A client of mine recently shared a wonderful story about butterflies and the value of struggling. If you have ever had the privilege of watching the amazing process of a butterfly leaving its cocoon, you know it's quite a struggle. Well, it seems some scientists, in their wisdom, found a way to get butterflies out of their cocoons without a struggle. What they found, however, was that the butterflies that had to struggle out of their cocoons lived longer, flew better and were more beautiful than the butterflies that were removed without a struggle. The value of struggle Besides saying something about the value of struggle, I believe the story also says something to us about the difference between science and success. Struggle makes us stronger. When we successfully deal with an obstacle, we begin to build momentum. With continuous momentum, obstacles that once appeared huge become just the next thing to get out of our way. Maybe it's like something Tom Hanks' character said in the movie "A League of Their Own." One of the players was complaining about how hard something was and Hanks responded, "Of course it's hard. That's what makes it good." Or perhaps it's like I say to many of my clients as they struggle to grow and improve their lives: "I won't promise you the struggle will be easy, just worth it." |
