Pressure = opportunity for growth

Why you should embrace change like a lobster. Yes, a lobster.

I never thought I would write a post about personal growth in which I would ask you to consider the lobster. But here we are, so spare a moment and bear with me. The lobster grows throughout life, in much the same way that we do. However, unlike humans (at least in the physical sense) at various times the lobster outgrows its shell. It starts to feel pressure; trapped by the confines of its outer shell as its body grows within. This stress builds until the lobster can bear it no longer, so it finds a place on the ocean floor and digs a burrow to keep it safe, as it knows that in order to grow it must become vulnerable. Once safe inside its refuge, it sheds its shell and the pressure releases.

But that’s just the beginning. It is now weak, vulnerable, and has to wait for its new shell to harden to protect it. A week or so later it emerges a bigger, stronger lobster. This process of change cannot be undone; the lobster now occupies a bigger space.

The human mind is the same. In moments of pressure and stress, when faced with problems or change, we can feel overwhelmed as the pressure builds. We feel that we want to retreat to a safe place, to escape the sensation. This is where we must learn from the lobster, and use our safe refuge as a place to build a bigger “shell” of new meaning, new understanding. When we emerge we are stronger. Once expanded, our minds cannot go back to their previous dimensions. Just like the lobster.

Be thankful for your problems; they provide opportunities for growth. Let go of limiting self-beliefs, build stronger positive thoughts as you grow. Coaching can help you find the strength within and take those challenges head-on. I remember a session with my coach, Mario Varon of High Management, in which he was coaching me to face my fears around applying for my first headship in a school. He showed me a video, an advertisement (watch it here) that had run for a South American department store called Falabella, and the message was to illustrate the message about facing one's fears and overcoming them. When we consider fear, it boils down to a fear that "I am not enough" or "I won't be successful". I applied for the headship and was successful. Overcoming that fear set me on a path that led to my training as a coach, and now I help other people overcome their limiting self-beliefs and fears. All of the power we need is within us, we just need to unleash it.