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BOOK EXCERPT
📖 15 Ways To Protect Your Heart & Keep Loving Life
Excerpted and adapted from Break Through (Personal) B.S. book by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission
Relationships can bring some of life’s greatest joy, but they can also bring disappointment, confusion, stress, and emotional pain. Protecting your heart does not mean becoming cold or shutting everybody out. It means learning how to love wisely, set boundaries, and keep your peace without losing your ability to enjoy people and life.
1. Give To Yourself First
Take care of your own health, energy, confidence, peace, and emotional well-being. You cannot keep pouring into everyone else while running on empty.2. Know What You Will And Will Not Tolerate
Decide what respect looks like to you. Clear standards help you recognize when someone has crossed a line.3. Stop Confusing Love With Unlimited Access
You can care about someone without giving them unlimited access to your time, money, energy, home, emotions, or future.4. Pay Attention To Patterns
One bad day is one thing. Repeated disrespect, manipulation, dishonesty, guilt, or drama is something else.5. Listen To How You Feel Around People
If someone consistently leaves you anxious, drained, confused, guilty, angry, or emotionally exhausted, pay attention to that information.
6. Believe Behavior More Than Excuses
Words matter, but repeated behavior usually tells you far more. Do not let apologies erase patterns that never change.7. Use Distance When Distance Is Wise
Not everyone needs the same level of access to you. Some people belong close. Others may be healthier from a distance.8. Be Kind Without Becoming A Doormat
Kindness and self-respect belong together. You can be compassionate without allowing people to take advantage of you.9. Protect The Good Relationships
Call people. Listen. Appreciate them. Say thank you. Say I love you. Good relationships deserve attention while you still have them.10. Do Not Let Pride Ruin What Matters
Winning an argument is not always worth damaging a relationship you genuinely value. Sometimes humility protects the heart better than ego.11. Communicate Before You Detonate
Speak earlier, calmer, and clearer instead of letting resentment build until everything explodes.12. Watch Your Words
A sentence spoken in anger can live in someone’s memory for years. Use your words to clarify, repair, encourage, and protect.13. Forgive Without Automatically Granting Re-Entry
Forgiveness can help you release resentment without restoring the same level of trust or access.14. Stop Using “But They’re Family” As A Free Pass
Family relationships matter, but family ties do not make repeated disrespect, manipulation, or abuse acceptable.15. Protect Your Heart, But Keep It Open
Boundaries are meant to help you love better, not turn you bitter. Protect your peace without giving up on connection, friendship, affection, and love.
FINAL THOUGHT
Your heart can love, forgive, care, and still say, “No more.” Protect your peace, value the good people, create distance from repeated harm, and keep enough hope in your heart to continue enjoying life and the relationships that truly deserve you.
If you liked this book excerpt / article, check out Break Through Personal B.S. and get your copy today. Start putting these ideas to work in your body, mind, faith, heart, and life.
(THIS CONTINUES IN THE BOOK)
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