Nature | Creekside Inspirations

19Okt. 2026 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

Preparing for What Comes: How to Balance Planning & Trust

Interconnection, Interdependence, Nature, Self-Leadership

Preparing for What Comes Finding Balance Between Planning and Trust There are things I have learned to do before winter arrives. Making sure there is enough firewood for the coming season, perhaps even the next. Checking whether my daughter has outgrown her winter clothes. Protecting garden plants that aren't quite suited to our growing zone. Taking care of things that are much easier now than when the ground is frozen, and the snow is deep. As I grow older, I notice how much experience informs these decisions. I remember previous winters. What I needed, what I wished I had prepared earlier, and what turned out not to matter quite as much as I thought. Much of this preparation has become second nature. It isn't driven by a particular fear of…

22Mai 2026 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

Following Your Natural Rhythm for Sustainable Leadership | How to

Connecting with Nature, Listening Before Burnout, Nature, Uncategorized

In our drive to achieve, it is easy to assume that progress means acceleration. More hours.More effort.More output. But nature rarely works that way. A spring stream moves steadily. It bends around stones. It widens. It narrows. Sometimes it slows before moving forward again. It still reaches its destination.What if sustainable leadership worked more like that?What if success was not about pushing harder, but learning the rhythm that allows you to continue? The Illusion of Constant Acceleration We live in a world that often celebrates constant acceleration.Busyness is a badge of honor.Yet, this relentless pace comes at a cost. It can lead to exhaustion.To a feeling of being disconnected from our work, and from ourselves. For thoughtful leaders, burnout isn’t just about being tired.It’s about losing the very spark that…

02März 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

Think in Positive Terms & Increase Your Potential

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Nature

You have probably heard that our subconscious brain cannot process a negative command. In simple terms, when you are told, “Don’t think of a pink cat!”, you cannot help but think of a pink cat (mine had blue whiskers). And this brings me to my topic for today: Everything we create starts with a thought, then comes language, and communication, and slowly the world is created and recreated. Here is a thought to practice with: Imagine peace More: If you want to dive in deeper, think of a recent challenge and formulate it in positive instead of negative terms. An example: Instead of telling myself, “I want to spend less time sitting” (negative term), I say, “I spend more time walking” (positive term). See how one’s focus shifts? Walk more…

06Feb. 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

Minding The Little Things | Ice Crystals

Mindfulness, Nature

There is such beauty in nature, such fragility and such joy. I happen to notice a lot of that in the little things that don't last long, such as ice crystals. Starting the day with that exquisite attention to detail creates a focus for my day that grounds my baseline mood in gratitude. Ice Crystals (February 6, 2024)

29Sep. 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

European Starlings in North America | Contemplations about Invasive Species

Connecting with Nature, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development

A Story about Three Baby Birds A few years back, an old lady asked me to raise three newly hatched starlings that had she had found at the foot of a big old tree. Reluctantly, I took them in, and lo and behold I was able to raise and release them successfully. Whenever I see or hear starlings since then, I like telling my daughter that those are our three starlings saying thank you. Today, a extraordinarily big flock of starlings landed around the house and well beyond the creek. They were so loud it was both amazing and a little bit intimidating. Afterwards I thought about writing about this, as in "I had rescued the starlings and they came back with all their friends to thank me", when I…

08Aug. 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

Connecting over Garbage

Connecting with Nature, Mindfulness, Nature

At first, we saw some garbage, the usual, a few discarded food containers, a coffee cup lid, carelessly dropped or lost by the inattentive visitor. Nothing that could not easily be picked up and collected in a small garbage bag later (and I generally do, because it hurts my eye more to see the garbage than it is an effort to pick it up and dispose of it in a designated spot). It was a hot Sunday. We decided to go for a swim at a place along a river, where the water cascading over sheet rock is easy to access and not too deep. Walking on we came across an abandoned campsite, with bottles and aluminum foil in the fire pit. Right next to it was a good sized…

28Juni 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer

Minding the Little Things

Connecting with Nature, Mindfulness, Nature

Leopard Frog I just came across a very small (what I believe to be a) leopard frog. Why I saw it? – Because it moved. Once it stopped, I had a hard time finding it again. Can you spot it in the picture-insert? Leopard Frog, June 28, 2023 When I held out my hand the frog jumped on it. It did not stop but kept moving, and I felt fortunate to get one shot with the little amphibian in focus. I am sharing this experience, because I felt so passionate about this sighting, so amazed at how tiny, how perfect and how fragile this little frog is. That created a sense of responsibility and reverence in me. What I learned from the encounter: Frogs are amazing. Life is precious. I…

Kategorie: Nature