Tapping into Inner Strength: How Nature Reminds Us of Our Own Magnificence

Have you ever found yourself being stopped in your tracks because something in nature just stunned you? 

Maybe it was sunlight sparkling, a beautiful cloud, or the way a tree glowed golden in the afternoon light. Maybe you felt your whole body pause, just for a heartbeat. 

For a moment, everything else faded away, and you just stood there, breathing it in.

That moment of awe isn’t just about the tree, the river, or the light. It’s about you.

You wouldn’t even notice that magnificence if it weren’t already alive inside of you. 

The magnificence you see in nature is a mirror. 

Think of it this way: if magnificence weren’t part of your being, it wouldn’t even register, like background noise. 

Instead, it pulls you in, takes your breath, and leaves you standing still, connected, and humbled. That’s your spirit recognizing itself.

When you see a tree standing tall, that strength is yours, too. When you watch a bird riding the wind with ease, that freedom is already in you. And when your heart softens at the sight of a wildflower blooming, that grace is part of you as well.

The truth is, we weren’t taught this about ourselves. We start thinking our worth comes from what we do or how much we get done. We forget that just being here is already magnificent.

But Nature reminds us over and over again what magnificence looks like. Every sunrise, every breeze, every star in the night sky is an invitation to remember.

So, the next time something in Nature makes you stop and say “Wow!” let it be more than a nice moment. Consider that it’s your own beauty and brilliance that enable you to see it.

Because you don’t have to chase magnificence. You are magnificent. Always.

Here’s a 3-minute, tiny but mighty practice to remind you: 

• Step outside, close your eyes, and settle. Take an easy breath. When you open your eyes, let them land on something that feels beautiful to you, no matter how small. 

• Then quietly say: I see your magnificence. And I see mine, too.

• Carry that with you today. You are magnificent.

Cultivating Inner Strength

Cultivating your inner strength is a journey that requires patience, self-awareness, and intentional practice. It’s not an easy journey. If it were, it wouldn’t make us stronger. Developing inner strength takes work, but it’s work that rewards you tenfold.

It leads to resilience and strength during hard times, which is something many of us could use right now, living in these unprecedented times. 

Here are some tips and practices to help you build your inner strength:

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation can help you develop greater self-awareness, allowing you to better understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Regular practice can also reduce stress and anxiety, making it easier to tap into your inner strength.

There are numerous studies done on the power and benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices from all over the world. More and more people are opening up to this idea, and we are seeing record numbers of people meditating. You’ll never be sad you did it.

Self-Reflection and Journaling

Self-reflection and journaling can help you identify your values, goals, and motivations. By understanding what drives you, you can develop a stronger sense of purpose and direction. This can also help you build your inner strength and resilience. 

Self-reflection and journaling can bring up painful truths that you’ve been keeping inside you, unwilling to acknowledge. The thing is… Even if you don’t consciously acknowledge these things, subconsciously they’re still impacting you. They’re impacting your ability to handle conflict and tough things. To build your inner strength, try making this a regular practice (and don’t stray from the hard stuff).

Self-Care and Prioritization

Self-care is essential for building inner strength. And I know it might sound silly if you think of self-care as pedicures and bubble baths (which you can totally do, by the way). But self-care is not frivolous. Have you ever heard that cliqué phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup?” Well, that is actually true. Whether you like it or not, everything that happens in your day is taking from your cup. Eventually, when your cup is empty and you haven’t taken the time to nourish it and fill it back up, you can’t give anything to anyone.

Make time for activities that nourish your mind, body, and spirit, such as exercise, reading, or spending time in Nature. Find activities that truly fill your cup. The more you fill your cup, the better equipped you are to help others or utilize your inner strength when it’s needed.

Connecting with Nature

Connecting with Nature can be a powerful tool for building inner strength. Spend time outdoors, whether it's walking in a park, hiking in the woods, or simply sitting in a garden or on a balcony with plants. 

Nature has a way of putting things into perspective and reminding us of our own resilience and magnificence. Take moments when you’re out walking or sitting in Nature to notice all of the small things that we typically miss when we hurry through things. Watch the natural processes, the symbiotic relationships, and the brilliance of the natural world. Soak in everything Nature has to offer and allow it to make you feel strong and supported.

From External Validation to Internal Empowerment

Societal conditioning often leads us to seek external validation for our worth. We're taught to measure our value by our accomplishments, productivity, and ROI. However, this approach can lead to burnout, anxiety, and a sense of emptiness.

What happens when there is no one to externally validate us? What happens when we don’t reach these arbitrary expectations that others hold?

The Problem with External Validation

External validation can be fleeting and unreliable. It’s never truly fulfilling. It’s not strong, and it becomes a weak motivator during hard times. We don’t build our own inner strength through external validation because, as soon as our cup is empty… we can’t push through

It can also lead to people-pleasing, overcommitting, and sacrificing our own needs and desires. While these things make employers happy, they don’t lead to sustainable work or longevity. At some point, even when we do the same quality of work, the external validation runs dry. Our boss doesn’t see our work as exceptional anymore; they see it as normal. Suddenly, we have to work even harder simply to be noticed.

Shifting to Internal Empowerment

Shifting our focus to internal empowerment and reinforcement requires a fundamental change in how we perceive ourselves and our worth. It means recognizing that our value comes from within, regardless of our accomplishments or external validation.

Internal validation is a far superior motivator. It’s what keeps us going through the hard times. It helps us build our resilience and inner strength. When things get hard, we still feel motivated to try our best and do good work because we genuinely believe in ourselves and our value.

Recognizing Our Own Magnificence

Recognizing our own magnificence is key to internal empowerment and internal validation. It means acknowledging our strengths, talents, and qualities, and celebrating our unique contributions to the world… even when the world isn’t complimenting us.

While it’s always nice to hear a good job from our boss or an acknowledgement from someone close to us for doing something well, when we see our own magnificence, those things just become gravy. They don’t drive us; we don’t depend on them to keep us moving forward. We don’t need them to be strong; we have our own inner strength.

Rethinking Productivity and Worth

When our worth is tied to our productivity and accomplishments, it can lead to burnout and stress. The world revolves around humans only being worthy when we make a lot of money, we bring in a lot of sales, we have a high ROI, we are constantly creating new, innovative, and unique ideas. But at the end of the day, humans don’t have an ROI. Our worth is not based on how much we got done on a single day.

Changing this landscape starts with us. Everyone needs to start seeing work, productivity, and worth in a different light.

Here are some tips for adjusting our work styles and productivity to focus on internal worth:

Focus on Value, Not Just Output

Instead of measuring your worth by your output, focus on the value you bring to your work and relationships. Ask yourself, "What value am I adding to this project?" or "How am I contributing to the well-being of those around me?"

Showcase how proud you are of yourself and the work that you do. Find joy in the process of doing the work, and not just in getting the results. That way, when your boss doesn’t immediately tell you how fantastic a job you did, you still know that you have value because you did something you enjoyed.

Prioritize Meaning Over Metrics

Prioritize work and activities that have meaning and purpose, rather than just focusing on metrics and ROI. Yes, we do want things to have results and perform well, but change your mindset. Instead of designing an ad and seeing the ad's ROI as your own personal ROI, see it for what it is: the ad's ROI. 

Ask yourself, "What impact am I having?" or "How am I making a difference?" Did you put in your best effort? Ads can have a low ROI for many reasons, but that doesn’t mean your inherent worth decreases because one ad didn’t perform well. You are not a metric.

Emphasize Self-Care and Boundaries

Establish clear boundaries and prioritize self-care to maintain your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. This will help you stay grounded and focused on your internal worth and build your inner strength.

When you have clear boundaries, you’re able to block out the societal expectations (that may or may not even have been said), or you’re able to help adjust others' expectations. The more boundaries you set and reinforce, the more inner strength you have. When you have high inner strength and the ability to set clear boundaries, you’re better able to have the hard conversations at work. This potentially might help change the working environment and support your co-workers as well.

Celebrate Your Strengths and Talents

Celebrate your strengths and talents, rather than just focusing on your accomplishments. Ask yourself, "What am I good at?" or "What do I enjoy doing?" Everyone has strengths and things they’re good at. It doesn’t always have to be about work, either. Your hobby might be a strength of yours. Celebrate it.

The impact you make is also worth celebrating. Maybe you held space for a co-worker or someone you volunteer with. All of these things matter (honestly, far more than an accomplishment). If no one else is celebrating you, then celebrate yourself. Trust me, it feels just as good.

Reflection Questions

1. What moments in Nature have made you feel a sense of awe or connection to your own inner strength and magnificence?

2. In what ways do you currently seek external validation for your worth, and how might you begin to shift your focus to internal empowerment?

3. How can you reframe your approach to productivity and worth to prioritize value, meaning, and self-care, rather than just output and metrics?