Lessons from the Amazon Jungle: Part 3
The Amazon has an estimated 50,000 species of plants and 3,000,000 species of animals, amongst which I found myself for two weeks. I was off the grid with an indigenous group in Peru called the Shipibo. I was there doing some “field work” — a fancy way of saying putting myself though some of these experiences and teachings they have to see what’s there. First hand account. And if off the grid wasn’t enough — there was little food and certain periods without water.
It was surreal, and all too real. Magical and brutal. Enlightening and terrifying. Incredible and terrible all rolled into one mind-blown (mine). If you haven’t been keeping up, catch up on the backstory of what I was doing there in part 1 and part 2 of this blog.
I have part 3 for you today.
The last thought on this trip I’m going to share with you — at least in this blog series — is a question about who you will listen to… We hear countless people, Instagram stories, TV shows and even whispers of that voice in our own head day in and day out. With all of those voices…
What voice will you listen to?
Admittedly, when I embarked on this adventure I prepared as far as getting my things together and saying goodbye to loved ones. But on the first day when there was no talking, the food was gone and nothing to drink I found myself feeling woefully unprepared. And since talking was not permitted during this Shipibo rite of passage I was going through, there was only one voice I heard on a regular basis. That was my own.
What if I can’t make it this long?
What if I have a medical issue in the middle of the jungle?
What if I lose my mind? (This one scared me the most).
I thought I would lose who I was, what I was doing in the world, any sense of self would come crumbling down.
Well, maybe that last part was the point. Because day after day went on sitting in the jungle without anybody to talk to. I started to lose all of that self doubt. Afterall, I was still there! Maybe all that self-doubt was lying to me.
Why did I need to listen to the voice full of doubt, worries and uncertainty? If it was my voice, why couldn’t I say something else to myself? Choose or create an internal voice of conviction, certainty in my own ability and willingness to finish #NoMatterWhat? With that epiphany I started to doubt the self-doubt.
The doubt first started to destabilize and eventually came crashing down on me and I was able to doubt the doubt, question it… And something new arose. An internal voice that could look all that doubt in the face and not back out early.
That’s what comes when you doubt self doubt. Something new arises for all of us. A version of us that’s bigger, stronger and in my case anyway, more aged. Good news is you don’t have to be off the grid in the Amazon without food, water, or typical amenities of home. But whenever you face your next challenge, what voice will you listen to? Will you succumb to the countless yeah buts, what ifs and how abouts of life. Or will you doubt that self doubt and listen to something greater within yourself?
You can see pictures from my time with the Shipibo in Peru on Instagram, Tik Tok, and of course the #NoMatterWhat Community on Facebook. If you find me there, DM me and let me know what doubt you’re starting to doubt. About what you want to do, what you want to achieve and who you ultimately are. Even if you don’t doubt the self-doubt yet, I’ll be a voice back to you that’s committed to your growth.
There are countless voices we can listen to on a daily basis. Choose the voices that help you grow, change and adapt in ways that work for you and your business. I don’t know what all you're facing, but I do know that whatever you’re facing, listening to voices standing for your growth will always get you to the other side. It worked to get me through 2 weeks of Shipibo initiation in the Amazon and it will work for you – #NoMatterWhat.