Who You’re Meant to Become

Source: Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash

Do you think the butterfly is born knowing its destiny? Do you think it has any idea of the beauty it will one day embody, or the freedom it will experience when it finally takes flight? Probably not.

The butterfly begins its life in the humblest of ways—tiny, vulnerable, and unaware of the transformation that lies ahead. It hatches from an egg and starts its journey as a hungry caterpillar. At first, its only concern is survival, eating its way through leaves, growing bigger and stronger as a caterpillar. But after a while, something inside it shifts. Full and satisfied, it stops eating. Instead of continuing down its familiar path, it hangs upside down, spins itself into a cocoon, and rests in stillness. And then the miracle starts to occur.

Inside that cocoon, in the quiet, the caterpillar dissolves, rearranges, and reshapes itself. When it emerges, it is no longer what it once was. It has become a butterfly, a creature of lightness and grace, far removed from its former self. This transformation is nothing short of incredible.

But now, imagine a different scenario. Imagine if the caterpillar, amid its eating and crawling, decided it didn’t want to change. What if it clung to its identity as a caterpillar, determined to remain just as it was, refusing to evolve, content to live on the ground, slowly inching its way through life? It would never experience the wonder of flight, never discover the vibrant wings hidden within its potential. In this scenario, what we would then end up with is a world without butterflies. How sad would that be? I, for one, would miss their beauty and delicate magnificence.

The same idea applies to you. There’s a part of you, just like the caterpillar, that has yet to transform. There’s a part of you yearning to let go of the expectations and the visions of what you thought your life was supposed to look like. It can feel terrifying to let this go, but holding onto something that no longer serves you is even scarier.

Listen to the part of you that’s open to new experiences, new paths, and new possibilities. Listen to the part of you brave enough to embrace the transformation yet to come. You might not know where you’re headed yet, but you have to start moving anyway. Sometimes, the path forward is revealed only after you take the first step. Other times, you might not know where you’re going until you get there. The truth is, we rarely know what the future holds. And that’s okay. The point isn’t to have all the answers; the point is to be brave enough to keep going.

Midst transformation, you may feel stuck or uncertain. You may not know what the next version of yourself looks like or how you’re supposed to get there. Trust that each new step will lead you to where you need to be. Keep going. Because you have to walk away from the past to make room for the future. You have to let go of who you were to become who you’re destined to be.

Be bold enough to let go of the life you envisioned to embrace the one that awaits you. Welcome the future, whatever it may be. Trust that everything will work out exactly as it’s meant to.

Just like with the butterfly, the world is waiting to see you transform into your most beautiful, free, and capable self. The world is waiting for you to take flight.

If you’re moving through a period of change—or standing on the edge of one—you might find it helpful to sit with these affirmations. Read them slowly. Take what resonates, and leave the rest.

Affirmations on Transformations

“I am no longer who I was, and I honour that.”
“I am courageous.”
“I am safe to change.”
“I am strong enough to change.”
“I am moving forward.”
“I trust in what’s to come.”
“I feel empowered to change.”
“I am open to becoming.”
“I am ready to grow into what is meant for me.”
“I allow myself to change – in my own ways, in my own time.”
“I release resistance and welcome opportunity.”
“I give myself permission to evolve.”

Excerpted from my book ‘Notes on Letting Go.’