subject: Are You Using Your Survival Instincts? Don't Just Survive - Thrive! [print this page] Last night during some local celebrations we attended, there was a fireworks display. I remember loving fireworks as a child and finding them so exciting, I even remember the feeling of my stomach fluttering with excitement as we sat waiting for the show to start and the joy of leaning my head back and smiling from the sheer fun of it all.
Last night, I held my little boy tightly on my knee and told him we would see lovely colours in the sky. I sat it was a big noise but that it was pretty, like magic lights.
And then the fireworks started.
His little body went stiff and he started to cry. I explained that it was just noise but to look at the lovely colors, the bright lights.
He said no, no, stop it...I don't want it...stop it.
And then he started to squirm and get more and more upset until he was quite hysterical.
So, how do you turn them off, how do you stop a fireworks display?
He started to struggle as I held him firmly and tried to talk to him to calm him down. There was terror in his eyes but what really amazed me was that he was trying to run away. A three year old child, in unfamiliar surroundings full of people that he didn't know, still had the survival instinct to run away from danger. He didn't try to hide behind me or to cover his eyes, he was trying to run.
It made me think about how deep our survival instincts live within us and wonder how this instinct shows up in our day to day life. How often are we prepared to run from danger, or do we simply cover our eyes or hide?
Do survival instincts kick in only in the face of danger? What about the situations that we face that may not be dangerous, but certainly are not good for us? The relationships that hurt us, the roles in life that we play that limit us, the negative thought patterns that constrain us and stop us reaching our potential.
I wonder is there a way for us to nurture and develop our survival instincts so that they can protect us from these kinds of dangers.
So next time you have the thought that you're just not good enough, thin enough, fat enough or smart enough... whoosh, your survival instinct will stop you in your tracks and tell you that you really are wonderful and definitely more than enough!
Or next time your kids, partner, stranger or your manager answer back to you, speak to you in a sassy, rude way and tell you that your views don't matter.....boom, your survival instinct will have you speak up and make your views and your strength clear to them.
Next time your parent, child, partner or friend don't respect your values and make you feel small, powerless and voiceless....crash, your survival instinct will help you stand tall and speak out so that you make your greatness shine.
So, shine on those survival instincts. My little boy needed to run to get away from something that scared him. I held him close, tried to calm him and when this didn't work, I grabbed him in my arms and ran with him as far away as we could get until he calmed down. He made me listen to his survival instincts and get him away from there.
Who are the people that you need to hear you so they can help you grow to your greatest height, stretch to your furthest limits. Are you letting your survival instincts help you be the greatest version of you. If not, well, today is the best day to start!
