It's in the Struggle that We Become Stronger
One day, a man was walking in his garden, and he stumbled upon a butterfly cocoon. Seeing the other butterflies in the garden, he was anxious to see this one emerge from its cocoon.
As he watched the cocoon, he noticed a small opening appear. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. After some time, it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no further. The man was so anxious to see the butterfly that he decided to help the butterfly. He went back into the house to find a pair of scissors. He took the scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
He thought to himself ‘What a great thing I have done for this beautiful butterfly. It would have surely died if I was not there to help.’ He watched the butterfly easily emerge from the cocoon. But as the butterfly emerged it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly. He knew at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support its body, and its body would contract in time. Within time, he thought the butterfly would be as beautiful as the other butterflies in the garden. To his surprise, neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. The butterfly needed the struggles to free itself from the
cocoon.
(the original author of this story is unknown, but this story is sometimes attributed to the American painter and author Henry Miller)
In our coaching relationship, I do not try to solve your problem(s) or take away the struggle; rather I have the privilege of walking alongside as you undertake the useful struggle of growing confidently into a new chapter in your life. Janice
One day, a man was walking in his garden, and he stumbled upon a butterfly cocoon. Seeing the other butterflies in the garden, he was anxious to see this one emerge from its cocoon.
As he watched the cocoon, he noticed a small opening appear. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. After some time, it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no further. The man was so anxious to see the butterfly that he decided to help the butterfly. He went back into the house to find a pair of scissors. He took the scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
He thought to himself ‘What a great thing I have done for this beautiful butterfly. It would have surely died if I was not there to help.’ He watched the butterfly easily emerge from the cocoon. But as the butterfly emerged it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly. He knew at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support its body, and its body would contract in time. Within time, he thought the butterfly would be as beautiful as the other butterflies in the garden. To his surprise, neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. The butterfly needed the struggles to free itself from the
cocoon.
(the original author of this story is unknown, but this story is sometimes attributed to the American painter and author Henry Miller)
In our coaching relationship, I do not try to solve your problem(s) or take away the struggle; rather I have the privilege of walking alongside as you undertake the useful struggle of growing confidently into a new chapter in your life. Janice
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly,
you cease forever to be able to do it."
J. M. Barrie (in Peter Pan)
So many things can douse the flames of vision, possibility, and self confidence. Coaching provides space to dream of flying to new heights and to explore any doubts or other obstacles that might be keeping you land-bound. Coaching provides time and space to set a course for new destinations. As your coach I come alongside you on this journey with encouragement and support - to be as an old Bette Midler song expressed it - "wind beneath your wings". Janice
you cease forever to be able to do it."
J. M. Barrie (in Peter Pan)
So many things can douse the flames of vision, possibility, and self confidence. Coaching provides space to dream of flying to new heights and to explore any doubts or other obstacles that might be keeping you land-bound. Coaching provides time and space to set a course for new destinations. As your coach I come alongside you on this journey with encouragement and support - to be as an old Bette Midler song expressed it - "wind beneath your wings". Janice
Food for Thought
An old joke that children still like to tell:
How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time!
When you imagine what could be in your life or in your jobs future possibilities sometimes seem as big as that elephant. And it's all too easy to bite off more than you can chew and choke on the big pieces -- or stand back and starve because you don't know where to take the first bites. The work of coaching is all about breaking down what lies before you into manageable bites, chewing into each morsel, and taking time to taste and see if what you are creating is truly satisfying or needs additional ingredients or more time to cook through. Janice
An old joke that children still like to tell:
How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time!
When you imagine what could be in your life or in your jobs future possibilities sometimes seem as big as that elephant. And it's all too easy to bite off more than you can chew and choke on the big pieces -- or stand back and starve because you don't know where to take the first bites. The work of coaching is all about breaking down what lies before you into manageable bites, chewing into each morsel, and taking time to taste and see if what you are creating is truly satisfying or needs additional ingredients or more time to cook through. Janice
"A coaching conversation is a chance to mine for gold, not dig for dirt."
Richard Boyatzis
There are times when digging through past failures and the relationships and motivations that led to them can be very helpful when healing is needed to move on - and there are therapeutic processes and persons well trained and experienced who could help you through this process. Coaching is different because it starts in this present moment and looks toward the future that you would like to create; it helps you identify new opportunities and ways forward; it can provide you with new tools and energy to dream dreams and begin to make them come true. What new possibilities might open up if you put down your shovel, turned toward the future and started mining for gold? Janice
Richard Boyatzis
There are times when digging through past failures and the relationships and motivations that led to them can be very helpful when healing is needed to move on - and there are therapeutic processes and persons well trained and experienced who could help you through this process. Coaching is different because it starts in this present moment and looks toward the future that you would like to create; it helps you identify new opportunities and ways forward; it can provide you with new tools and energy to dream dreams and begin to make them come true. What new possibilities might open up if you put down your shovel, turned toward the future and started mining for gold? Janice
