A Cocoon Can’t Fly

“Most of us live in a cocoon of personality– the made-up story of who we are. It seems dark and dusty inside this little cocoon, and we think we can’t get out.

We tell ourselves stories about our personality, but these stories aren’t reality. Deep down, we know we’re more than this personality.

We could tear open the cocoon if we wanted to. We could push out and see the light of the world. We could learn to fly. But most of us will live trapped inside our personalities for our entire lives, never knowing that we can leave.

We are victims of our own invented limits. We wake up each morning to a world that is dim and unclear. There are so many problems wrapped around us; there is almost no light. Pushing against the inner wall of the cocoon seems futile. Why bother? I am the way I am.

So why are there people who learn to push through? How exactly do they learn to create themselves all over again? It is reported that these people feel like they’re learning to fly.

In effect, they are reinventing who they are. And, in the process, they become owners of the human spirit. They are victims no more.”

The above words are from Steve Chandler in the preface of Reinventing Yourself. He defines a victim as one who identifies power as being outside them, beyond their control. It’s not about fate, rather it’s a conditioned and disempowering habit of thought.

The opposite of victim is owner. These people take full responsibility and ownership for their thoughts, words and actions; even their levels of energy. They continuously tap into the the power of the human spirit as a fiery energy to invent and reinvent who they are.

Owners are like children before they receive their inner wounds. They constantly invent themselves. Simply listen to the joyous sounds that come from the playgrounds of kindergardener and first graders. Listen for joy and “You’re not the boss of me!”

What about your shouts? Are they complaints or joyous revelations? Are they the words of a pessimistic victim or that of an enthusiastic creative owner? A cocoon cannot fly. Only a caterpillar who works at getting out of its old personality can do that. Own It . . .