How I learned about the stages of life from a butterfly

The butterfly is only beautiful because the caterpillar is brave. - T.M.T

It’s been a busy year so far and it’s only August!

1. January: Decided to become a full-time mindfulness coach and move away from directing
   

2. February: Set up the new MWW website and all socials and planned my tools for teaching.
   

3. March: Decided to sell my home a boat and my VW Bus and not replace them but move in with my daughter to support her.

4. April: Wrote my book, “Living with Intention.” Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t do all of it in a month, I transferred all my notes into a publishable book. My 3rd book.
   

5. May: Planned workshops and retreats to run for MWW.
   

6. June: Decided to plan my travel year 2024. I found a window of opportunity and decided I could plan my book tour.

7. July: Trained as a butterfly doula. I manifested a garden for the summer and the specific modality to run MWW. I finished the first draft of my fourth book.
   

8. August: So here I am…

Little did I know that this year, I would be emulating the life-cycle of a butterfly. January I was an egg, February to May were the first stages of a caterpillar: molting 5 times. June, I turned into a “J” and began my chrysalis process. In July, the butterfly was born and in August it was time to fly free. Now, that simplifies the process a lot, but let me connect it for you.

Does anyone watch the caterpillar grow, change and shed its layers and tell us it’s not possible or that it’s not allowed to? It was born to be a caterpillar, but should it stay a caterpillar? My stages of molting were: choosing to leave the directing career I’ve been building in Hollywood and working towards, I then chose to sell my home and car. I moved in with my daughter, I altered my public persona, and I altered my social circle. People struggled with the fact that they could no longer put me into a box.

The caterpillar doesn’t know it’s going to become a butterfly, it just trusts the process of knowing its purpose. I always knew I had a purpose to teach. This just presented itself in various ways, a teacher, a coach, a director, but what I didn’t know was what I would be teaching. That purpose became clear the more I saw the people whose lives I affected by my principles become happier and more focused and more successful. I’ve listened to my intuition and gut feelings no matter what I was doing and if a door opened to lead me somewhere then I listened and went through it. This journey has so far led me to where I am today. Still a teacher and a coach and a director but just with a different purpose. To share and guide people to live with intention.

I am calm, happy and successful, I have clarity, purpose, and drive. However these attributes didn’t just happen by accident. I work hard every day to achieve this. I feel sad, confused, lonely, depressed, and worried, but I don’t allow those feelings to determine that way of living. Instead I listen to them, talk to them and understand why they’re here. If I choose to have a day where I stay in my pajamas all day long because I feel sad, then that’s my choice, my intention. If I’m worried, I will work through some of my exercises to understand why I feel like that. What’s so incredible is having these tools and exercises at my disposal to work stuff out. This then informs my choices and I can have full transparency with myself when working towards how I see my life.

I’ve learned not from the school of being shown and taught, but by not being shown and taught. From how I brought up my daughter to how I live my life now. I understand that everything is a work in progress and will keep evolving, and growing, and changing. Life was very different when I was growing up, without the Internet it meant we relied on knowledge from our peers, or education, or family. Nowadays we can utilize so many methods to gain a better understanding of life. So everyday I learn more and pass this knowledge on. The most important thing I’ve learned is that I don't know anything. I teach this to my daughter everyday. We know nothing. Anyone that thinks they do, really doesn’t. This world is ever evolving and we are always finding things out that no one knew before. I prefer to be an empty sponge who regularly relearns things rather than thinks she knows everything.

All of these stages relate to the constant metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly. Then the cycle begins again once the butterfly has fulfilled its purpose and dies. We can repeat these stages many times throughout life. It’s a constant process of growth. But what’s so incredible about this journey are the changes. Recognizing those changes and embracing them. Feeling excited for the possibilities. Knowing that this cycle can go on and on, ever evolving.