Many people have asked me “Why the butterfly?” as the symbol or logo for my website. The butterfly holds quite a bit of significance to me, and this story will explain why:

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it had and it could go no further.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. (author unknown)

Having faced my own struggles and knowing I have come out of them so much stronger, I feel the butterfly is perfect for my website and symbolises the message I am trying to portray!

We all face challenges and setbacks in our lives when taking chances, and some are harder to deal with than others, but what we learn from them is well worth the effort, regardless of the outcome!

My biggest challenge was the day I decided to walk out of my marriage. For so many years I had told myself how I wouldn’t be able to cope on my own, and I really felt for a long time that leaving just wasn’t an option.

One day a lightbulb went on in my head and I realised that if I just take a chance and take charge of my life, then maybe I could finally be happy again.

So that is what I did and it was the biggest life-changing event of my life! It was extremely hard, and I had my ups and downs along the way, but it wasn’t long before I realised that my decision was the right one.

I am now happily married with two beautiful daughters and life is just sensational!

I constantly see people in situations they don’t want to be in, but they are afraid to take a chance and do something to change it. Until they are prepared to get out there and do it, then their life will continue on as it always has.

The following saying says it all: If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got…

If you are faced with a challenge and you’re wondering if you should take a chance, then ask yourself these questions:

1. What is the very worst thing that could happen if things went wrong?

2. How would you handle it if this happened?

3. What positive things could you learn from this situation, regardless of the outcome?

4. What is the very best thing that could happen if there was a positive outcome?

5. What will your life be like if there is a positive outcome?

Speak to a successful entrepreneur for a few minutes and you will realise that they have faced many challenges and setbacks. They’ve taken many chances, some of which may have failed, but they got back up, brushed themself off, and made their next attempt.

That’s what makes the difference between the successful and unsuccessful – the ability to take chances, learn from their mistakes, and get up and try again.

What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced?

Having worked for large organisations, it’s easy to see what a difference your attitude can make to your work and personal life.

I work with people who just cannot be pleased, no matter what you do. They find fault in everything. They dislike doing work that is “not in their job description”, they spend most of their time whining about how badly they are being treated by management, and rarely, if ever, look happy. What are they like at home???

Meanwhile, there’s a person sitting right next to them who feels happy and fulfilled. They do the same job for the same pay, working for the same boss but every day they come in with a smile on their face.

So why is there such a contrast?

Now, I hate to admit it, but I used to be the person described first. I always had a complaint about something! What was my problem??!!

My problem was my attitude.

I chose to see the negatives in any situation, so that’s exactly what I saw, and therefore experienced.

These days, I choose to see the positives and it is amazing the contrast I have achieved by doing so.

By being positive, I seem to attract more “luck” (I don’t really believe in luck, but it could be perceived as such), opportunities seem to appear out of nowhere, and life in general is so fulfilling and fun!

All because I have made a conscious choice to see the good in everything around me!

Do you need some help doing the same? If you’re currently in a negative place right now, then my bet is that you do.

Try the tips below and note the difference it makes:

1. Each and every day, write a list of everything you are grateful for in your life.

2. When faced with a “challenge” (this could be a situation you perceive as negative), consciously look for opportunities stemming from that challenge, or positives.

For example, in my town yesterday, a woman left her baby in her car (yep, in the middle of summer) to go and pay a bill. She left the car running and it was unlocked. While she was paying the bill, a car thief stole her car.

When he realised there was a young baby in the car, he stopped under a tree, wound the windows down, called the last dialed number on her cell phone (it happened to be her sister), and told her where it was parked. He then ran off.

This is a terrible situation and we all know that leaving babies in cars is extremely dangerous, and the thief should not have stolen her car.

However, the baby IS alive and even though the thief did the wrong thing by taking the car, he did the right thing by calling and telling someone the location of the car. If he had not done that, then maybe the baby could have died.

Get my point?

3. As per my last post, write a list of 150 positive things in your life.

4. Start setting goals for yourself – give your life purpose.

5. Look after yourself – having a good diet and exercise regime can give you a great sense of wellbeing!

This list could go on for ages, but try these few things as a start and see what happens!

How prepared are you to change your attitude?