CHEETAH ON NATURES TIME
We were on our final day at a safari campsite on the crater of Ngorangora in Tanzania. Our driver stopped the jeep and reached for his binoculars. He scanned the horizon of the grassland. Minutes passed and then he finally announced with utter delight: “Cheetah! It’s probably a female; she’s alone.”
We were on our final day at a safari campsite on the crater of Ngorangora in Tanzania. Our driver stopped the jeep and reached for his binoculars. He scanned the horizon of the grassland. Minutes passed and then he finally announced with utter delight: “Cheetah! It’s probably a female; she’s alone.” While disappointed that it was not the lion pride we had been in pursuit of, we were swept into the moment of excitement from our guide.
The elegant spotted cat was some ways off, camouflaged in the tall grass with only its head exposed when it stretched to view its prey. We slowly moved our sights with our binoculars, and found the source of the spotted cat’s interest; a small group of gazelles, dozing in the baking sun. As the fastest mammal on earth – capable of running at a speed of up to 112 kilometers per hour – cheetahs are phenomenal hunters. The cheetah is well aware of its limitations however, as it can only run a few hundred meters at full speed before overheating. It must topple its prey quickly, or give up. We watched as this cheetah strategically inched her way closer to the unsuspecting antelope. She would crawl five meters at a time, then quietly sit for a time. While we could only catch small glimpses of this flexible, long-limbed hunter, we were captivated by her patient instinctual behavior. Before we knew it, an hour had passed. We had lost all notion of time and were living in the moment following nature’s clock. The cheetah inched closer to her prey, every muscle in her body taught with anticipation.
Suddenly, an adult gazelle, now just a short distance away, became alert. The group had sensed danger. The herd became animated and immediately moved into a frenzied run, jumping and bouncing on their hoof tips. The cheetah’s ears went back and she sprang into action, exposing her presence. There was a period of chaos where the cheetah attempted to reach her target. However, her plan was foiled. The cheetah stopped abruptly and stood motionless while catching her breath. She seemed to accept short-term and set her sights on the next possible opportunity for a meal.
The cheetah demonstrated a set of opposite energies in order to survive. She had the ability to tune into her surroundings, to be receptive, open, and trusting with her surroundings. In this state of being she had no sense of time, only a willingness to connect and accept. On the other hand, she instinctually knew when to use her natural capacity to move quickly in a way that required her to act with focus, aggressiveness, persistence and the willingness to risk. Most importantly the cheetah and all other living beings in nature, can instinctively switch from one set of energies to the other in order to survive.
I found myself consumed by this unfolding experience and wanted to follow this cheetah all day. But, we were again reminded by our friend in the jeep of the goal of finding that lion pride as he felt even more pressured as the time was limited before dusk set in. We never did accomplish our original goal we had set for the day to find that particular pride of lions but I was more than grateful for what we did receive.
As I became consumed in the timeless world of the cheetah, and then compared it to our clocked time, with all our technology and speed, the experience was very different. Nature engages her inhabitants to fit in with her rhythm. As with all living things within a natural ecosystem, the cheetah sets its internal clock according to nature’s pace and rhythm. Thomas Merton wrote “There is on all things… a hidden wholeness.” Capturing the moments of possibility in our daily lives will allow us to see the hidden wholeness.
Change
Never in our lifetime have we experienced such unprecedented global change.
Re-imagining our lives as we move to new possibility
Never in our lifetime have we experienced such unprecedented global change. With COVID-19 attacking our physical bodies and impacting the cultural foundation in which we live, we must simultaneously navigate continuous developments in today’s digital technology. It’s easy to understand our fears and uncertainties. Recently we have all been learning to adjust our daily lives within the chaos of constant fluctuations. The quotidien way we experience change and the manner in which we adapt and seek out possibilities is at the forefront of everything we do. Now more than ever we must come to terms with viewing the world as an interdependent, ever-changing and evolving community. We are surrounded by nature that vividly illustrates and teaches us how an interconnected ecosystem works and subsequently, how change works.
Here is a story about natural change I observed while in Africa.
There is a safari camp located in Tanzania on the Grumeti River. Many hippos spend their days bathing in the river to protect their sensitive skins from the burning sun. One year the dry season lasted longer than usual and the area suffered a devastating drought. The Grumeti dried up completely and the hippos were compelled to leave. One morning the camp manager awoke to find a mother hippo had returned to the area and had given birth. Initially both staff and guests were thrilled to see the mother and her adorable newborn interact in their natural surroundings however it soon became apparent that without water, both she and her calf would perish. After lengthy discussion, everyone in the camp agreed a water conservation strategy would begin immediately to provide a mudhole for the mother and newborn.
At first this temporary manmade system seemed perfect. The guests had great hopes of saving the two animals but a few days later, everyone awoke to discover a different turn of events. Instinctively sensing that the environment had changed, other hippos had made their way back to this small, man-made mud hole. Every day thereafter, as measures for added water occurred, more and more hippos returned. People had not considered the power of natural systems. The innocent human quick fix act of trying to help nature along for the sake of a mother hippo and her baby had changed the ecosystem and generated an even greater disaster. At least six hippos died in a two-day period but then, as nature would have it with anxiety at its highest for the people watching helplessly, the weather suddenly changed. Torrential rains lashed down nonstop, filling the river to its brim. The landscape was transformed. To the immense relief of all, most of the hippos were saved. Valuable lessons had been learned about making quick fix changes to the ecosystem without anticipating the result and about jumping to conclusions when encountering distress.
‘Quick Fix’ solutions are suggestions made without considering their impact on the ecosystem. Our natural ecological system demonstrates that parts affect the whole and the whole affects the parts.
Like the African Savanna, we live our daily lives within an ecosystem. The incredible challenges we currently face provide vivid examples of how each of us are impacted by change and that there is more to understanding and embracing it than coming up with quick fix solutions.
What does embrace change really mean? Embracing change starts with us being aware and paying attention to our own physical wellbeing as well as to the world around us. It’s about accepting and experiencing our full range of feelings, knowing that our emotions play a role on how we respond. We must be aware of our personal beliefs but we also need to be adaptable, learning and growing through transitions. Finally, by connecting with our soul and using our ability to reimagine an ideal outcome, we can ensure the wellbeing for all.
The great measure of our maturity is an increased understanding on how we move through life and evolve our own unique personal journey through our experience with change. Personal authenticity stems from genuine contact with the world around us, alongside our ability to transform and to move on with lives that are forever shifting.
In an interdependent world, we all breathe together and ultimately, we all live together. This coexistence creates unlimited possibility. How we see and respond to change shapes us and we are continually reshaped by events in our unique journey.
— Tom
Mindful Leadership
WHEN IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE IN TOTAL CHAOS
Mindful leadership is about building a trustworthiness with others so they will have the confidence to trust and follow you. Defined by Nina Smiley and David Harp in, Mindfulness in Nature, mindfulness is simply
“a state that involves being aware of our thoughts, feelings and surroundings in any given moment in a gentle, non-judgmental way. ”
The pandemic has brought a tremendous about of fear, anxiety, and uncertain to all of us. We find ourselves leading our lives in a different way. People are naturally more aware of their own thoughts, feelings and surroundings in order to try and make sense of their world. We all are looking for ways to feel safe, to maintain our emotional wellbeing as well as our economic well-being. We have become more mindful.
People in leadership positions need to also be mindful about the health and wellbeing people within their ecosystem. How will we support our employees, our customers and our suppliers. How will we ensure our company will survive over time? How will we ensure we help our communities and be contributors to the well-being of our society? As we personally lead our lives mindfully we all contribute to reshaping our world to deal with the new realities impacting others.
We watched daily (and sometimes hourly to leaders and experts we could trust and have confidence in to follow. During these times of total chaos, we find ourselves depending on government leaders to provide clarity, direction and to lay the foundation to address the immediate crisis. Dr. Bonnie Henry’s approach, in British Columbia had a mantra she offered after reporting COVID 19 results within the province that addressed the cultural needs of her community – be calm, be kind, and be safe. In other words, she was leading mindfully and was asking others to lead their lives mindfully. This offered a high level of trustworthiness for others to follow and it is shown to have impact the positive results in lowering the curve.
As we live our life day to day with this perceived state of chaos from the impact of the pandemic, being mindful means leading with a value- based center.
It also means to being aware and to continue to adapt and evolve and learn to serve all of those around us. It is the role of a leader to lead by example to embrace their own personal vulnerabilities in order to be sensitive to everyone. It is the role of the leader to have the courage act in a mindful way.
People will choose to trust leaders when recognize that they are trustworthy.