In the past several months, I've watched two of my clients escape the straightjacket of 'how my life is supposed to be' and embrace absolutely unexpected, embryonic new lives. For one, the metamorphosis involved letting go of an old and empty career to embrace entirely new opportunity and for the other the shift was internal—a letting go of a habit of mind that allows new doors to open.

In both cases, the experience was profoundly uncomfortable. Both clients experienced fear and strong resistance. It's hard to change our ways and we hold on tight to old habits—even when they don't serve us. Both clients actually referred to the process as a 'meltdown.'

But from where I sat, all I saw was magic.

The other day I heard coach and author Martha Beck speak about meltdown with the following breathtaking metaphor about how a caterpillar makes its way to butterfly. I don't know if it's entirely accurate scientifically, but I'd sure like to think so.

She said that she'd always imagined that if you checked in on a well-cocooned caterpillar about halfway through it's mysterious transformation, you'd see something like a caterfly—a wormy creature with budding wings and emerging antennae. In other words, you would see a logical progression from slug-like creature to splendid princess.

Actually, if you cut into the cocoon midway through the magic, what you would see is a bunch of green goo. The caterpillar as we know it is no more—and the butterfly that we are anticipating isn't there either. Meltdown!

But something quite extraordinary is held in that green ooze. On a molecular level, there are a few highly specialized cells called Imago Cells, (from which we have the words image, imagination, magic…) which hold the blueprint for the butterfly. So amidst the very meltdown that seems to defy growth and transformation, is the key to the transformation. In fact, total meltdown is the necessary prerequisite for the transformation.

So the question for mere humans is how to invite meltdown since every cell in our body resists letting go and we can't rely on our cocoons to lead us to our wings.

The reason so many of use cling eternally to old scripts is because we know the lines. We can recite them in our sleep. We go on a kind of auto-pilot and pretend that this thing we do when we're not sleeping is as good as we have any right to expect.

The truth is, there is no glass ceiling to 'as good as it gets.' When we accept a life that fails to nourish us and ring our chimes, we are really acknowledging a profound failure of vision. And sadly, no one can give us a vision for our life. This is hard and mapless work that we need to tackle if we want to spread our wings really wide.

In fact it's this specific work that brings many wonderful people across my coaching threshold. They need help getting crystal clear on their 'imago cells' so that they hold a very clear vision of what they're headed toward. It doesn't get much more exhilarating than being able to articulate exactly what you want next in your life—and once you have your map in hand, those 'imago cells' become your North Star.

If you are ready for a big transformation but not sure you know exactly what's next, give me a call. I can't promise the ooze will be easy, but I will promise that there is a butterfly waiting to be born.

About My Coaching:
As a personal and executive coach, it is my goal to bring dynamic leadership, a compassionate heart and powerful insight to the lives of my coaching clients. I work to help clients identify and pursue what is deeply meaningful in their lives and their businesses, and collaborates with them to transform vague yearnings or explicit goals into realities.

After graduating from Princeton University, I spent almost 20 years as an independent feature film, video and CD ROM producer guiding projects to success. As President of Midwest Film Productions, I honed my skills building productive teams of people, working to intense deadlines, quickly and accurately assessing complex situations and brainstorming and implementing creative solutions. It was during these years that my passion for small businesses emerged.

In my coaching practice I call on my extensive production and business background with the express goal of helping my clients live their lives and create their businesses by design and not default.

I completed my coaches training through the prestigious Coaches Training Institute, completed advanced training and received my certification credential through them as well.

My latest favorite quote: "A goal is a dream with a deadline."

If you are interested in exploring how coaching may be of value to you personally or to your business, I am pleased to offer a ‡ hour complimentary session. Please feel free to give me a call or send me an email.

Contact me:
Dina Silver, CPCC
Pegasus Coaching Group
310-393-8082
dina@pegasuscoachinggroup.com
http://www.pegasuscoachinggroup.com/