Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott and you join me on a midday walk or a lunchtime walk.
I had been planning to do some recordings this morning on my walk but it was really heavy rain this morning so I decided to wait a little bit later in the day and I'm sheltering at the moment in amongst the gorse bushes.
There's a blustery westerly wind.
It's a cooler day today and today now has turned into a bit of blue sky and low cloud but dry whereas earlier this morning it was very very rainy.
However one of the things I learned from the morning walk really is related to what I want to talk about today and that's about laying down or allowing limiting beliefs or habitual thought patterns that no longer serve you.
Just laying them down and allowing them to go and this morning as I set out on my walk it was really really hammering with rain.
Dark dark morning and the rain was rattling against the window and so I put on some appropriate clothing,
A thick heavy raincoat,
Some waterproof trousers.
I put on my wellington boots and I set out.
I don't mind walking in the rain.
I rather enjoy just getting out whatever the weather and five minutes into my walk the the rain lifted and what transpired was a walk that was actually now quite muggy and warm.
So if you imagine it I'm walking across Dartmoor.
I've got my wellington boots on.
I've got my waterproof jacket,
A big thick heavy waterproof jacket.
I've got my waterproof trousers on and I'm trudging along feeling the weight of this clothing which is no longer appropriate to the weather conditions and it just got me thinking as I was walking like knowing that I had still a few more miles to go in this inappropriate clothing and wishing I'd worn something a bit lighter but it got me thinking and realising that you know sometimes what happens in life is that we have limiting beliefs or we have particular habits or behaviours that are a response to something that happened in our lives that meant that this action or activity or habit or this belief made sense at one time in our lives but no longer makes sense now and yet we're still carrying it and I was reminded when I was younger as a student that I really saw this very clearly with a friend who pointed out my dad,
This is the background,
My dad didn't like the colour green.
He thought it was unlucky and so in our house we never had anything green.
We didn't have any green cups or plates,
No green furniture,
Carpeting,
No green paint or wallpaper.
Green was not something we would buy for clothing because my dad would always say it's unlucky,
I don't like seeing green in the house.
So we adapted around my dad and it just meant that I never ever bought anything coloured green even though I might like it because I just kind of knew my dad wouldn't like it and he wouldn't like it in the house and when I was away at university my friend and I went out shopping and I saw this beautiful green coat and I said to my friend oh I really like this coat and she said well it looks great on you.
I said yeah but I can't buy it,
I can't wear it and she said why not and I said well my dad doesn't like the colour green and she looked at me in surprise and said well your dad's not going to wear the coat and it was one of those moments a bit like a lightning strike of realisation where I suddenly realised that I no longer needed to keep this habitual thought pattern intact which was I mustn't buy anything coloured green.
I mean it made sense when I was living in my dad's house and growing up he didn't like the colour green and that was just something as a culture in our family that we adapted to.
But now I was living independently it didn't matter what my dad thought,
It didn't matter that my dad didn't like the colour green,
I was able to wear what I wanted and it was just one of those moments where I suddenly saw clearly that I had been held back by a silly belief that I had carried way beyond its usefulness.
So today is just a request that you look to see if you are carrying any habitual thought patterns or habits that made sense at one time but no longer make sense now and if you are maybe it's time to take them off.
A bit like my outfit this morning it made sense when I set out to wear all the clobber I needed to keep dry but when the weather changed it no longer made sense to wear it and it's the same with our thought patterns and habitual ways that we have and our limiting beliefs.
Maybe it's time for you to identify some of those that are time for you to take off and to lay down and to leave behind as you make your next steps in life.
