Now to be fair, that caterpillar is using all its weight gain for energy as it is metamorphosing (changing), but wow! That’s great if we’re all going to shed old skin, grow new skin, fast for a couple weeks on nothing but air while growing gorgeous wings in a tight cocoon and then spend the rest of our weeks flying, mating and getting drunk on the choicest of nectar, but…

That’s not our change cycle. And our desired change is most likely not multiplying our bodyweight times 2,700. So, what does the butterfly and caterpillar have to do with your wellness?

It’s an expedited analogy of the change process as we consider what it really takes in our own wellness journey. If you were to take the time and really magnify and break down the life cycle of a monarch butterfly from its egg stage to the adult in flight, you’d find a deeper regard for this tremendous change process. To break it down quickly, there are 4 stages: 1. egg stage 2. Larva 3. pupa (Chrysalis) stage 4. Adult. The first 3 stages are one week to two weeks in length and the 4th stage is 2-5 weeks unless a 4th generation Monarch, which is 9 months!

Oftentimes it’s the final result so many of us hold out for in life. That “moment” of celebration and awe after long days, weeks, months and years of hard work (like graduating high school or college). For instance, when we see the butterfly shed its cocoon and take flight, I don’t know about you, but as the years grow in number for my own life, I’m recognizing the amazement in the so-called smaller moments, movements that come in the day to day and week to week effort behind the scenes. These less notable moments are a bigger part of our overall journey or life cycle than the stand alone spreading of the wings. It is in these daily moments, hour by hour, step by step, bite by bite…we are transforming our lives. It is important that we step back and take notice and celebrate regularly! This is the foundational part of our lives that help us grow, shed, change, fly, plant new life, and begin again. It doesn’t end.

What part of the change process are you in?

We are all in a change state. If we so choose, we can interrupt our own life cycle and adjust our desired outcome in certain ways by making some intentional changes. We can alter our cycle! We can create sustainable health and wellness for ourselves by making small adjustments over time. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it is doable.

Examples: Maybe we need to chew longer and lessen our milkweed consumption (insert whatever delicacy fits your tastebuds). Maybe we need to stretch our wings and visit some flower gardens for exercise. Maybe we need to slow our lives down and rest to restore our energy again.

Nature is a beautiful model for our own well-being. If we were to use the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle and apply it to our own goals for slow, steady, sustainable change then what might that look like for you? Below are some examples or ideas.

Egg stage (3-5 days): stretching for a few minutes each morning or evening

Larva stage (9-14 days): increasing water drinking to 8 glasses of water or more per day

Pupa (Chrysalis) stage (8-15 days): Eating at least 5 combined fruits/vegetables daily

Adult (full butterfly) stage (2-5 weeks): Walking 150 minutes per week (30 minutes at 5 days per week)

Adult 4th generation butterfly stage (9 months): Feeling stronger, more energized, less chronic pain, more flexible, higher endurance, better overall health and test results, enjoying life and activities…

Final note: The butterfly doesn’t return to its previous stages. It continues the cycle by creating new life. This is what we do as we strengthen our own lives with small daily steps of life sustainable change.

I would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me directly or by responding to this blog about your own transformation process.