I remember way back then, when I was still a young caterpillar. I always longed to be a butterfly; I wanted to be able to fly, just like all my friends. I couldn’t wait to grow up, I didn’t like being stuck in the body of a caterpillar, eating and sleeping day in and day out.

But as I looked back on my life now, I realize how important it was for me to be a caterpillar. I needed the time to get to know myself, and the world around me. Most importantly, I learnt that I could not control the course of life, and that I should appreciate every moment. Just being alive is already a blessing. Although, it took a while for me to grow and develop. It was a crucial process to undergo. It taught me important lessons of life that would come in handy in the future.

So this is my advice to you.

Learn to love yourself. See yourself as the beautiful person you are! We all have our imperfections. There is good and bad in each of us. As we travel on life’s journey, we learn to enhance our positive characteristics and use them to do good to those around us. If we can stop comparing ourselves to others, it will open our eyes to see how perfect we are. To be content with who you are means that you spontaneously start to feel more grateful about your own talents and gifts. That will help you to see your own beauty and the beauty of those around you.

Everything in life happens for a purpose. We have no control over certain circumstances, but we can influence how these factors affect us on the inside. You have to make a decision to see the positive side in every situation. On the days when times get really tough, the right attitude will make all the difference.

Appreciate life. We all make mistakes. We wish for time to pass and at the end of the day, time did pass… no… actually flew by a lot faster than we wished for. I don’t know about you, but I always feel so guilty if I wish for time to pass.

The most important lesson I learned during my time as a caterpillar was to appreciate life. Being honestly grateful for blessing, friends, family, a beautiful country to live in, and so on… The never-ending-list continues. Every second we get to spend alive is a miracle. Between every sunrise and sunset, wonderful things are waiting to be discovered.

I remember how I wished for days to pass because all I wanted was to be a butterfly. But that mindset made me miss a lot of precious moments.

In the end it wasn’t so bad being a caterpillar. I learned a lot of things and saw the world from a different angle for a while. The three most important things I learnt was:
• to appreciate everything in life
• to love yourself just as you are
• that there is always a purpose.

Although I am a butterfly now, I am still the same person on the inside as when I was a caterpillar. I just look different now.

And of course, I can fly!

By Katy the Caterpillar