How to weather the storm - part two
Be more mountain
There are few things in life I like better than hiking up a mountain.
For much of my life, it was all about reaching the summit. The steeper and longer the climb, the greater my sense of achievement. But then what…?
Onto the next summit. And then…?
Until one day I realised there’s more to a mountain than its summit. Just as there’s more to leadership than results.
In both cases, you gain more by pausing to notice the journey you’re on.
How well do you notice what’s right there, in front of you?
When you pause and tune into your senses - what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch - and notice the physical sensations in your body, you might become aware of you as you are, and not as you think you should be.
Every year a group of eight ‘evolving leaders’ come to our French Alpine valley on two 5-day retreats. On both occasions we spend a whole day hiking up a mountain.
The space is vast, the landscape magnificent.
In my role as programme leader, at some point along the way I pick a spot on the mountain and invite them to find their own space. I suggest they sit on the ground, make themselves comfortable, and be there in silence for a while.
In this experience, in the hearts and minds of everyone there, something shifts.
Imagine yourself there. You’re looking at the mountain, and the mountain is looking back at you. Majestic, yet grounded. Solid, but not fixed. Still, while moving and changing constantly. Imperturbable.
In the group, there’s a shared sense of effortless calm. Time seems to slow down. We’re in the presence of something greater than ourselves.
The mountain is showing us the way.
As a leader, parent, partner, friend, you may feel pulled and pushed in different directions and buffeted from one thing to the next. Every so often, your mind and body need to feel what it’s like to be somewhere in the middle of it all. Centred. Still. At ease with what’s right there and open to what lies ahead.
Inner Stability Practice No.2: ‘Be more mountain’.
To be more mountain, you don’t have to be in the mountains. Mountain qualities - that enable you to maintain your stability no matter what - can be cultivated anywhere.
Next time you’re out in nature - whether that’s in the mountains, by the sea, in the woods, walking through a field, or simply in your garden, try this:
Right where you are, pick out a single small object – perhaps a flower, leaf, twig, or pebble.
Feel it in your hands. Hold it to your face and smell it. Scrutinise it in tiny detail.
When you’re ready, lift your gaze and look out. Embrace the whole landscape before you. Notice what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.
Come back to the flower (or leaf…) again.
Contract and expand your view in this way several times.
What do you learn about inner stability from this?
With love from the mountain,
Sally-Anne