Hello and welcome to five minutes in nature with me Liz Scott.
Well it's getting very dimpsy and dark up here on Dartmoor.
I'm sheltering behind one of my favourite thorn bushes,
They're called gorse bushes up here on Dartmoor.
There's an easterly wind that I'm sheltering from and the sun has already set and darkness is descending.
In the sky above me hangs a moon which is beautiful round and golden and fills me absolutely with joy to see it.
It feels as though I've got a companion as I make my way back home after a very short walk here on Dartmoor where I bumped into a couple of people so that's why I'm a bit delayed and I'm walking in the dark.
And today is all about being authentic and speaking authentically.
That's what I want to share with you today.
I was with a group of women today and we were meeting and we did a little bit of writing together and I found myself being very present to the conversation.
I'm the sort of person that listens.
I'm a listener in conversations.
I don't naturally find myself falling into the general chitter-chatter that people seem to find so easy socially.
It's not me.
I just don't have that gift or skill,
But I do have the skill of listening.
And I was listening to the conversation and feeling like,
Well,
I'll only speak if it feels like I've got something to contribute.
And as the conversation went this way and that way,
And that one of the ladies was talking about feeling a real anxiety and worry in life.
And I was just present to her.
And then she just suddenly turned to me and said,
Liz,
Tell me,
What do you do?
Are you a coach?
And I find that quite a difficult question to answer because yes,
I mean,
I am a coach,
But I'm not a conventional coach.
And I waited,
Well,
It probably was just for a split second,
But I brought my awareness back within.
And I felt deeply present.
Do you remember we've been talking about listening and yesterday we touched on listening to that space,
The energy,
The energetic field that exists between everything.
It's like the essence of everything.
So I brought my awareness back to listening to that so I could answer as authentically and honestly as possible.
And I can't remember exactly exactly what I said,
But I spoke about listening,
About listening to people,
Their space between,
Listening to that space of love,
The essence of love that is,
And I described it to them,
I said,
It's like listening to the soul.
It's like listening to the soul and essence of everything.
I didn't exactly know what I meant by that.
It just came out of my mouth.
And another person who was in this group turned to me and said,
I've never heard you describe it like that before.
And she was quite touched by what I'd said.
I'd never heard you describe it like that before.
And the other lady who had prompted the conversation,
She mopped away a tear and said,
I feel deeply moved by what you've said.
And I realize that as I tune in to this essence of who I truly am,
And it's the same essence of who you truly are.
Then I feel connected to something that is more than just the identity of Liz.
And this is what today is all about for you.
It's listening into that essence that is the same for all of us.
It's the shared love,
Soul,
Connection,
Force,
Energy,
God energy.
I don't know what word you've got for it.
Consciousness,
Mind energy,
Awareness.
It's the same for all of us.
And the beauty is in this world that we are human and we each have a different filter of skills and characteristics and personalities that make me me and make you you.
So it's about listening into this essence of who we are and then allowing that to shine out through us,
Through you,
Through me.
And for me today,
The words came out that seemed to touch people.
It came from an authentic,
Honest place.
And I'm just curious what you make of that for yourself.
This isn't about doing nothing.
This isn't about putting aside your wonderful skills and characteristics and everything that makes you you.
On the contrary,
It's about allowing that life force,
That life energy,
To shine through you so that you can shine in the world in whatever way you want to express yourself in the world.
Today is all about authenticity,
And I'd deeply love to know your reflections on what that means for you.
What does it mean for you?
Let me know your thoughts.
And of course,
Don't forget to join me again tomorrow for another five minutes in nature.
