Coaches Corner, Fall 2017

December/12/17

Written by Randel Wright, Director and Coaches Coach for Leadership Vancouver Island.

This is a story some of you may have read on the internet; it floated around Facebook and LinkedIn. I will relay it here the best way I can, with the intent to shed light on change.

This is the story of a lobster. Have you ever wondered how a lobster grows? How they get to be as big as they do? What is involved? Well, it is not an easy process!

As you are all aware, lobsters have their skeleton on the outside of their body. On the inside is just meat, muscle and guts. So what happens? First the lobster grows inside its outer shell of protection. It grows and grows until it becomes very cramped and crowded inside there. The lobster starts looking for a safe place under rocks or in a small cave just big enough for it to enter and be protected while the process gets underway. First the lobster breaks its own shell and crawls out; exposing its soft insides to the world of predators and any number of dangers including infection. Then it excretes a liquid that will later form its new hard shell, a bigger world to live in. All of this takes time, during which the lobster must be vulnerable to the the world around it.

You may be wondering what this has to do with you or coaching but let’s look deeper. The lobster is motivated by the stresses in its life. When it can no longer fit in the shell it has created, it must grow and face its greatest fear of being eaten. Then the lobster must become vulnerable and expose itself to all manner of scary things.

What are you willing to face to build the life you want? As you recognize you would like to change and grow, what fears are you willing to face in order to grow? When things are not going your way and you are feeling like you no longer fit in the world you have built, please remember the little lobster and borrow some bravery. Think of what is scaring you or stopping you from moving forward and then ask “is it real”, “who could help”, and “what can I do”?

Happy coaching.

Randel Wright
Choose Your Path

 

Back To Blog & Events