The lobster has something to teach us about courage.
As the lobster grows, its shell becomes too small. And that discomfort becomes the signal: Time for a new shell.
But it doesn’t shed its shell just anywhere.
It finds a rock, a crevice, or a cave. Somewhere it feels safe to grow a new shell and it does this over and over again throughout its life.
When I look back at the times I have navigated significant change, I notice a pattern.
Every time I was willing to shed my armour, there was a person or a space where I felt safe enough to experiment, fail, and be uncertain.
Sometimes, the next level of our growth isn’t about finding more courage, but finding that space – the cave or rock where our courage can emerge.
And perhaps this is why this photo makes me smile. I’m literally wearing armour!
What does the lobster metaphor mean to you?
I am a courage catalyst, executive coach, facilitator, speaker and founder of Interact Consulting.