The Beauty of Possibility - Nature Workshop

Let’s reconsider and revisit the different kinds of attitudes and perspectives to possibility in our life

When it’s all about perspective

Sometimes (or perhaps most times) it’s not about having the luxury possibilities – it’s about seeing and seizing an opportunity or creating the possibilities. Emily Dickinson once wrote “I dwell in possibility…” and that is such a wonderful place to be in, to know that you are surrounded by endless possibilities, endless opportunities. And yet in its limitlessness, possibility is usually followed by choice – one does usually have to make a choice, whether it’s about the path to take or the perspective to choose.

So now I ask you

- What does ‘possibility’ mean to you?

- How can you develop a mindset which sees the possible rather than the impossible?

- How would more possibilities change your life?

Possibility in art

Seeing various possibilities points towards resilience in my mind and resilience more often than not comes from trials, hardships. I like to be inspired by artists who did not have the easiest of journeys, who struggled yet trudged on relentlessly.

Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) known for his elongated figures suffered from severe astigmatism. Along with bouts of depression Van Gogh also suffered from glaucoma, which is known to cause certain halo- like visions around one’s head (which can be seen in his works). Georgia O’Keeffe lived with severe anxiety – “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to”.

These and many other artists did not allow their conditions to define them, so their life could not be limited by them.

What can nature teach us about possibility?

Nature is full of possibility – it is a show of pure surrender and trust in the cycles that are life and death. From the determined flowers or weeds that come up from between the concrete pavements, to the power of the sea and the creatures that inhabit it. Nature perhaps has much to teach us in our approach to challenges, to the struggle that is life itself. Our approach, outlook, perspective, perception – call it what you will – is what truly affects how we see and act on different situations. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning focuses on the fact that our greatest freedom lies in the freedom to choose our attitude. There is also much to learn if, as in nature, we pause – pause between action and reaction, leaving that space between stimulus and response. Multiple perspectives don’t come in a flash, many times it takes a little time to step back and see the full picture.

Talking about perspectives and possibilities I cannot but think of the myth of Sisyphus – it is his struggle I think about when I myself need to make a tough decision, or when I would do well to look at a situation from an-other angle.

More about Sisyphus here