I have been picking up lots of fallen sticks lately. They are coming down from the trees because of the fall winds. My husband calls this “natural pruning”. He was educated as a wildlife biologist early in life so after many years, I still hear lots of biology jargon. The trees lose the dead wood, to keep them healthier, which calls to mind a metaphor we might use in coaching.
Imagine that you are a healthy tree with many branches. Most of your branches are healthy and alive but some are no longer viable nor do they contribute in a healthy way to your life. So the wind blows the dead branches free, leaving you to be a healthier tree. Now, think of the branches as your thoughts and the wind as life events happening. Some of your old thoughts create stress and suffering. It is time to notice these thoughts and let them fall away, to be replaced with healthier thoughts and conclusions which will serve you well today and as you go forward in life.
Keep in mind that many of our thoughts originate from when we were young. We reacted to situations to protect ourselves as children and these thoughts and ways of reacting are often the way we deal with things as adults and in truth, do not serve us well as adults. We react automatically most of the time because life seems to move so fast and we may not respond from a place of awareness. We don’t hear what our inner voice would rather we say, or if we do hear we push that voice aside and react as we always do. We fear change because we don’t know any other way and fear we would lose control over events if we did it differently. There is a better way to think and react, which will improve your life. Furthermore, the lives of your friends and family may change too as they learn by your example of choosing to react differently!
So let the fall winds blow and let the dead wood fall. Your life will be healthier, mind and body. Oh, and the same is true for the tree. Hugs ~ b
P.S. Look for an upcoming blog on Metaphors. Do you know the power of metaphors? They can help to change your life.
