Learning Lessons from Nature
In the wilderness, one comes to understand that there is an essence to life far greater than things in our material lives. The clearest evidence and greatest lessons about our essential spirituality are found in nature. That is why I go to the mountains when I want to reflect deeply and renew my spirit.
Education for Life
In nature, a butterfly struggles to emerge from a cocoon. It is difficult and painful. Yet, were the butterfly cut out of its cocoon, without the vigorous physical exercise required to get out of the cocoon, the butterfly’s wings remain weak, brittle and it is...
Preparing for Spring
The Right Attitude in Times of Challenge The more we overcome, the more we gain in wisdom, understanding, and building a character that does not give way to panic in times of crisis. In the US Pacific Northwest, spring is a big deal. From the dark, rainy, sometimes...
Ways Nature Can Make Better Leaders
A group of college students from across the United States came together to participate in a week-long hiking trip in the iconic wildernesses of Montana. Emerging from barren hills spiked with burnt trees, snow-covered mountain peaks and shining crystal...
3 Ways Nature Makes You Happier
“Spirituality is a basis of fundamental truths – the universal aspirations, principles, and values acknowledged by all people, regardless of race, regardless of nationality, regardless of ethnicity and most of all,...
Knowing Our Earth: Environmental Stewardship 101
Originally posted on April 23, 2012. Updated on April 19, 2018. Today, we are looking for ways to protect our planet and build a sustainable future. But the solution lies deeper than at the bottom of a recycling bin. We are facing the question of stewardship. To...
Finding True North on a Moral Compass
“This is called a compass,” the experienced mountaineer addressed myself and my peers in the remote wilderness of Montana, facetiously holding up the orienteering object to a crowd of smiling teenagers and twenty-somethings. If you are like me, you have grown...
The Transforming Power of the Wilderness
For centuries, poets, authors, religious leaders, scientists and great minds from around the world have acknowledged the irreplaceable lessons on...
4 Lessons on Leadership from Mother Nature
Nature is one of humankind’s greatest classrooms. In nature, we are tested physically and mentally. We learn who we really are as leaders and spiritual beings, and how we are connected and responsible for each other as part of one human family. We face our true selves...
Morality and Innovation: Two Sides of a Coin
“When we live in accordance with universal laws and in harmony with the natural world, we can best tap the resourceful energy of human creativity. Innovative leadership focuses that energy to find new and inventive approaches to solve problems and create new...