"Care"

I’ve spent the last two days indoors, not my favourite place to be, but I was attending a workshop on leadership. Although it was for work purposes I found that the messages from the speakers really reflected not only how we could be better leaders in our careers but how we can be better people in our world. We are blessed to live on a planet where we are surrounded by beauty, in nature and in people and we need to be the best we can be.



There is beauty all around us

I found that the messages the speakers were sharing with us all had one thing in common and that was the word “care”. Life is all about caring for others, for ourselves and for this planet. It’s in showing our love and care for absolutely everything that exists in our world that we can make this a better place.



Caring for our waters and future generations

Jim Collins, who shared with us about some of the time he spent as Chair for the Study of Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point said “focus on your unit not on your own personal career goal – take care of your people because life is people”.  It is so very true. So many of us focus on our own lives and careers and what we want to do instead of focusing on others around us. Great people are usually those who have helped others and put others first with love and care.  When you care for others, they will care for you and everyone benefits.

Ed Catmull, Co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, said that “we need to communicate at a deep level with people”, that we need to have “vested interest in each other’s success” and use “candor with kindness”.  A very wise man who knows that communication, the sharing of stories that are well told with emotion, will help us all to have connection with each other, and I believe when we care for one another we will to care more for our world.

My favourite speaker of the two days was Horst Schulze, Chairman and CEO of Capella Hotel Group and the founding President of The Ritz-Carlton Group. Horst shared his story beginning when at age 14 he became a busboy in a hotel that served very important people.  He gave us a message “no human can have superiority over another human”, we are all equal in this world. He said that “the way to success is through caring for your people”.  There is was again, that word caring.



We are all equal, no matter how little we may be

As I head out onto the trails I shall take these messages about caring with me. When I care about my hiking pals, I will listen to their stories and my care and respect for them will increase. As I look around in nature I will be respectful and show care for the plants, trees and animals that I encounter. In caring for nature I will do all that I can to not cause it any harm, and in caring for the earth and others I will also be caring for myself.  

"Care" for nature and all that surrounds us

“Care” like love, is only a four letter word but they both have such a huge impact on our world. When we all care for each other, and care for our planet, and put the care of others before our own needs and wants what an amazing place this world will be and you know, I believe it already is. You just have to stop and look around you to see it. Look up, look down or around, it’s all so beautiful.  

Looking up at nature's beauty

We are all so blessed.