Happy Tuesday, Christelle!

“If trees could hear your thoughts” - What is this about?

Well, it started with me exploring my new surroundings around Strasbourg, France, and coming across a group of trees with ears attached to the bottom of their trunks - Literally!

Of course, the ears were sculptures… but they still made me think:

What if all those trees around us - especially the ones we walk past when we're trying to relax in a park or forest - could not only hear our thoughts, but were actually nourished by them?

What kind of environment would our thoughts create?

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Personally, I’d love to help create one that feels healthy, friendly and supportive. Which would mean feeding those trees with thoughts that do the same:

• Looking forward to the coffee with a friend rather than focusing on the difficult conversation I need to have later.
• Wondering “What if I succeed?” instead of automatically going to “What if this doesn’t work?”

Is that what I do all the time? Not really… Let’s say there’s room for improvement!!!

If I had to put a number on it, I’d say that perhaps two-thirds of the time, my thoughts would nourish those trees pretty well. The other third? My mind still has a tendency to go towards what could go wrong.

So, my trees would probably be doing okay… But perhaps not quite ready to show off their beautiful shiny leaves and sweet, juicy fruits!

A different way to look at this

Of course, our thoughts aren’t actually feeding the trees around us.

And having an uncomfortable or negative thought doesn’t automatically make it a “bad” thought. Sometimes, those thoughts are telling us something useful.

But I like what this image makes visible.

Because when my mind automatically jumps to “What if it doesn’t work?”, I don’t necessarily have to force myself to replace that thought with something positive. I can simply notice where my mind went. And perhaps make a little room for another possibility too: What if it does work?

It’s not about ignoring what could go wrong.

It’s about noticing when that becomes the only possibility I’m giving my attention to.

A question for you

If the thoughts going through your mind today were nourishing the trees around you, what would your trees look like?

Would they be thriving?

Doing reasonably well?

Or could they perhaps use a little more nourishment?

One simple move

So, what could I do to remind myself to notice my thoughts a little more often?

I could set reminders with helpful quotes on my phone throughout the day.

I could make it a reflection point in my evening journalling.

I could create a whole new routine around it…

All good ideas. But they all need a little time to set up. Which means I’ll probably think, “I’ll do it later.” And we all know where “later” can sometimes lead… Never got done!

So, instead, I’m going to do something much simpler: I’ll make the photo of those trees with ears my screensaver. That’s it!

I’ll see it throughout the day, and every now and then it might remind me to notice:

What am I feeding my trees right now?

Not to immediately change every thought.

Just to notice.

And perhaps, one thought at a time, give those trees a little better nourishment!

How about you?

What simple cue could help you notice your own thoughts today?

To healthier thoughts… and happier trees!

Christelle

Self-Leadership Catalyst - Small steps. Real progress.