We are all heroes. Every one of us.
When my daughters were small I wrote them a story about an unhappy caterpillar who wanted to be anything other than a caterpillar. A leaf fairy tries to help him by turning him into a rose, an iris, a daisy, but he doesn’t like any of the options he’s chosen until finally he says, “I want to be a butterfly!”. Poof! she turns him back into a caterpillar. he’s furious. I want to be a butterfly. And the leaf fairy replies, “You are a butterfly. Inside you are a beautiful pair of wings yearning to unfold. But first, you must learn to spin your own dreams.”
We are all like that caterpillar. We want to do great things in the world, to be our most magnificent selves, but we forget. We forget we are. We forget we have wings. We forget to fly free.
We are all heroes. Every one of us.
Standing in the Choices seminar room, watching wings unfold reminds me always that within each of us is the hero of our lives. It’s our gift to live as our heroic selves. Passionate. Caring. Free. Deserving. Whatever it is we choose, we have wings inside us yearning to unfold.
Every trainee in the seminar room is a hero.
Every coach in the room is a hero.
Thelma Box is a hero.
Thelma is the founder of Choices. It was her dream 29 years ago to create a program that would help single mothers become all that they were meant to be. To know they had the capacity to live their dreams. From Thelma’s dream of helping other women just like her, she has touched thousand of lives and given wings to her dream of “changing the world one heart a t a time.”
Thelma Box is a hero.
Just for today, (who knows, you might like it enough to do it everyday), whenever you pass a mirror, stop and look at yourself. Look deep into your eyes and say out loud, “Hi hero! You are amazing!”
Try it. I know. It’s hard. it feels silly. It feels awkward. It feels all of those things but it is none of those things because… it is the truth.
You are a hero.
You are amazing.
Namaste.
And… to inspire you today I’ve pasted in Mirabai Ceiba singing their song, Ocean. I originally wrote a blog to this piece at Recover Your Joy. “The ocean refuses no river.” May we all be our greatest hero today and refuse no part of ourselves. May we all know our magnificence.
Dare Boldly 
oh my, now i never thought of it like that before.
your daughters were so richly blessed
to have a storytelling mama who planted such
beautiful seeds….seeds that I now embrace
and hold close to heart
so that i can see what you’re seeing.
thanks for the stir,
Jennifer
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What a delightful story you created for your daughters. Such a blessing you are.
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Yes there is a butterfly in all of us but some people never change from the catapiller to the butterfly…………….
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That is the sad part isn’t it Joanne — that we never hear our butterfly wings calling.
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Thanks for another inspiring post. I see that you are an active contributor. To choices blog as well. You are very busy spreading your light and an inspiration to us all.
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My purpose in life Elizabeth — which is something you create in Choices — your purpose statement — is to ‘touch hearts, open minds and set spirits free. Being involved, shining my light is my path to living on purpose 🙂
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You’ve been doing this choices thing for quite some time. You are a hero for coaching people through this process. How long have you been doing it exactly?
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HI Diana — I went through the program in April 2006 and started coaching October 2006. I coach as often as possible as it is the best way I know to keep the tools alive in my life and it is also the only place I know of where I can be completely authentically me in a room filled with Love.
Hugs
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Thanks for the post Louise. I am inspired.
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Thank you Carolyn — Choices started in Dallas btw 🙂
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I wish I could be like you.
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Julie — I don’t see us as much different. We both do our best, everyday, to be the light we want to see in the world. Your light is a constant reminder to be loving and caring, to not give into despair but to be loving no matter the darkness. And that is beautiful.
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