Today is a new day. It’s another opportunity to live the way you want to. Think about that. How many of us wake up and go about the day without any thought of how we actually want the day to go? Oh, that was me for a very long time. I was in the pinball machine, bouncing from one thing to another, not being able to stop.

Until I stopped.

I rolled my life out of the game, but caveat: it hurt – a lot.

If a caterpillar can do it, so can we.

Do you think it’s easy for a caterpillar (larvae) to go into the chrysalis (pupa) stage and then emerge from a cocoon as a completely different-looking insect? I don’t know how they feel pain, but I would imagine it’s rough.

Still, the insects go through it, and the cycle continues to birth beautiful butterflies.

We marvel at butterflies and may believe that if a monarch butterfly lands on us, we’re part of a spiritual circle – that a tiny butterfly can be a conduit to a higher plane. Now that’s powerful. I don’t know if it’s true, but I hope it is.

If we go somewhere dark in our lives and exist on self-pity, sadness, or shame, we’re like caterpillars avoiding their demise. It’s like we’re at a point of no return where we give up, thinking, “This is it! This is all my life is good for.” It might come gradually with too many disappointments or heartaches, and you don’t want to try anymore.

Now and again, though, we get signs that make us pause and take stock of what troubles us. It might be an ending that made us feel horrible, but that’s when we need to get quiet and listen to our inner voice, beckoning us to get the lesson instead of the pain.

Believing we’re worth a tremendous and fabulous life makes our voices louder.

When we can hear ourselves, the soul of who we are, and honor ourselves by listening and doing what’s necessary to live that extraordinary life, we undergo a metamorphosis and change into the butterfly we were always meant to be.

Think about what brings you joy. That’s how you need to live your fabulous life.

When something dramatic happens, when our lives get shocked, like God took a defibrillator and let us have it, it’s for a reason. When we wallow in pain and complain about it, we don’t hear how we talk to ourselves or what we speak to others. We’re stuck like a caterpillar who doesn’t believe there’s anything more. But there is so much more.

Life isn’t going to be easy, and an extraordinary life is even more challenging. It takes the strongest and bravest to live that kind of life. And yet here we all are, strong and brave, downplaying who we are for one reason or another.

Maybe you don’t believe you can do it. Maybe you were beaten down so much that you lost the will to try. Or maybe you’re scared to take a leap of faith and get yourself into that chrysalis and do the work to change into the most beautiful version of who you are. Either way, it’s time to take a deep breath, think about your dream life, and create a plan to get there.

My hand is up in the air. For most of my life, I was a caterpillar, surviving in the shadows so I didn’t get eaten, stepped on, or beaten up. I didn’t believe in a better life or the lessons. Instead, I gave all my energy to the pain, and that kept me stuck.

The “change” came when I decided to take a leap of faith and listen to my gut. The voice kept getting louder, and I paid attention. I realized it wasn’t a loss that I feared—it was the change.

Until I decided to focus on what I needed to do to make that change, I remained a caterpillar, existing but not living.

Life begins at birth. We were all born to be extraordinary people to lead extraordinary lives.

What happens after birth changes our fates. Some can see things more clearly than others. Those are the ones we need to aspire to be, not in comparison or competition, but in a way that sets us free. They know that change is vital for life to improve.

Take your home. If you don’t update and change things, it can get stuck in a style or era when you were into plaids and flowers (or whatever.) Then, when you change things around or buy something new, you feel better. You have renewed vigor and energy.  At least that’s how I feel. It makes me feel lighter, like a weight lifted off me. When we clean off the dust, we allow beauty to shine through. Let’s do that with our lives.

Three truths to remember:

1. We were born beautiful souls.

2. Our inner voice is our guide to change.

3. Believe in whatever brings you joy and do what you need to do to live that life every day.

Life is like the cycle of a butterfly. We are born fragile people who require love, patience, and understanding to develop into caterpillars who can take care of themselves until the time for the ultimate change into living our authentic, joyful lives. Learned insecurities can keep us stuck as caterpillars for way too long.

Change is the way to freedom. Once we change negative beliefs, face the truths, listen for the answers, and feel all the pain, we’ll be all right. Then we will emerge as beautiful butterflies—who we really are.

Thank you for reading this. I hope I’ve given you some good food for thought. You know that’s my core mission. I want us all to be happy. There’s enough happiness to go around. Could you imagine a world where people are happy?

To us as butterflies,

Francesca