By Books Author Denise Turney

Earlier this week, I watched a gripping movie about a quartet of explorers who got lost in the Amazon rainforest. Talk about a hard road. Watching that movie, which is based on real-life events, made me realize how much easier and comfortable the environment I live in is. Another gain I came away with was a supreme respect for nature.

Watch Nature at Work

The brief exploration of just a small part of the Amazon rainforest illustrated that nature is complex, diverse, colorful, resilient, powerful and absolutely stunning. That by itself teaches the importance of living with an open mind, courage and grandeur.

Regardless of where you are, nature is teaching. During seasonal shifts, as trees grow hard buds then bloom into rich greens, reds and yellows, nature teaches patience. Despite how long the full manifestation of a shift takes, what is meant to occur will.

Important Nature Lessons

Check out these other lessons that nature teaches. How many have you noticed? How many have you incorporated into your perceptions of this world and how you approach success, challenges and times of waiting?

• Continual learning – Nature is full of new birth, which creates a need for learning. Animals are ever alert, on the lookout for the slightest shift, accepting that they will never fully know all there is to know about the environment they live in.
• Expansion / Keep Going – Plants, insects and trees grow and keep moving in nature. Waters flow over new ground, expanding into new areas.
• Go For It – Surviving in nature calls for a “go for it” mindset. You’re not afforded the luxury of contemplating the next step for hours, sometimes not even minutes. Thriving in nature requires sharpness and willingness to “go for it!”
• Focus Matters – Focus is the hallmark of wild animals. Giving into distractions and not focusing can cost wild animals, including birds, everything.
• Expect the Best – Getting up each day and getting on with life must be met with great expectation. Nature exists as if it expects to be fed and cared for, this in the face of tremendous odds.
• Trust – Absent comfort, trust is a must.
• Timing Is Key – Watch an animal care for its young or hunt for food and it’s clear that timing is key. Move too soon or too late and a wild animal might miss a meal or put their offspring in jeopardy.

Give Up Fighting for Control

Depending on where you are, the list of nature’s lessons could grow significantly. Hopefully, as you watch animals, particularly untamed animals, move and have their being, you learn not to fight nature. You also learn that you cannot control nature.

Try to control a hurricane, a tornado or an earthquake; it can’t be done. Instead of working to control nature, it’s better to be observant, practice awareness, accept what you’re seeing (don’t slip into “magical thinking”) and become part of the environment you’re in.

Keep Learning

To get more from nature’s lessons, consider incorporating the lessons into your relationships and life strategies. Keep learning. Even if you’ve earned two or more degrees and read thousands of books, there’s so much more that you could explore and learn.

Focusing on learning and growing could motivate you to keep advancing, to keep trying new things. Who knows? You might achieve a deep and lasting success that you hadn’t expected. By itself, this could inspire you to expect the best and to trust that, regardless of where you are, you’re loved and cared for.

Once you accept that you are always loved and cared for, you might start to trust the timing of events. Do this and the days of waiting too long to take smart action might become a thing of the past. Take smart action at the right time and your life could shift upwards, evolving into a work of art, filling up with beauty, wonder and strength – just like nature.