The forest, the hunt and bold leadership
I grew up in a forest. That's true, because my parents had a camping site.
Yet for years I had nothing to do with a forest. Quite beautiful, mind you, all that green. But ultimately nothing more than an oxygen production company or a supplier of raw materials, such as firewood.
Fear not, I have become wiser. Nowadays I find in a forest something that is familiar to everyone, namely peace.
Yes, I too find peace in nature these days.
But I also use a forest as a source of inspiration. I look through the trees.
Nothing is what it seems.
A forest is a battlefield. Insects, mushrooms, plants and microbes are constantly competing with each other. They fight for light, space, soil, nutrients, water and reproduction. And whoever does it best, fastest or smartest, stays.
I was looking at a conglomerate of beech trees the other day. If they were beech trees, of course. They could also be alders or something like that. Or young oaks. You can tell me anything about flora and fauna, I believe it.
I saw that the beeches or oaks or alders were at each other's throats in their battle for the available light. They don't grant each other the light in the crowns.
For this reason, trees of the same species mainly invest in long trunks.
Because one beech invests in a long trunk, the others have to follow suit.
Investing in a long trunk is a forced strategy for survival for every individual. A beautiful sight, but not so efficient for the species.
To capture light, every tree must participate. We find it beautiful to see, those tall trees, and so calming, just like you say. But of course it is just an inefficient tribal war.
It takes a lot of energy to make a long trunk.
I don't know what a tree should do differently to save energy and still capture light efficiently, but I do know what a human should do to achieve the desired effect.
Competition is a useful thing. Up to a point.
In my opinion, you win the competition by letting go of the competition.
I would like to continue with that.
In my opinion, you achieve what you want by letting go of the pursuit of what you want.
Note: the hunt. Not the desire. The goal remains.
Instead of that struggle, something must take its place.
That could be a bold strategy. A strategy, you know, is a long-term plan. With that plan, you can achieve your goals.
Bold is less well known. Bold is composed of the words 'free' and 'courage'. It makes it clear that this is about a free choice, in which you appeal to your courage. Your unique courage, depending on the circumstances and your carrying capacity at that moment.
In making your choice you are calling upon your courage. That automatically means that you are going further than you dare.
The effect of a bold strategy is that you reshape the circumstances yourself. We are people, not trees. We can move ourselves to a freer environment. And to new circumstances.
You create your ideal life yourself.
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