The Value of Being in Nature

I recently returned from Frisco, Colorado where I spent five days with great friends. Frisco is in the mountains in the ski area west of Denver.  You actually have to drive through Frisco to get to Breckenridge which is a bit more well known.  Because I practice living in the present moment, it's easy for me to drink in my surroundings, see the beauty of wherever I am and Be with the people I'm with. Thus, I noticed a lot of beautiful parts of Colorado in the summer: flowers everywhere - in flower boxes, hanging from street lamps, in the fields; flowing water; still water; beautiful mountains everywhere and wild animals like elk, mouse, deer, fox, chipmunks, beavers, etc.  I also noticed how people love to be outside biking, walking, hiking, boating simply Being with nature.  They are healthy for the most part and enjoy their lifestyle. I also noticed how people embrace the Green initiative, especially recycling and taking care of the environment.  There is a lot to be said of taking time out of our busy lives to enjoy places like this.  Colorado is a great place to visit and appreciate the gifts of nature and laid back living. But, you don't have to go out to Colorado to absorb your surroundings.  There are many places around the country and close to home to experience the same type of needed peace, we just have to take the time to do it.

 I coach many leaders and successful business people who are not really good at balancing their life or knowing when to slow down to relax and enjoy people and places in their life. This awareness is vital to the long-term health of people both mentally and physically.  I ask my clients to find some activity that they love doing or did in their past or something they have always wanted to do that is fun and relaxing and to figure out a way to integrate it into their lives.  Simple things like reading a book while lying in a hammock, sitting on a patio, being at the beach or just taking a walk with nature with or without music, riding a bike, cooking - just something simple but so beneficial to their well being. I know one of my purposes is to introduce this concept to hard charging people who have lost the joy of appreciating this life, mind and body we were born with.