By Mary Ann Faremouth, CPC
On a recent trip abroad with my family, we took a nature walk in a historical park, and I was reminded that the formal classroom is not the only place we can learn valuable lessons. My almost 4-year-old granddaughter bent to look at a yellow butterfly perched on a small tree limb that had fallen; she was taken with how it was flapping its wings even though it was not in flight. She was fascinated with this beautiful creature of nature, and it prompted me to consider the lessons we could learn from it.
Butterflies are masters of change. Their life cycle—egg to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to winged adult—is inspiring, a symbol of nature’s promise that, while change isn’t always easy, the result can be more beautiful and astounding than what we started with. For the butterfly, such magnificent transformations require shedding old forms. For humans, this can be equated to shedding old patterns that no longer serve us. When we do, we become better versions of ourselves and enjoy newfound growth and more meaningful experiences.
As an employment consultant, I’ve witnessed so much change in the workplace the past several years, seeing many undergo changes they may not have felt prepared to handle. Yet like the butterfly, we can take advantage of the resources available in our current stages of life. The right tools can help us through the essential transformations we need to progress.
Let’s take a look at lessons we can glean from this beautiful creature of nature about how to navigate our challenging journey with newfound insights.
1. Change is the only constant.
With its four-stage life cycle, the butterfly knows only change. It goes through multiple transformations, never knowing what each will bring, before eventually becoming something magnificent and beautiful. Similarly, no stage of a human life is ever permanent. When things occur that are out of our control, we must weather the storm by maintaining positive mindsets, reflecting on our own capabilities and desires, contributing to the good of others as well as ourselves, and trusting that things will get better and we will have grown.
2. Break down to break through.
During the chrysalis stage of a butterfly’s life cycle, the caterpillar’s body breaks down at the cellular level. The old form no longer serves it, and it must let go and become a new version of itself. In the New Work World, we must step out of our comfort zones to move on to uncharted territory. We can achieve expansive growth in our careers only by stretching ourselves to learn new skills and building up our career platforms. It’s not always easy, but often it takes an uncomfortable change to be able to grow.
3. Perseverance is the key to flight.
Once the caterpillar has done all its work inside the cocoon, it is ready to reenter the world. The process of unfolding, stretching and flapping its wings is entirely new for the onetime caterpillar, and it might not be able to fly right away. However, after falling a few times and bumping into a few walls, the butterfly finds its balance and learns to fly. Similarly, if we have lost our jobs, encountered several rejection letters or had our résumés passed over, we must persevere so we can fly successfully with our own new wings of growth.
The next time you see a butterfly, reflect on the changes it had to undergo to become such a beautiful version of itself. Keep in mind that while change is a constant, it does not come easily, and perseverance is often necessary to see things through. But most of all, remember that nature gives us all the ability to transform and fly on wings of change.
I am grateful that my granddaughter stopped in the park to look at the pretty yellow butterfly perched on a fallen limb. It reminded me that when we admire the beauty of the butterfly, we rarely remember the changes it has gone through. Let’s all be reminded that our own wings of transformation can be born when we ourselves go through difficult changes. The struggles we may be in today can help us develop the strength we need for our journey forward. Embrace the changes and know that you are being prepared for something beautiful in your future!
Mary Ann’s award-winning first book Revolutionary Recruiting has been listed by Book Authority as Number #1 Best 100 Recruiting Books; #1 Best Seller, Non-Fiction, Amazon (2019); Top 20 Recruiting books, Recruitics; Readers’ Choice finalist (2019), Houston Literary Awards; Best Non-Fiction (2018), Best Cover (2019), and Best Self-Help (2018), Authors Marketing Guild. This was followed by “Revolutionary Reinvention”, a workbook for job seekers giving advice on how to rediscover your skills and passions and reinvent your career. Her most recent book is “Revolutionary Results” , a collection of life lessons about relationships, integrity and contributing to the world.
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