Level Up! With Shay

We’re a little over 1 month into spring and boy oh boy, nature is doing its thing. I love going out on my back porch and just watching nature. The squirrels, the birds, the trees.

It’s so interesting what nature can teach us by simply… being.

There’s a huge oak tree in my backyard right outside the door. 😍

I remember just a few weeks ago, the leaves were just little buds and now they are almost fully grown leaves. 

I even mentioned the tree’s baby leaves in a comedy video I made. 

I was sitting on the back porch yesterday with my roommate and we were. having fun discussing all the ways trees are amazing and the lessons they continue to teach us.

I’ll share 3 with you today and maybe you can use them as you level up in your life.

Lesson #1

Trees need three things to stay alive and grow – water, sun, and connection. 

One thing is not more or less important than the other. They all work together.

Sound familiar? We also need water, sun, and connection. Unfortunately, nature doesn’t automatically tell us exactly what we need and when we need it.

But as we continue to get to know ourselves more fully, we know when we need water to hydrate, get out in the sun, and connect – whether that’s with ourselves for a night in, with others for a night out, or connect with a higher power through meditation, journaling, or whatever else gets you there. 

Our needs and wants will change as we live life, so it’s important and can be fun and exciting to stay curious to learning more about ourselves on how to fuel up properly for the next level of our lives.

Lesson #2

Another thing I noticed is that all of the tree’s growth comes from within. Yes, externally there is the water, sun, and soil, but there isn’t anyone coming and climbing on the tree pulling the leaves out one by one at every point in the day.

And in addition, we cannot see the constant inner-workings of growth, but we can recognize the stages of the growth.

Our bodies are constantly working. Cells are breaking down and new ones are being created.

Here’s a fact that
blew my mind:

Our bodies replace around 330 billion cells per day. At that rate, our body makes over 3.8 million new cells EVERY SECOND. 😲

It is important that we give our body the things it needs (water, sun, connection) but how ’bout we give a big round of applause for our bodies that work for us 24/7! 👏🏻

And this not only points to growth and change in our bodies – the ENTIRE UNIVERSE works this way too. 

If growth comes from within, then we start to look at what triggers growth from within – our thoughts.

People can tell you what to think, you can read about what to think, but if you don’t actually think those things – if it doesn’t truly come from within – then it won’t do much. 

Whether we want a new job, a relationship, more money, etc. all of this starts from within.

We learn how to be grateful for the job that we have and then “out of the blue,” another, better, more fulfilling job shows up.

We love ourselves before a true and authentic relationship comes into our lives.

And if we want more money, do we start by taking on more tasks than we can handle just to get an extra buck or do we start that growth of wealth from within? (Believe me, it’s the latter.)

We can’t always see the constant growth – opportunities coming our way, the changes our bodies make, etc. but we can definitely take notice of the stages of growth. When you notice those moments, celebrate! Because you are for sure leveling up.

Lesson #3

And then, of course, the leaves will eventually die and fall off. It’s not a terrible thing, it is a way of this life we live. At one point, the leaves served a purpose, but once that purpose has been fulfilled and the weather changes, they leave. 

Are we doing this with ourselves? Are we checking in throughout the seasons of our life asking “Does this part of my life serve me anymore? Or am I able to release it and grow into a better version of myself?”

And while it may not seem like trees grow every spring, other than the leaves, trees actually add a new layer of wood between the bark and the trunk each growing season. (That’s what creates the tree rings.) It becomes older and stronger. 

In addition to that, we also become wiser. Life doesn’t necessarily become easier – winter will definitely make its way into our lives – but like the trees, we are more equipped to handle our circumstances.

Even though I grew up in the Midwest, I didn’t really have this perspective until moving out to Atlanta. LA was mostly sunny and good weather, which I love, but really being able to notice the seasons and the changes has given me a new way of seeing things.

Like nature, all in due time.

“If we are to use our tools in the service of fitting in on Earth, our basic relationship to nature – even the story we tell ourselves about who we are in the universe – has to change.”

Janine M. Benyus

When was the last time you observed nature? Did you have any nuggets of wisdom that popped up?

Comment below – I read them all!

Shay 🌞

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LEVEL UP! WITH SHAY PODCAST

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I interviewed actor, comedian, host and internet video maker Brett Schultz.

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