Sometimes, a little extra effort is precisely what prepares us for the next obstacle to be faced. – Paulo Coehlo
You may have heard this parable before, but it’s worth sharing today as we talk about the value of things not coming easily.
“A man spent hours watching a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. It managed to make a small hole, but its body was too large to get through it. After a long struggle, it appeared to be exhausted and remained absolutely still.
The man decided to help the butterfly and, with a pair of scissors, he cut open the cocoon, thus releasing the butterfly. However, the butterfly’s body was very small and wrinkled and its wings were all crumpled.
The man continued to watch, hoping that, at any moment, the butterfly would open its wings and fly away. Nothing happened; in fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its brief life dragging around its shrunken body and shriveled wings, incapable of flight.
What the man – out of kindness and his eagerness to help – had failed to understand was that the tight cocoon and the efforts that the butterfly had to make in order to squeeze out of that tiny hole were Nature’s way of training the butterfly and of strengthening its wings.
Sometimes, a little extra effort is precisely what prepares us for the next obstacle to be faced. Anyone who refuses to make that effort, or gets the wrong sort of help, is left unprepared to fight the next battle and never manages to fly off to their destiny.”
– Paulo Coelho
This week’s column for The Muse is all about struggle.
And how, although we don’t often value it enough, it’s where the real seeds of wisdom lie.
Check it out here. When you turn struggles into growth, you’re building a solid career strategy! (Image:https://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/)
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