Ils Empower Apple Tree Nugget

COACHING i n t e r n a t i o n a l
NUGGET
Empowering you to Empower Others!
ILS EMPOWER Apple Tree

Learning Objectives
If an Apple Tree didnt know who it was, how would it know what to do? Find who you are and life becomes natural. Colleen-Joy
What is the Apple tree?

? Understand what
the Apple Tree is
Purpose! Many seek it. Some seem to find it. What is purpose? Nature is an amazing teacher. What it can teach us about purpose is very helpful. Here is an inspiring fable to learn about purpose. Sit back and enjoy. The Apple Tree Story Once upon a time there was a young tree born unto the orchard of life. As the little tree stretched his limbs and looked around him, he saw that there were trees much older than he. The beautiful trees that stood near to him were glistening in the sunlight. As soon as he was old enough he looked up and cried out to the trees, please tell me, what my life's purpose is? What is it that I am supposed to be doing? And the trees looked down tenderly at the young tree and said, well in order to fulfill your purpose you must make bark like this and leaves that look like these and if you do this well enough, one day you will be able to stand proud and you will be able to show the fruits of yourself with oranges that look just like these. The little tree was so excited; he finally knew what his life's purpose was. And so as the days and the weeks went by he tried his best to make bark like that and leaves like those. But sadly as the days past he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could not get his bark to look like that or his leaves to look like those. And so he felt the bitter disappointment of someone who had failed not only himself but those around him and those he cared for. Although the orange trees never said so out aloud, he felt their disappointment and it stung. The little tree grew slowly, but one day he was tall enough to see beyond the orange trees and to his amazement he saw that at the edge of the orchard were trees that also looked very different to the orange trees. And so he called out to them and said, You over there! I see you are also different. You do not look like these trees perhaps you can tell me, what is my life's purpose? I long to know what it is that I must do. And the trees would not say much but this they said: Your life's purpose is to grow thorns that look like these because this is a dangerous world and if you do not grow thorns like this you will fail in your life purpose and you will surely perish. This world is filled with creatures that will come after you if you do not protect yourself. And they would say no more.
Written by Colleen-Joy Page Copyright 2011 www.innerlifeskills.com
NUGGET
ILS EMPOWER Apple Tree part 1

Learning Objectives
? Understand what
So the tree sat and thought about this for a long time. I have grown far too complacent he thought. I now understand that this is a dangerous world. And so he tried his best to create thorns and since he could not grow thorns, each day that ended, reminded him yet again that he was failing to fulfill his life purpose. The frustration that grew within him started to show. For though he could not grow visible thorns, he grew thorns of an even more dangerous kind he grew invisible ones. And the birds and the insects that once were his friends he now chased away. And even though the orchard was bustling with life, and teeming with energy - he felt completely and utterly alone. And the days dissolved into weeks and the seasons changed, and one night in the darkness of night and in his aloneness he woke to hear the thunderous cries of a death light. The fire had come. It swept through the orchard destroying everything in its path, leaving only blackness in its wake. Everything that could run did, but the trees that could not run stood and burnt. In the morning light he looked out upon the ashen columns of smoke and he realized to his utter misery that he was now completely and totally alone. He was the only one that had survived the fire. He cried out to the sky and to the burnt orchard Why? Silence was the reply. Utterly desolate and utterly alone he stood. And the days dissolved into weeks and he felt himself retreating inside of himself, deeper and deeper still. With no one to speak to, he began to do something he had not done before he began to speak to himself. And what he realized was that if he kept really quiet and if he really went still inside, a peaceful and wise inner voice would emerge. This voice was soothing, and so he began to speak often to this voice within himself. It eased his loneliness and it eased the burden of the empty orchard. He soon discovered the pleasure and the peace of this inner voice within himself. And, as if to mirror his inner growth, the orchard around him began to blossom once again. Out of the ash came buds of green. As the days and the weeks turned, he grew this new relationship with himself, and then one day it occurred to him: Why don't I just ask my voice inside of me the same question I once asked of the orange trees and the thorn trees! And so sitting quietly, he focused inwards and he asked: Please tell me, for you seem wiser than I, what is my life purpose, what is it I am supposed to be doing, for this is something I really yearn to know?
the Apple Tree is continued
NUGGET

Learning Objectives
? Understand what
And the quiet voice inside of him replied: You are asking the wrong question! Instead of asking what it is that you must do, you should rather ask 'who am I?' Because if you do not know who you are, how will you know what to do? Though this made perfect logical sense to the young tree, he was saddened and he said in reply, But I don't know who I am, who am I then? And the still voice replied: You are who you have always been, even before you came to this place. And, in order to discover who you are, you must love yourself free. For the sap in you will only rise when you give it permission to. And until you give the sap in you permission to rise, you will not grow to the full stature of your being. But how will I know when my sap is rising? said the young tree. You will feel it. When you feel the fullness of you and the energy build and rise within you. When you feel the joy and the peace and the passion of the sap filling your veins and growing to the tips of your branches, then you will know you are being true to yourself. When you feel the sap drop and when you feel the emptiness inside that is how you will know that you are not being true to the you that you were born to be. Love yourself free and the fullness of who you are will be revealed. The tree listened and he thought about it, and it made sense. And the more he thought about it, the more that feeling became real within him. Just the possibility of loving himself more caused a stirring within himself and he felt the sap, he felt the energy and the life force of who he was begin to rise more strongly in his body. How have I forgotten who I am? said the young tree. And the voice replied, You have been so focused on the orchard that you have forgotten your true self. Now young tree, love yourself and follow the clues of the sap rising in your body and then you will be free. And so every day, the tree was determined and he looked down at his body and instead of judging it, he said This is me; this is who I was born to be. My leaves look like this and my bark is like this. And he began to gently do the thing that most of us have forgotten to do he began to love himself free. The thoughts and the actions that made the sap rise in his body - he followed those with passion and with clarity. And for the first time, the tree began to really grow, for the sap had permission to flow strongly through his veins.
NUGGET

Learning Objectives
? Understand what
He watched his branches stretching outwards and upwards. He watched his leaves unfolding and every day he began to see more of himself revealed to the world. One morning he looked out and with great excitement he shouted out to the orchard, I know who I am! I know who I am! FinallyI knowI am the maker of little pink blossoms! He was so excited, he finally saw himself in the world. And his little voice inside said with a smile, Ah but wait, there is still more of you to be revealed young tree. And so he waited patiently and he watched the blossoms change. He invited the birds and the insects back into his heart and into his life and one morning as the light broke through the dawn of the orchard, he looked out and took a deep and beautiful sigh. A tear rolled down as he realized; and he spoke softly to but with great presence, I am an apple tree. For there, packed on his branches were many green apples. The sun rose and set many times, and he grew into a beautiful apple tree. And as life does, the death of the orchard birthed new life and around him the apple tree saw the saplings of a number of young trees growing. As soon as they were able, they looked up at him and said: Ah, dear apple tree, you are older and wiser than us, please tell us what it is we are supposed to do, what is the purpose of our lives? And he smiled and answered, You are asking the wrong question Your purpose is to be the fullness of who you already are in the world. How will we know who we are? And he replied: You are already who you were born to be. Follow the rising of the sap young saplings. And one day if you love yourself enough to stand fully in the orchard of life free and true, the fruits of your true self will be revealed.

Ils Empower Apple Tree Nugget

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ils Empower Apple Tree Nugget

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

COACHING i n t e r n a t i o n a l

Empowering you to Empower Others!