On being true to your nature

Recently I’ve been thinking about what it means to be courageous. In any particular moment, taking context into consideration, there is a willingness to be daring and take risks. I also look at it in another way, a way I’ve learned by observing nature. 

A tree grows and weathers the storms throughout its years. The course of wild rivers may ebb and flow, even change route if extreme enough. Nature is. There’s a power and neutrality to it. It’s not about being daring or timid, it’s just about being – Being true to your nature. The belly of summer comes on strong and will eventually fade. The heat permeates, light climbs to its peak, and the landscape transforms. In contrast winter provides a subterranean realm for plants to rest and regenerate. Nature, is. 

I took a leap into the unknown to start a business of my own. Unbeknownst to me, it would reveal far more about myself than if I’d stayed where I was. I seeded ideas from the ground up, strategized, designed, pivoted, and gave way to every emotion. My spirit for adventure acted as a guide all while being as true to myself as possible. Courageous. 

To dare is the willingness to take risks with unabashed gusto. This can feel like freedom or losing control or fuel a relentless zeal for life. Whatever the outcome, being daring says, bring it, I’m excited. Courage, on the other hand, I find includes presence. Thereby in any situation, no matter what it is, I’m nowhere else but there. And yes, sometimes the line between the two blurs. 

Trying something new or unfamiliar and taking action outside the paradigm of what I know or believe takes a good dose of courage. It reminds me to break away from old concepts of time and what is possible. So as it happens in nature and in the garden as too does it unfold within me.