Types of Therapy

Caterpillars and Courage

The little caterpillar’s “comfort zone” had always been on the ground: inching along,
minding her business. She had wondered if this was all that life had to offer and would often dream of something better.
 
She had considered growing, changing…building a cocoon and turning into a butterfly… but she never actually did anything about it. After all, she had never built a cocoon before, so she was worried that she wouldn’t do it right. Even if she did do it right, she was afraid of what being inside a cocoon was all about. Would it be dark? Quiet? Lonely? Would it hurt? What would she have to do or say or think? Would she even make it out alive?
 
If she did make it out alive, how would she know how to be a butterfly? Would her wings work? Who would teach her how to fly? Would she miss inching along on the ground?
It was all too much! Eventually, the caterpillar came to the conclusion that she was fine
right where she was. She decided that life had saw fit to put her on the ground and that
was right where she was going to stay. She just wasn’t willing to put forth the effort or make the commitment to go after something so unsure.
 
Sadly, her fear of the unknown kept her grounded and oblivious to the knowledge of the beautiful being she was meant to be. Her “something so unsure” was not unsure at all, but a divine plan to turn her into a beautiful creature. Her unwillingness to see this truth left her stuck in world where she no longer belonged. She would never get her wings.
 
She would never leave the ground. She would never fly.
 
How many times do we think like this caterpillar? We forget that we are inching along
on the ground with a limited view of the world, a limited knowledge of life and of what the future holds. We worry about things that may never happen. We focus on the potential perils and overlook the positive possibilities.
 
In order to reach toward greatness and to find healing and wholeness (no matter where we are now, or where we want to be) we must be willing to step outside of our “comfort zone.” We have to get permanently comfortable with being temporarily uncomfortable. We must be willing to consider the possibility that our comfort zone may not be that comfortable at all. Don’t let the fear of the unknown, uncertainty about the future, or your lack of faith in your abilities hold you down.
 
You were created to fly.

Congratulations on completing the starter LifeStyle Fitness program! Keep up your great work!  You can go back and review any topic (or the whole program) if you like.  If you have any comments, questions, advice or success stories, please contact me.  I'd love to hear from you!


​Melinda Haynes, MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
California lic. no. 102308
The persons depicted on this site are models.  Photos do not represent or guarantee results.
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Photo credit: Microsoft stock