You can only fly once you choose to give up the safety of your chrysalis
Hello, My Friends
I’m sitting on the deck writing this, it is autumn and the trees are beginning to change colour. I am enjoying the vibrant colours of greens turning to yellows as the leaves get ready to complete their cycle of life.
The fellow stags up the hill are ‘purring’ calling the does to him. The cycle of life is about to begin again for the deer. I am always so grateful for the setting we have chosen to settle in. The wildlife is spectacular, the birdsong is continuous. If I don’t remember to actually listen it gets lost and tuned out as background noise.
I was thinking about what is important to me. Recently I took a few clients through their personality quizzes, and in writing up the results and gaining feedback on the accuracy, I decided to do my own personality traits, which is where these thoughts originated.
When you scroll to the bottom of these blogs, you will notice I include a picture of my business card, on one side it has TRANSFORMATIONAL Life Coach with a caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly.
While doing the personality quiz it reminded me of how important education and learning is to me.
When you hear a new concept or idea, generally the first few times you hear it, it slides out of your mind, like butter slides off a hot knife. However a residue remains, and as you continue to hear snippets around the new concept or idea, it latches onto the residue you heard previously. This is like the butterfly laying the egg on the food source. The egg has had to do nothing but stick to the underside of the leaf.
As the concept stirs and becomes an interest or necessity, the hatching or emerging stage begins, this is where you begin to devour all the information you can about the idea, you begin testing the ideas, and working out how they will fit in your life, this process can take weeks, months and even years in some lives.
As a caterpillar you eat and eat, taking in information, questioning beliefs and structures that have been running in your life, you begin to learn new habits, new skills, better ways of doing things, you become more confident in yourself, you are becoming a master at being the caterpillar, then one day, you have gained enough knowledge and begin to weave a chrysalis around yourself, you cocoon your self in a protective shell.
This is when all those new ideas and concepts, become part of you, you internalize the things you have been learning. It is a solidifying of new and up-levelled beliefs. When the time is right, you fight your way out of the encasing that has kept you sheltered and safe, you begin to stretch your wings. You no longer recognize your-self, you have transformed into what you were always meant to be, a butterfly.
A butterfly that doesn’t go through the resistance of fighting to get out of the chrysalis and pumping its wings, is a butterfly that dies without knowing the joy of soaring on the breeze, gliding and being at ease with itself and its surroundings.
It is my belief that each of us has some-thing we are supposed to do, be or have. This goal, dream, hope, or purpose has been within us our entire lives. We have in various ways tried to make it happen by our own strength or we have tried to stifle it, because we are afraid of it.
Where are you in the butterfly cycle? Are the egg, mostly unaware of who you are?
Are you the caterpillar, devouring information, looking for the answers?
Are you in the chrysalis, going through changes, you have the hope they will bring you to what you are seeking?
Are you the butterfly just breaking out into a new life, not yet aware of your full potential.
or Are you the beautiful butterfly soaring on the breeze, flowing with the energy of life and fulfilling your purpose?
What has been in your life, your entire life? What have you sensed you are meant to be with your life? Are you a creative person? Are you a mechanical, hands on practical person? Are you the empathetic person who instinctively know how to care for others? Are you a person who likes to serve and help others? Are you someone who loves to teach and impart wisdom? Are you a deep thinker, a philosopher? Are you a strategist, you love to work with facts and figures?
What ever your particular style is, if you find it brings you happiness, peace and satisfaction, you most likely are in your butterfly zone.
However, if you have that nagging feeling, or thought that something is missing, that you’re not quite good enough or worthy enough of the dream that keeps chasing you, you are in the caterpillar stage, you are still looking to find who you are and where you fit.
I can help you to bring your dream to life. I have the tools that will help you unlock your purpose, that will enable you to find the information you need to make the next decision on your journey.
If you are in the chrysalis stage, you are moving through a time of change, which may cause anxiety and fear, you have the ability to choose how you go through this change, you can choose peace and love, by not resisting the change but by finding what it is teaching you and by feeling gratitude that this change can be for your best.
And if you are in the egg phase, this will likely wash over you, which is okay, as something may stick and begin your growth process.
You may find that in the various areas of your life you are in different phases of this cycle. For example in your career you may have sorted out what you are good at and you are happy, and satisfied with your job, or vocation. Here you are in the butterfly stage, but you may not be earning the money you want, you may discover you have a money belief that is stopping you from achieving your next level of success, if you are unaware of the block, you are in the egg stage, if you are looking for information on how to eliminate the block, you are in the caterpillar phase, if you are in the process of changing the belief around the block, you are in the chrysalis phase. We can be in different phases at the same time in the various areas of our lives.
Here are a few different areas where you may be at varying levels in the cycle.
Relationships: Family, friends, loved ones, children, colleagues.
Health: Fitness, Diet, Wellness, Mental wellbeing.
Finances: Money, vocation, qualifications, investments, retirement.
I hope these give you an idea that this process is not a linear process, it dips and peaks as we move through each stage of our development.
To transform we must work from the inside out and the outside in. It is a cycle where one enhances the other. When we only look at our external life, of our behaviours, the things we own, and put value and trust in without looking at our internal life of thoughts, and beliefs, we tend to be like the dog chasing his tail. He is busy, just not going any where. Our thoughts and beliefs linked in with our behaviours and habits, reveal and support how we show up in our personal spaces and in our societal spaces. Together both aspects create permanent change.
Until next time.
Linda Codlin.
#authenticlivingwithlinda
Email me at authenticlivingwithlinda@gmail.com
Find me on Facebook @authenticlivingwithlinda @lindacodlin25
Connect with me for a one on one coaching appointment.
