pictured your breath expanding to hold two experiences.

Behavioral science tells us that combining positive and negative arousal builds resilience. You decided to honor the paradox: you signed up to teach conversational English, then set a reminder to lace up for another run. The dishwater’s tinny splash during breakfast felt oddly comforting—ordinary chores, extraordinary life.

That morning you lived two truths: joy in physical vitality, and sorrow that stirred your moral backbone. Neuroscience calls this affective complexity, and it correlates with empathy. In that mix of delight and duty, you felt wholly alive.

You couldn’t separate one from the other; your heart had gone wild, open to every facet of human experience.

Set aside weekly time for simple joy—run, sing, paint—then balance it with an equal slot for action on a cause you care about. Journal how it feels to hold delight and grief together, and share that reflection with someone. This practice will strengthen your wild heart—let it guide you.