It’s easy to look at people who appear to be happy and successful and assume that they have always had an easy life. It might seem like everything they want just comes to them effortlessly, and that they have never had to struggle or strain to get to where they are today.
However, if you were to dig into the personal history of many of these people, you might be surprised by what you find there. Some of the most successful and influential people in the world have had to fight through inner and outer battles that were filled with heartache, terror, and chronic self-doubt. Some of them have had to overcome life-threatening challenges. Some of them had no supporters in their life and had to carry on alone. Plenty of them came close to giving up. Many of them even feared that they didn’t have the strength to make it through, but somehow, they managed to persevere.
There are also some people who are born into opulence, who have success practically handed to them on a silver platter. But allowing yourself to feel envious or bitter about that will only hurt you. The more you resent the success of others, no matter how it was attained, you will move yourself further away from success, rather than closer to it.
A more empowering perspective is to remove your focus from the journeys of others, and instead rejoice in the beauty and value of every stage of your own personal journey. Allow yourself to feel a sense of satisfaction about everything you have managed to overcome up until now. Express genuine appreciation and gratitude about where you are today and look forward to the future with a sense of hope and optimism.
Even if you may sometimes feel like a caterpillar that is surrounded by beautiful butterflies, remind yourself that caterpillars are no less beautiful, valuable, or worthy than butterflies. In fact, caterpillars could even be considered more inspirational than butterflies, simply because they have not yet tapped their full potential. Butterflies have already become everything they can be, and while they are beautiful to behold, their journey is nearly at its end. If you are in the caterpillar stage, your journey has just begun. Allow yourself to feel excited and glad about that.
And like the caterpillar, if you happen to be in the chrysalis stage where your dreams and goals seem to be at a standstill, embrace this stage of the journey as well. Say to yourself often, “I am becoming the best me that I can be, and I am worth the wait.”
Feel a sense of anticipation and excitement about this phase of your journey, because once your metamorphosis is complete, life will begin flowing new ideas and opportunities your way and you will be thrust into a flurry of activity. Trying to hurry this process along will be counterproductive because your inner transformation will not be complete, so you won’t be quite ready to handle all of the new changes coming your way.
Instead, breathe deeply, enjoy your current chapter, settle fully into the stillness, and allow your energy to gather and expand deep in your belly. Before too long, your beautiful new wings will unfold, and you will be ready to take flight.
