Why it is important to break out of your bodies and minds shell and become more than you dreamt of
Today I have a special treat for you all. I got reminded of this thought, as usual extremely random, while running. It´s about us humans compared to animals. How we grow our whole life. Let´s jump straight into my thought:
Maybe we are like animals that grow and shed their shells (for example, crustaceans and many insects). We just don´t have an exoskeleton that we get rid of. We as humans, we grow mentally, and we shed off our old mental shells. The old habits, routines, believes that held us back. Thus, we shed off an old mental shell that doesn´t suit our new mental self anymore. Because we grew mentally. Because we are now bigger, stronger, more flexible and more adapted than our old mental shell. And that is how we as humans evolve, we evolve mentally.
What does this thought do for us? It reminds us of the fact that we grow constantly. That we must grow. That we must evolve but also that we keep our own core. That we stay ourselves while we evolve. Like a lobster that grows too big for its own shell, it sheds it off to develop a new and bigger one to finally grow again. However, the lobster stays the same.
We humans just shed of our old and now useless shells. We make more of our true self. We become more of us. We discover what we want and need. Then we evolve the habits, routines and believes that help us. Until we discover the next thing we want and need. Then, the circle repeats itself.
And I think that this process is equally dangerous for us as for an animal. When we shed of an old shell are we more susceptible to outer influences. We can be harmed easier and be diverted easier from our own goals. However, the only thing I know that we can do in this stage to protect ourselves is to be extremely cautious. We can only remind ourselves of our goals and what we need to do in order to achieve them. Sometimes we must ignore a lot that comes from the outside. In order to protect our inside.
Hence, I don´t think that our growing stops when our body stops growing. I believe that we are always growing. And we must because without growth we digress and that is the same as mentally dying.
But what should I do with this knowledge? That´s at least what I asked myself while I thought about this. The answer I came up with myself is simple: “Use it!”
Thus, think about what you want and need.
Then, think about the habits, routines and believes that can help you.
Finally, act on them! Implement them and shed of the old shell of habits, routines and beliefs that don´t help you anymore. Throw away the things that hold you back and replace them with new, fresh and useful ones.
And every now and then repeat this process. I don´t have a good definitive time and very likely it changes according to the circumstances. I think just checking in for sure every half year is worth it. Sometimes more often and sometimes less often is needed. However, twice a year seems to me as a good general rule to check if there are at least some parts of our old shells that we should discard.
So, what to do now? Let´s take the steps and think about:
- What do I want and need?
- What habits, routines, and beliefs will support me?
- Implement them and throw away the old ones that don´t help you anymore.
And if you have some time let me know what you think about this metaphor. Just because I am extremely curious 😀
I wish you a wonderful time!
Greetings,
Alexander