In many ways, the last fifty days really have been about practicing what I read, thought, and wrote about during my off-work hours prior to MyCrownShift. During my corporate employment, a lot of my struggle had to do with how to live a congruent life: once I knew what I knew, felt what I felt, and sensed what I sensed, with respect to what was “right” for me, how could I work and live in a way that expressed my inner world (made up of my values, passions, and dreams) so that the outer world would see and hear me for who I am, not who I pretended to be. How could I lead my life congruently on the inside and the outside?

Every day as I commuted to work prior to MyCrownShift, I’d pass a particular street lined with many varieties of lush trees. I used to thank them on the way to work, and on the way home, for being my teachers because they embodied my four core values:

Creativity: Trees are amazingly creative and incredibly resourceful in all kinds of weather. They can live in a variety of climates and altitudes, and through four seasons, including harsh winters and hot summers. Many of them look completely bare and go minimalist in the winter; in the spring, they sprout tiny yellow-green leaves which become the luscious greens of every shade in the summer, and then in the fall turn their colors magically! I love trees’ mysterious magic!

Humility: As told so beautifully in the children’s book, The Giving Tree, trees give without asking anything in return. They are humble, caring, and (pun intended) “down to earth.” They are not pretentious or pompous. Trees are silent, patient, and resilient.

Integrity: Trees stand firmly on the ground and they reach toward heaven. They also have a holistic eco-system that supports their lives as well as our lives by taking carbon dioxide from the air and converting into oxygen. Trees are supported by Mother Earth and they also support Mother Earth by giving back. They balance taking and giving artfully and scientifically.

Authenticity: Trees are authentic. They don’t pretend to be something else: for instance, an oak tree doesn’t pretend to be a peach tree, and vice versa. An apple tree does not grow pears and a cherry tree does not grow apples. They seem very content to be what they are no matter how they look and what they grow (or not grow).

I miss seeing the trees on the street I used to drive through during my commute; however, now I see many other trees up close on the trails where Charles and I hike and in the parks where we walk in the morning. I can even touch them and observe them as long as I’d like to be reminded of their “CHIA”: Creativity, Humility, Integrity and Authenticity. I continue to practice what trees teach me: being authentic and creative with integrity and humility.

In addition to CHIA, I’m also practicing what I call an “empty bowl.” I had a revelation a couple of years ago that the emptier I got, the fuller I felt. In hindsight, I think the empty bowl at the time intuitively resonated with my core values that were coming together. When I emptied myself by letting go of my desire for control as well as for achievements for external praises and rewards, I was able to remove all my own internal limitations and restrictions to stay safe, secure and small. Through practice I’ve learned that such removal invites:

HUMILITY because I no longer need to flaunt or have a huge ego for control, achievements, safety and security; and that cultivates my

INTEGRITY because I have no need to hide, or hide from, anything or anyone when I don’t have anything in my bowl to protect or control; I have an open space for unlimited possibilities; and that cultivates my

AUTHENTICITY because I no longer need to pretend to be someone other than who I am in order to please others and receive empty praises in return; and that cultivates my

CREATIVITY because I no longer need to stay hemmed in to ‘produce’ what is expected of me by others; I now have unlimited and unrestricted possibilities to create what can be imagined and innovated from my head, heart and hara all working together.

A huge benefit to this practice of emptying my bowl is that I truly feel fuller the emptier my bowl gets. The more I let go and make a clean, open, and empty space, the more I fill it with things and people that truly matter to me, which leads me to cultivate an environment that brings me alive. In addition, the practice of emptying my bowl helps me be congruent inside and out so that I can be authentic. When I am authentic, I can be creative using my unique gifts. When I am creative, I feel whole, complete, and everything seems to click with integrity. Then I feel humility that Life will take care of me no matter what so long as I use my unique gifts to serve, love, and enjoy myself!

This whole new way of living is so liberating and joyful: I no longer need to climb the tree to get to the top. For me, a tree is a teacher. As I learn to be authentic and creative to live with humility and integrity to give back to the world like the trees do, I will be prosperous, joyous, and in-genious!