What in the World see's the animal kingdom as a teaching tool.

9 great lessons that nature can teach us about living

By Jude

We can learn so much from nature that we can apply to how we live our own lives. Here are my top 9 great lessons from nature.

1. Love unconditionally – Dogs are commonly known as man’s best friend because of their loyalty and ability to love unconditionally. My dog is always at the door to great me with a smile and a wag of the tail. If I tell her off today, she will not hold a grudge tomorrow or even 5 minutes later. We can learn so much from them by applying this more to our own lives and loving everyone unconditionally. I explore love in more detail in my posts on Putting love back into business andLove and only love

What happens when you respond to the present and love unconditionally?

2. Nurture yourself – Animals are great at looking after themselves. They don’t fight the laws of nature. My cat is an outdoor cat and spends the day hunting, only coming home with his prey 3-4 times a day. When he is tired or not well, he sleeps. Simple. With our busy lifestyles, many of us push ourselves to the limit. We work through pain in the gym for the sake of having a fit body, we work long hours even when we are tired and few of us find the time or even know how to rest and recharge. We’re fighing against the laws of nature. Animals don’t get burned out or exhausted because they look after themselves.

What are you doing to nurture yourself?

3. Go with the flow – I recently wrote a blog post about being inspired by grass. It seems a rather bizarre thing to be inspired by as a leader but there is so much we can learn from the easiness of nature. You see, grass doesn’t work hard to grow. It just grows naturally when the time is right, without a fight. When we allow ourselves to accept what is available to us in the present moment and use it to the best advantage, that’s when we become most effective as leaders.

How does going with the flow make your life easier?

4. Create opportunity from adversity – Animals in the wild are rarely handed food on a plate. They have to work hard for it. They have to look for an opportunity. When food is scarce, they become more creative and look in different places and in different ways. We can see the current recession as a terrible thing or we can consider it as an opportunity for us to change the way we do things, even change our jobs, do things we really want to do, create things we’ve only dreamed of, really make a difference to the world, to society and to other people. Stop doing what you’ve always done and find a new way to do things that fill you with joy.

What is the adversity in your life that you can turn into an opportunity?

5. Let go to make space for the new - The four seasons are important each year. I love them all because they all represent different aspects of life and are a reminder to think about things differently. Winter is essential because it allows the old to die off naturally and make space for the new. Spring is a time of hope. After winter has cleared out the old, spring provides an opportunity to consider what we want in our lives and create the space for it. Summer is the prime of life where the new growth becomes more established and starts to evolve. Autumn is a time to prepare for winter, to consider what you no longer want in your life and what you are prepared to let go of.

What will you let go of to create space for the new things you really want in your life?

6. Be proud of your success – Animals are proud of their achievements. They don’t see it as them being superior or inferior but just as part of evolution and part of nature. When my dog Gracie had her puppies, she was just so proud of them. She had that gooey look on her face that young mums have as though she had done something truly incredible… which she had. She knew she was doing what she was meant to do. It was natural and it was beautiful. It seemed effortless. It was meant to be.

What are you doing naturally that you can be proud of?

7. Express your emotions – I recently watched a programme about the Inuits. What struck me was the simplicity of their lives and their ability to express emotions so freely. When they were sad, they cried; when they were happy, they laughed freely. When we express our emotions freely, we are being human and people see us for who we really are. When we hide behind a facade of non-emotion, people misunderstand us. Be yourself and include your emotions as part of you.

What is your impact when you allow yourself to express your emotions?

8. Be curious - Cats are so good at this. They are naturally curious. As part of my coaching training, I had to learn the skill of curiosity by spending 15 minutes with my head under the kitchen sink. Not trying to work things out, not needing to have answers but just being curious. Thankfully my kitten came along and joined in and I learned from following his lead. Most of our questions are based on wanting information so that we can do something with it. Being curious is about learning and growth. I wrote a blog post about leaders who have the Confidence to ask curious questions

What happens when you are really curious?

9. Reduce conflict through understanding – My cat (Dennis) and dog (Gracie) actually get on well although it’s clear they do not understand each other. When Dennis is cross, he wags his tail so when he sees Gracie wag her tail, he runs away. When Dennis licks his lips, it’s because he’s hungry. Gracie licks her lips as a sign of submission but Dennis interprets this as Gracie wanting to eat him. It’s no wonder that cats and dogs don’t understand each other because they misinterpret each other’s signals. As human beings we know that people do things differently and have different opinions yet we continue to misunderstand each other. When we seek understanding first, then we can reduce conflict. I cover this in more detail in my blog post on Putting love back into business

Who will you try to understand better and what is the impact?