Your Metamorphosis: The book for your transformation

By Jessica Turner

Personal development is a growth process similar to the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Emerge from your childhood as a caterpillar, discover what you really want in the cocoon, and take responsibility for your life. Let go of the past and open yourself up to new perspectives. Learn to feel vibrant and free like a butterfly, to flutter your wings, and to lead a more confident and fulfilled life! »YOUR METAMORPHOSIS« is more than a self-help book. You can pick it up again and again, refer to its tips and activities, and use it as a personal workbook. Write in it, make notes, and keep it by your side during your transformation. With your purchase, you are making a generous donation to my school project in Kenya, which covers school costs for children there. Your contribution gives them an education, the opportunity to learn a profession, and the chance to live a good life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: tredition
• Release date: May 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9783347644854

Jessica Turner

“Was ich tue, mache ich mit Herzblut.” — Jessica Turner Ich liebe es, Dinge für andere zu tun. Wenn du für dich entdeckst, wie du dich am besten entwickeln kannst, schaffst du damit die Möglichkeit, dies auch an andere weiterzugeben – wenn du das möchtest. Ich persönlich unterstütze andere Menschen nicht aus Selbstlosigkeit, sondern habe selbst etwas davon: Wenn ich in meinem Beruf als Projektmanagerin dazu verhelfen kann, ein Projekt erfolgreich durchzuführen, habe ich selbst Erfolg. Wenn ich in meiner Freizeit als Fitnesstrainerin meine Kursteilnehmer motivieren kann, motiviere ich mich selbst. Wenn ich Menschen in meinen sozialen Projekten Freude bereiten kann, empfinde ich selbst Freude. Wenn mich meine Freunde um einen Ratschlag und Hilfe bitten, helfe ich mir in den Gesprächen auch selbst. Das Leben ist schön - und doch nicht immer leicht. Umso faszinierender ist es, was im Leben alles möglich ist, wenn man es wirklich will. Und am meisten erreicht man, wenn man die Menschen um sich herum dabei unterstützt, es auch zu wollen. Meine Erfahrungen habe ich in meinem Buch “Metamorphose” festgehalten, dessen Erlös für ein nachhaltiges Start-Up in Kenia gespendet wird.

Book preview

Prologue: The Butterfly Effect

You’ve probably read the book or seen the film: The Butterfly Effect. Edward Lorenz coined the term in the 1970s by asking if the single flutter of a butterfly in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas. Lorenz described how, in a dynamic system, starting conditions can influence the run of events in the future. If the situation at the outset changes, even minimally, the entire situation will develop in fully unexpected and unpredictable ways.

What does that have to do with you? Your life takes place in a highly dynamic and complex world. It is shaped by new developments and technologies. To keep pace with these rapid changes, it is crucial to be open to new experiences. Understanding interconnectedness and causality in the world around you and within yourself helps you counteract the complexity. There are certainly things you cannot change – the past, for example. There are other things you can influence through your own actions – whether consciously or unconsciously – such as the people you spend time with.

According to the Butterfly Effect, changing one of your actions just slightly, for example by taking a different way to work, could result in something unexpected. Someone could smile at you along the way, and this smile alone could brighten your day. It would energize you and help you make more productive decisions at work. Your colleagues would begin to see you in a different light – a more positive light – and they would project the same positivity towards you. Somehow, your new project would start rolling all on its own.

The person you met that very morning inspired you with a single smile not only to change your approach, but also to change your attitude. You might not have even realized it. And as a result, you impacted everyone around you in some way. You’ve probably figured out where I’m going with this: each day you make decisions, both consciously and unconsciously. With those decisions, you trigger your own small Butterfly Effect. Understood in this way, even the seemingly most insignificant decision or action could have very significant impacts.

In this book, you will learn to use the Butterfly Effect to your advantage, to understand your own personal metamorphosis through the metaphor of the butterfly life cycle, and to identify small adjustments with the potential for huge transformation.

In the following pages, I will draw on the expertise of scientists and researchers, who will be referenced at the end of the book. With your purchase, you are contributing to my school project in Kenya, which covers school costs for children in slums. Why? So that they can receive a quality education, learn a profession, and live a good life. Receiving gratitude from the beneficiaries – especially young children - is always a special moment.

YOUR METAMORPHOSIS

Are you afraid of change?

The butterfly transforms in a radical way because it has no other choice. Humans, on the other hand, can choose to change. Why not take advantage of this freedom? Have you reached a crossroads in your life and don’t know where the journey should lead? Have you asked yourself recently what you really want and who you really are?

Sometimes this happens during major life crises: puberty, choosing your career, going through a separation or divorce, losing a loved-one, starting a new job, or dealing with other uncertain situations such as the Corona Crisis, which turned the world on its head in 2020.

In my opinion, Corona has been a real stress-test for many. Why? Because it stripped us of freedoms and demanded rapid changes to our patterns of behavior. Work life has changed, colleagues have had to reduce their hours, business owners have closed shop, and people no longer leave their homes. Daily routines are out of whack and leisure activities have been reduced to a minimum. The power to decide has been taken away, along with the control over how to design our everyday lives – just like that.

Do you remember when the pandemic began? No one could really say where the virus came from or what the consequences for society or for individuals might be down the road. Different information was circulating online: did the virus originate in a wild animal market in Wuhan where bats were being held in close quarters, in a high-security laboratory in China, or did it come from somewhere else entirely? Even the World Health Organization (WHO) couldn’t answer this question with 100 percent certainty.

How does all this information make you feel? Does it trigger a fear of uncertainty or a loss of control? Does it paralyze you and take away your energy to make positive changes?

If so, that’s ok. Fear is human. If the thought of Corona and bats makes you anxious, think back to Batman and his fear of bats. In his take on Batman, Christopher Nolan tells the tale of a man seeking to overcome his childhood trauma. Once he frees himself of his fears and processes his past experiences, he can find himself and use his superpowers to help others. So, you see, even your own heroes fear something, but they choose to overcome fear through courage. By doing so, they achieve something marvelous, and so can you.

You have the power to use opportunities to face your fears and grow. I promise you: when you muster up the courage for change, you can turn any crisis into something positive and come out on the other end even stronger. How does that sound?

»Courage is opposition to fear,

triumph over fear,

but not the absence of fear itself.«

Mark Twain

Your desire to change

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like butterflies. Because they are one of the most spectacular examples of transformation and restart found in nature, they fascinate people. For me, personally, they represent freedom and beauty, illustrated through their brilliant colors and seemingly carefree lives. What do you associate with butterflies?

Fluttering from flower to flower completely unburdened, butterflies seem to reach the best nectar almost effortlessly! What’s more, by doing this, they help to pollinate other plants. So, butterflies are not just good-looking, they are also important for the ecosystem.

I have good news and bad news. The bad news first: butterflies are on their way to extinction. The good news: scientists are working to protect and save them.

To become a butterfly, a caterpillar goes through the process of metamorphosis. This is where you come in: you have the power to lead a selfdetermined and happy life, to evolve into a butterfly – and to save yourself through your own metamorphosis.

Even as a child I knew I wanted to be a butterfly! I wanted to be free and independent, and to decide where to fly on my own. It’s easy for children to think like that – life was simpler back then, changing was less complex. As adults we learn to conform, to choose the safest route, and to avoid change.

But as an adult you still have the chance to transform old into new. Your own personal metamorphosis – not in a physical sense, but rather in a mental and spiritual sense – is the perfect opportunity. And do you know what? Unlike a butterfly, you can change as many times in your life as you want.

You might be unhappy with your current situation, but you don’t know how to fix it. You’re looking for positive transformation and want to reframe the situation.

That all sounds easy enough in theory. If so, why haven’t more people made that crucial step towards change, especially given that countless books on personal development are available?

I can think of one reason: change requires a desire for change. Physical growth takes place automatically, but truly becoming an adult means taking matters into your own hands. Anything is possible, but no one is forcing you to do anything. You don’t have to change. But if you do, you have an incredible opportunity. Perhaps you haven’t taken advantage of it yet because you have been carrying outdated beliefs and emotional baggage with you since childhood.

»Hard times build determination

and inner strength.«

Dalai Lama

What you can expect from this book

This book will help you reflect on your life as a child – as a caterpillar, to stick to the metaphor. Hopefully, this will lead to more than just selfreflection. It’s time to look inside yourself and find your own identity. Are most of your actions a cry for love and recognition? Then you probably lack self-confidence. Don’t worry, you can always remedy the situation. You have the chance to adjust how you perceive your own value, to become your own judge of what is good and bad. You can return to your cocoon and win back your self-confidence, change your perspective, and transform your life. It is your responsibility alone – and doing it can be a gift to yourself.

It’s about taking responsibility for your own life and becoming the person you want to be – a butterfly. You can and should experience the joy and love you deserve. This might require radically letting go of things that do you no good.

Maybe you’re already in your »butterfly phase« and have everything you need to be happy. In that case, you can use this book as inspiration for supporting others on their personal journeys.

The writing tasks at the end of each chapter will help you to translate your personal development plan into action. In my experience, writing something down has more impact than just reading it over. You will have it in cold print, so that you can integrate it into your daily life and reach your goals. It’s your book – it is there to serve your positive change and your positive change alone. It’s your own personal process of metamorphosis:

Parts I and II: The egg and the caterpillar

The first chapters take a closer look at the early stages in butterfly development – the egg and the caterpillar. In tasks #1 - #9, you will ask yourself the following questions:

• What were the environmental conditions at the beginning of my life as a butterfly egg?

• Who and what influenced my childhood and youth as a caterpillar?

Parts III and IV: The cocoon and the butterfly

Even the best analysis is meaningless if you don’t use the newly found insights into yourself and your potential. You must move from »developing« in the cocoon to »maturing« as a butterfly.

In the cocoon phase, you will use your past experiences as a basis for reframing many aspects of your life today: your relationship to yourself and others, your beliefs, and your calling (tasks #10 - #19). You’ll figure out who you want to be, you’ll learn to spread your wings as a butterfly. To start off this journey, we will begin with a story from my youth.

»You’ve forgotten your childhood,

yet in the depths of your soul,

it’s calling out to you.

And it won’t stop until you listen.«

Hermann Hesse

The lifecycle of a butterfly

The egg

Butterflies are not born as butterflies. They have a long journey of metamorphosis ahead. As a schoolchild, I experienced this firsthand.

Our teacher, Mrs. Müller, was a wonderful person. She always did her best to explain things so that we could not forget them. Even if I had tried – no use! The knowledge stuck!

At the time, I certainly did not want to remember sex education. It all started with a book called »I can be whoever I want to be«, which was filled with creative activities for discovering your own body. The lessons didn’t stop there: during puberty came the detailed and far too vivid demonstrations of maxi pads and tampons on realistic, 3-D plaster cast models. We couldn’t believe our eyes.

I tried my best to rid my mind of the information - yuck! Nonetheless, I couldn’t enter our bathroom at home for years without thinking about the female menstrual cycle. Never, I thought to myself, would I use something like that. Today, I know what had bothered me so much about Mrs. Müller’s explanations. It hadn’t been the embarrassing details, but rather the certainty of the impending changes in my teenage body. I had felt powerless in the