Lessons from nature and values

Navigating inner conflicts and authentic living.

Know your values

Albert Einstein once said to strive not to be a success, but to be of value.

Have you ever felt sad, not knowing why? Maybe you experienced anger, but you had no idea where it came from? Perhaps you've been disappointed, but didn't understand quite how it happened.

Nature as teacher

A few months ago, my son caught a fledgling after it fell out of its nest, and it hurt its wing. In an attempt to escape us, it jumped into the drain to what it thought was a place of safety. Only when the bird realised there was no way out, it hopped out of the drain and allowed us to catch it. We fed it and exercised its wings so it would be able to fly, while its family stayed close. 7 days later, it flew home with its family.

Values as driving force

We all have values, we're just not always aware of them. It's the spice of life, the life essence that drives us and motivates us to do miraculous things.

The priority of our values doesn't always stay the same though. They change over time. One of the core values in nature is survival. Animals do everything to ensure they survive. The bird did not realise that it could trust us. Only when it had no other way to survive, it had to temporarily surrender, leaning into hope and trust.

So often we experience some form of frustration caused by an inner conflict. Other times we stand so close that we can't see the difference between a brain and Walnut. A close friend of mine once said that sometimes we may think things are falling apart, while things may actually be falling into place.

The truth of values

Maybe you value peace, respect or hard work. Due to the uniqueness of each of us, our characteristics, personality traits and values, others may not always respond the way we expect them to. We tie certain behaviours to our values and when our expectations aren't met, we may perceive others as being disrespectful. If we are not attentive and mindful of that split second between trigger and response and instead react, things may turn sour very quickly.

In her song “Roar”, Katy Perry sings: “I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath, scared to rock the boat and make a mess, so I sat quietly, agreed politely, I guess that I forgot I had a choice, I let you push me past the breaking point, I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything…”

I have been here… I held my tongue and agreed with everything, but by living this way, we live in agreement. We forego the chance to live our true authentic selves. We miss the opportunities to add our bit of sparkle to those we come into contact with.

We don't really have warriors with armour, bows and swords as in the olden days, but we do have our actions and words.

Fences or forts

When we think of setting boundaries, we sometimes imagine them as high walls or fortresses meant to keep people out or at arms' length, but it should really be more like a garden fence. Boundaries create a safe space for us to live out our own values and to express who we are, while respecting others’ perspectives.

Authentic living

We all have purpose and various missions to complete in life, but to activate it, we need to live a life of authenticity.

Les Brown once said, “the graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid.”

Values, dreams, gifts, and art

How will you ignite your light? How will you align your values with your purpose and dreams? When we live to become successful, I wonder who benefits most from it?

How will our life and the lives of others change when you strive to add value instead? You have an abundance of features, perspectives, unique characteristics, and values which are the perfect ingredients to create a piece of art in this world. How magical would it be if we all could create pieces of art as we journey through life?

In conclusion

How will you use the words you speak and the things you do to be words of bravery, courage, kindness and love.

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Credit: Image by JillWellington (Pixabay)