If you’re walking along one of New Zealand’s many gorgeous coastal pathways, you’re likely to come across a tall, often strangely shaped sculpture. These are the works of New Zealand’s most internationally-renowned artist, Len Lye, who specialized in kinetic sculptures.
As Lye called them, they are “art in motion,” meaning that the sculptures themselves were not that particularly interesting; we witnessed this ourselves when touring his work at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, where much of his work is on display. Sitting idle, they looked like long poles with weird shapes attached, but when placed in the right environment and put into motion, the became masterpieces.
Your environment impacts your motion...
Life is like swimming upstream. The natural currents try to move us backward, but our focused efforts will move us forward. We constantly need to be working on moving towards the life we want. Setting yourself up to achieve success today is essential, and this requires putting yourself in the right environment.
We are similar to these sculptures in that our environments have a lot to do with how we perform. When in the right environment – that is, one that is safe, inspiring, encouraging, humbling, or able to provide whatever else it is we need – we are able to create the motion we need to do our best work in life. Conversely, the wrong environment can leave us motionless, idle, and uninspired.
We’ve all felt those moments where a positive environment has improved our outlook. Perhaps it was sitting beside a body of water, visiting our favorite part of a city, or being surrounded by people or things we love. Whatever it may be, most of us can recall a time when we felt completely comfortable and at peace. The key is to replicate the most important aspects of this environment into as much of your life as you possibly can.
The importance of environment is an age-old philosophy...
Yoga philosophy dictates that there is a deep connection between the self and the environment, and we remain healthy if we retain balance by interacting with our environment in an effective and wholesome way. One of the first questions many practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine will ask is for the patient to describe their environment.
Importantly, this does not just mean the space where you spend time, but also includes things like diet, lifestyle, and relationships. The things with which we choose to interact have a profound impact on the quality of our lives.
Here are simple action steps you can take TODAY...
Take a slow, thoughtful look around you and answer the questions below. If you answer ‘no’ to any of those questions, take a step to fix your environment and work towards making all your answers a yes!
1) Is the space around you clean and inspiring?
2) Are you holding on to anything that you haven’t used in the last two years?
3) Is technology encroaching on your personal space and time?
4) Are your bed pillow and bedding comfortable and clean to promote a good nights sleep?
5) Do you have a dedicated space where you can disconnect, recalibrate, and re-energize?
Adjusting even the smallest aspects of our environments can have an incredible impact on our ability to keep ourselves in positive motion!
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