I, too, am a digger of metaphors! Thanks, Cairene, for this fabulous phrase via twitter.

Not only do I dig (as in, get a kick out of) metaphors, but I also dig (as in, actively seek out) metaphors that have special meaning.

So I totally ate up this blog post about the Spirea Bush as a role model. Shannon admires the sheer volume of flowers on the spirea bush.  They remind her that she needn’t stress about watering the many new blooms in her life. She can simply trust, and have more ease around nurturing all her new opportunities.

Shannon’s ability to turn a flower into a role model reminds me of my recent trip to Yosemite National Park.

For five days I camped alone. Days were spent on long hikes searching the terrain for teachers.  Nights I lounged in front of the campfire with my journal, reflecting about what I’d learned.  Three teachers emerged, and I’ve been carrying them with me ever since.

The Waterfall

What I Observed: The water above the waterfall is quiet and serene.  Just trickling along.  As soon as it gets to the cliff, momentum builds. Before you know it — the trickle becomes a powerful wall of water that whooshes down to the bottom of the canyon. Small droplets from the waterfall travel surprisingly far away (I felt drops a quarter mile away).

Lessons in Entrepreneurship: Power comes from momentum. It’s OK if I’m just the little stream right now, as long as I’m heading in the direction of the precipice. Once the momentum of my business builds, my success won’t just be in the waterfall itself.  There will be little sprinkles of my message that travel far and wide.  And guess what — when the sun shines into these sprinkles, a rainbow appears!!  I’m curious what my rainbow will be, when my MuseCubes business gets off the ground.

The Sequioa Tree

What I Observed: Alone in the Mariposa Sequoia Grove, I craned my neck up to stare into the branches of a 290 foot miracle of a tree.    Such peace. Steadfastness. Confidence. At over 1000 years old, the trees in this grove have truly withstood the test of time!!

Lessons in Entrepreneurship. Did you know that these ginormous trees can’t survive without help from the tiniest of creatures!? Evidently, their pine cones don’t fall of their own accord. So in order to get their seeds to drop and spread, the redwood depends on squirrels to collect the seeds. Or little bugs, which kill the branch at the base of the pine cone, forcing it to drop.  This makes me wonder: who are my squirrels? what little bugs help me out? How open am I to the support that exists in my ecosystem? If I want to plant far flung seeds, it’s time to engage others in helping my business grow!

The Woodpecker

What I Observed. I spotted Mr. Woodpecker pecking at a tree right off the road in my campsite. He was so focused on the tree, he wasn’t at all bothered by my presence three feet away.  Such determination and perseverance! He changed positions several times, finding new angles to bore deeper into his chosen hole.  Finally…he tore an entire piece of bark off of the tree, gobbled up his prey, and flew off, all within seconds.

Lessons in Entrepreneurship. Keep on pecking. Find new angles for old problems. Stay focused on the goal. Don’t let gawkers distract you. Enjoy your successes, but don’t spend too much time dwelling on them.  Fly off and find a new tree.

What about you? What teachers have you found in nature?

Do tell!