Nature

No Limits | The Freedom Blog™

Nature

Written by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com

“Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” 

-Albert Einstein

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” 

-John Muir

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” 

-Henry David Thoreau

Since our earliest ancestors first roamed the earth approximately 7 million years ago, we have been here.  After discovering fire approximately 1.9 million years ago we began our dominance of the planet.

But when we look at the artifacts and archaeology of our ancient ancestors we are only going back maybe 10-20 thousand years. This is a drop in the sea compared to the millions of years we have been here!

Millions…. that’s hard to fathom or even put into context.

The point I am making here is that we, as a species, have been here living with the other animals and plants, co-existing with the life forms that exist on this planet for millions of years. Not as something separate. We didn't just show up here. We all evolved here, all  plants, animals, and humans originated from single cell life forms that lived in the primordial ooze.

So what is nature? Aren't ALL the plants, animals and life forms that live on this planet nature?

Yes. We are nature. We are not separate from it.

Yes, we have put our stamp on the planet and tried our best to modify it and bend it to our will, as only humans do.  But it has only been a short time, relatively speaking, since we lost our intimacy and direct connection with the ecosystem.

Over time we have become more and more separated and insulated from our connection with the planet. We began to live in tight, protected structures, spending time driving in machines, or flying in machines across the planet, eating food that no longer has any obvious connection to its source. Insulated from everything.

We have become separated from the planet.

A part of this disconnection I think has come from a collective push by our culture over the past twenty or thirty years to look at nature as if it was something apart from us, something separate. Almost like it is something to worship, like it was our mother…..

Remember the commercials- “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature…”?

We are the naughty children abusing the earth, creating global warming, pollution, wasting the resources of this planet by killing the animals and depleting the oceans.

And we are.

We are terribly efficient at killing, extracting, processing and utilizing the bounty of this planet.

But we are not separate from it. Its future and ours are inextricably intertwined.

We will not control it. Thinking we can always modify and control nature is an example of the arrogance of man.

But it may seem that we can control it…. on the surface…..but for how long? There are too many humans, with too many weapons and rigid ideologies, growing at too fast a rate, with limited water and food sources……

In another few hundred thousand years, the planet will have evolved again. It will be what it will be and we may not be a part of that evolution…..

But whatever it is, we can’t control it.

So in the meantime, instead of feeling separate or apart from “Nature”, try to look at everything in a more inclusive way, try to affirm your connection to all things on this planet.

The next time you are out for a walk or hike or when you are camping in the woods, pay more attention. Look for the feelings that may pop up.

As you walk into the woods or wherever you are outdoors, sometimes doesn't it feel just a little bit like…..home?

Doesn't the smell of wood smoke make you feel good….. and safe?

Doesn't the feeling you get sitting around the campfire with your friends and family feel good….. and right?

Doesn't it remind you of something?

The memories of millions of years of living naturally, outside in small groups, around open fires don't go away in a few thousand years.

And that’s who we really are.

 “The mountains are calling and I must go.” -John Muir

www.stevengriggs.com

Positive Thinking?

No Limits | The Freedom Blog™

Positive Thinking?

Written by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”                                                                                                                                                                                           Winston Churchill

“You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, unstoppable determination.”                                                                                                 
Ralph Marston

I don’t believe in positive thinking.

I know I am sounding like a heretic and that everyone agrees that you should “Think Positive!”, “Put a Positive Spin on It!” “Change Your Attitude”, etc., but I don’t.

I just don’t believe in positive thinking

If you have to say it or think it, you aren’t. 

Saying the words “Think Positive” affirms that you are not positive at all and works to reinforce all the underlying feelings you are carrying that aren’t positive. Your subconscious programing rises up to defend its feelings of limitation.

You can’t change sub-conscious programing or limiting beliefs by overwhelming them with conscious, positive thoughts.

It just doesn’t work.

Trying to think positive is trying to overpower the problem from the outside. You are simply painting a smiley face over your true feelings. 

Please understand that I am not against trying to feel and stay positive. Its the natural way to live. Being detached and accepting allows you to be positive without having to do anything. You ARE positive.

I used to believe in thinking positive. I would always to try to look at things from a positive perspective and try to change my mind if I felt negative but it never seemed to really change anything.

Over the years as I worked on myself I found that there are various ways you can address negative feelings and replace them with positive feelings, although I feel that while all these ideas help and overall do improve your positivity, the best solution is to address and remove the underlying limiting beliefs that block you and hold you back from achieving your goals.

I address limiting beliefs in an upcoming article.

In the meantime there are several ways to increase your positivity.

Here are 4:

1.  Learn to detach.
2. Monitor your thoughts and self-talk.
3. Be physical-walk, ride or swim.
4. Limit negative input

Learn to Detach

This is a crucial step in becoming self- actualized which was defined by Abraham Maslow as "the full realization of one's potential".

Detachment means being detached from the outcome. Not that your plans or intentions aren’t important but you cannot attract the things you want into your life if you hold a rigid attachment to your desired outcome. You block it. You have to let go and know that your desired outcome is coming. I will talk more about this in upcoming articles.

You have to be serene in the present moment and accept “what is” right now and not be frustrated and angry that “what is” now doesn’t match what you expected or wanted.

The best way to start becoming detached is through meditation. 

Monitor your thoughts and self-talk

Listen to your self-talk and monitor your use of words like “can’t” “never”, “won’t” “unable”. Replace them with “can”, “able” and “will”. This also applies when you are talking to other people. Censor yourself. Watch what you say (and think) at all times.

A trick I have used when I hear myself regurgitating some situation or rehashing some ancient hurt is to tell myself  “Cancel!” and I picture the thought dissolving like shaking an Etch a Sketch. Sometimes I have to repeat “Cancel” several times but it does work to stop negative thoughts and allows you to move on to better thoughts.

Be physical-walk, ride or swim

This seems obvious but I can’t stress enough how helpful it is to get outside and take a walk or go for a bike ride. I also recommend jumping in lakes and streams (or oceans) whenever possible.

Being outside helps you reconnect and regenerate. Find water to jump in.

Limit negative input

Don’t watch the news on TV or read local newspapers. If you do read the papers be careful and don’t buy in to the negative articles.

I like to follow financial news so I read the Wall Street Journal and the business section of the New York Times every morning. I have learned to censor out the constant negative headlines because I understand how the system works and I believe very little of what I read. I am basically gathering information.

Also watch the people you hang out with. Negativity is very tricky, it can be stealthy and creep over you. Also, if you pay attention you’ll notice that negative people seek out powerful, positive people and feed off their energy, a bit like vampires. 

It also works the other way. You may also find yourself seeking out dysfunctional people and getting a boost yourself by watching them......

Be aware.

Of all the above techniques I have discussed above, the most important one to master is detachment.

Learn to detach and you will see a huge change.

As you learn to step back from the constant emotional engagement that many people think is “normal”, you will become lighter, happier and…… more positive.

www.stevengriggs.com

Fear Takes Over

No Limits | The Freedom Blog™

Fear Takes Over

Written by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
Marcus Aurelius

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
Dale Carnegie

Lately I have been dealing with situations that have caused a lot of fear to rise up in me.

I’m aware of what’s happening. I understand how it works. But that has not stopped me from experiencing it. Somewhere along the line I forgot what I knew to be true.  
I became Fearful.

So I watched myself become overwhelmed by it. I saw the way it enveloped my mind in darkness. How it distorted my vision by having my mind focus on the most negative of outcomes and possibilities.

I watched as my mind became paralyzed and numb.

Then I realized that I was watching myself too much, that this experience was beginning to become more than a lesson. It was becoming all consuming.

I could feel my body being attacked. My health was being affected.

I realized enough was enough.

So what did I do?

I sat down and had a talk with myself. Since the issues I was dealing with were financial, I realized that I was thinking too much. I was regurgitating and retelling a negative story over and over in my mind.

I’d forgotten that 80% of the things we worry about don’t happen and the 20% that do don’t turn out as bad as you thought.

I’d also forgotten that none of this really matters.

I’d sought out legal advice and acted on that advice. That was enough. That was all I could do.

After I realized that.... I went camping.

No cell, no contact and no thinking about business, just me in the woods. And it was interesting- it rained, sleeted, hailed and snowed the entire 4 days I was out there.

But I stayed. And I loved it. It brought me back to what’s real.

All fear is internal. It never comes from the outside, unless you are physically threatened.

What I remembered is:

1.       Fear is not real, fear only exists within you. Acknowledge that feeling fearful is  simply a response to not knowing what’s coming. Accept that you can’t know.

2.      Believe in yourself and know that you have the ability to handle anything that comes at you. There is no good or bad outcome, you will just respond to next set of circumstances.

3.      Acceptance. What it is, it is. Accept it and make a new plan. If you’ve done your best and taken action, let go and get ready for the next step.

Stay present. Try to divert your mind through physical activity- hiking, biking, swimming. Meditate whenever possible.

Don’t allow a fear takeover.

stevengriggs.com

Nature Reboot

No Limits | The Freedom Blog™

Nature Reboot

Written by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com

“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”

John Lubbock

“Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does.”

 George Bernard Shaw

“As you sit on the hillside, or lie prone under the trees of the forest, or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens.”

Stephen Graham

Do you ever have days where you are out of energy, out of ideas and out of desire to keep pushing forward? You’re just empty. Not to mention having no empathy, patience or room for any of the nonsense we are constantly subjected to?

I do. Today was one of those days. I just felt drained and tired. I’ve been involved in too many negotiations, too many meetings and way too much strategizing. I needed a break.

So I took a long walk. I went out into the wind. There was a bit of rain coming down. I just walked. I looked at the clouds, the trees, the birds….. I felt the rain on my face, the sound of the wind through the tops of the trees……and……

I remembered who I am.

We aren’t meant to sit in chairs, in offices or cubicles, in buildings under artificial light staring at glowing screens. We just aren’t. Not even for an hour let alone the 8- 10 hours a day that we do. We’re hunters.  We need to be moving not sitting. Acting not thinking.

For hundreds of thousands of years our ancestors lived in small tribal groups. We hunted in packs and lived off the land. We lived in forests or the grasslands, among trees that have been here for over 49 million years.

We were intimately in tune with everything around us. We could smell the weather. We could smell game or enemies. We could sense any changes around us. We were connected.

Although we seem to have lost that direct connection, that connection has never really gone away. We’re still connected it’s just that we have refocused our senses towards screens and cell phones. Towards short sound bites and superficial dialogue.

But it is imperative from time to time to remind yourself of who you really are.

Even if you grew up in the city or have never spent time outside camping or hiking, your ancient heritage is still there…. waiting.

Your deeper mind remembers who you are. It can take you back to those ancient days in an instant.

Have you ever noticed how good it feels to swim in a lake or the ocean instead of a swimming pool?

Have you ever thought about why it feels so good and natural to be sitting around a fire?

Or how much hungrier you are and how good the food tastes when you cooked it on that fire?

Get out. Walk in the wind. Feel your connection.

If you are in a city, walk in the park.

If you don’t have a park, just walk and notice the signs of nature’s persistence in the green weeds growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk or the growth in a vacant lot.

Feel it. Own it and remember the things we worry about aren’t real. They don’t really mean anything. Those problems and worries will end up being nothing. Not even a memory.

We are not outside of nature. Nature isn’t something that we have to deal with or control.  We are nature.

So relax. You are home wherever you are, connected to everything.

Just remember who you really are.

www.stevengriggs.com