Are you there waiting for your flight or waiting to launch your product or idea or as most of the people around waiting for the COVID to end. Be still and know that the Butterfly also waits before it flies.
We all know the four stages of a butterfly’s life cycle. We also know that to grow into an adult they go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Each stage has a different goal and each takes different time duration. But there is a learning and it will surely help us in today’s time to check our transformation cycle.
In the first stage, the Butterfly which is in egg form is very small, round, oval, ribbed, or cylindrical shaped. If you look close enough you can actually see the tiny caterpillar growing inside especially in Monarch Butterfly eggs. You find them laid on the leaves of plants and it takes time to notice them as they are very tiny.
Coming to us. Do we see ourselves tiny, fragile, and unnoticeable? The egg can be ourselves or our dream project or a tiny little idea which is scribbled somewhere in our notebooks. Also, it is important to notice where do you lay or where does your dream or idea is laid upon. Your leaf can be your daily schedule, or your idea outline or learning and growing ground. Note, that this is our Planning and Forming stage. Look around where have you placed yourself? On a couch watching a movie for the day to pass by or on a platform where it might not be comfortable at the moment but it is where you will feed upon in the next stage. As Mike Murdock said, " The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.”
Well if you think you should do something already at this stage then well it is from the egg we make an omelette, scrambled, boiled breakfast but if you waited for the chicken, they are more recipes for the day.
The Second Stage ie the Larva (Caterpillar) stage and here we expect the butterfly to fly right? Well, not exactly. This is just the second stage where the butterfly must eat or feed themselves on the leaf they rested upon so that they can grow quickly and as they grow by “moulting” (shedding the outgrown skin) several times.
Back to us, are we feeding ourselves to learn new things? Maybe enrolling in a course or reading relevant books, finding a coach or a mentor to guide and lead us. What about shedding the outgrown skin ie our old habits or behaviours or limitations which we want to cling on to and they stop us from moving forward.
As Marshall Goldsmith in his book “ What Got You Here Won't Get you there” explains about clinging to the past. Are you ready to let go of the old and move to the next phase?
The Third Stage ie the Pupa (Chrysalis) has reached its full length/weight, which from the outside seems resting but in the inside is where all of the action is happening. On the outside, they look short, stubby, and have no wings at all but in the inside, a remarkable transformation called ‘metamorphosis,’ is taking place to create the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge.
So what’s happening inside us? Is there turmoil and chaos or is it calm and clarity within us. Look within as Rumi said, “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.” Rumi
Finally, the fourth Stage: Adult Butterfly here where it’s forming and changing inside into an adult butterfly is happening. In the beginning, both the wings are soft as they had to fit in all those parts inside the pupa. As soon as the butterfly has rested after coming out of the chrysalis, it will pump blood into the wings in order to get them working and flapping – then they get to fly.
Rest is one of the keywords to focus upon. Have you rested enough as there is a lot of flying ahead and while you rest did blood flow into your wings so that they become stronger for you to fly? Blood is knowledge and understanding and your wings are your talents, your gifts, and your skills. Did you practice your skills and did you chisel them enough? Practice till you do it as it is part of your system. Then you can fly like a butterfly and go to places you dream to go to.
So do not fret, if you are in the making of a butterfly then you must have your stages. Enjoy each stage and be in each place as it is meant to be and then becoming a butterfly would be the best you ever wanted to be.
