The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi – lover of animals. He gained enormous wisdom from animals – It’s no wonder that to this day, all over the world animals are blessed on October 4th
1. Live in the Present Moment
Humans are all too often distracted by the past or the future. Animals have a natural instinct to exist in the moment, to attend to the sights, sounds and scents that surround them. Eckhart Tolle Believes “When you are present, when your attention is fully in the Now, Presence will flow into and transform what you do”.
Lesson: Take your cue from the animals and notice more of each present moment – you will then be able to more fully appreciate what is happening right now.
Question: What can we do to have more present moment thinking?
2. Trust your Instincts
Animals are alert and respond to the signs and signals around them – it is the way they navigate successfully through life. They do not analyse and rationalise everything, constantly ignoring the important signals the senses are trying to pick up. Candace Pert discovered that neuropeptides and their receptors which are linked to thinking and perception and thought previously to only exist in the brain, also exist in the gut.
Lesson: Trust your gut instincts – it opens up a whole new world of choices, possibilities and opportunities.
Question: How do I attune to what my gut is telling me?
3. Listen Carefully
Animal’s listening ability far surpasses humans ability. Many animals depend on their keen listening skills for survival. Most animals sit and listen before they react. Humans listen at a superficial level much of the time. It is often a cosmetic exercise! What if our survival depended on our listening skills? Perhaps it does!
Lesson: Prioritise listening, and be surprised at how much more you will really hear.
Question: How can I learn to listen with the ears of the soul?
4. Take Time to Rest
We fill our days with doing. I call it ‘busy work’, and often it is more important to appear busy than actually being busy. This busyness does not affect the animal kingdom. Animals usually work – forage or hunt – then rest, re-energise and then work again. It seems to me to be very like the work/life balance we humans talk so much about and do so very little to absorb into our lives.
Lesson: Sit, soak in everything and reflect now and then.
Question: How can I invite and attract balance into my life?
5. Remember to Play
The proverb tells us “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. I fear we may have a great many Jack and Jackie’s in our midst today. We have reserved play at best for weekends but more realistically for our annual holiday. From the cat to the calf, the bengal to the butterfly and the leopard to the lamb, each finds time to play and to take themselves less seriously.
Lesson: Play lightens our load, eases our concerns (even briefly), silences the inner critic and accesses our ability to invent, discover, create and bring joy to our day.
Question: How can I nourish my playful nature?
Are you interested in exploring these questions?
Contact Elizabeth at Elizabeth@egbsoulpreneurs.ie or call 086 8037712