Restoring my nature
In late 2012, I began a profound journey of being restored in and by nature.
Close friends based in Cape Town had invited me to support their NGO in organizing sustainably — but in reality, it was an invitation to escape the hustle and reimagine life. At the time, I was deeply burnt out. It was incredibly difficult to see a path forward in my career at a very ripe age of 26. So desperate for a change, I left my legal career and moved across the globe.
I loved my life-draining career at the time. Learning about and reflecting upon my newly discovered CliftonStrengths in South Africa, it became clear why I felt so alive in my work at times and also why it was no longer viable. It was crystal clear to me then that I needed greater freedom to operate in my strengths, while also ensuring my instincts didn’t get the best of me.
It took some time to understand that my environmental conditions, some of which expanded beyond my workplace, were not conducive to my nature. This incongruence created dissonance that eventually led to distrust in most people and things, including myself. Realizing a longing and desire to reconnect with my nature, I sought therapy and coaching. Often, I share with my clients that learning of your strengths is “fuel for therapy” as most people can identify how strengths showed up in childhood. We all have memories and experiences of various levels of resistance and friction against them – I believe this is part of how they are borne. If strengths have been scorned under great challenge, healing them is part of how they are liberated into the future.
My nature – my unique way of being and seeing the world – became a state of existence that I could now take responsibility in claiming. Through my own strength awareness, keen changes to my environment would provide clear access to fuel that powers my best energy. In the years that followed, I invested in my strengths through formal and informal education, bringing invaluable learning of the art and science of leadership. With vigilance, I studied what made certain projects and missions succeed or fail — all the while seeing my strength and contribution clearly. This clarity did not make everything easy. Every time our strengths meet resistance is an opportunity for them to grow, change, and refine their movement. These opportunities are guaranteed to be endless as there is no predicting environmental conditions called life.
All of this work began and continues with connecting to the flow of strength and life within myself. While hiking around the beautiful landscape of South Africa, I began to feel hope in restoring my nature. It wasn’t a switch to be flipped, however it became very clear that I had just received a map to find my way through the darkness of burnout.
It is clear that my instincts and experiences have led me to this work and it is one of my greatest honors to be your Guide.
About
Canon Collaborative is on a mission to create positive change in the world through revolutionizing experience at work. We partner with innovative, purpose-driven individuals and organizations to establish and steward a foundation of strength. Our nature-inspired approach brings focus on wellbeing, creativity, and collaboration. Learn more about the heart of our work.
