Butterfly In-Progress
Nov 06, 2026
Have you ever had a mentor who saw something in you that you couldn’t see yourself?
This past week I heard an idea that changed everything for me:
“When a caterpillar looks at another caterpillar, all he sees is a caterpillar.
But when a butterfly looks at a caterpillar? All he sees is a butterfly.”
So often when we think about ourselves, we may only notice our faults.
We see our limitations, our flaws, our mistakes.
All the reasons why we CAN’T be successful.
When we look at ourselves, we just see a caterpillar staring back in the mirror.
OK, that may be the stuff of nightmares, but you get the point.
But when I think about the most influential mentors I’ve ever known, the one thing they ALL had in common was the ability to see more in myself than I did.
You might have met someone similar.
Instead of our faults and flaws, great mentors see our strengths, our gifts, and our potential,
Instead of our negative narratives, they see the reasons why we CAN be successful.
Instead of what you are, mentors see you as what you can become.
To them, you are merely a butterfly “in progress”.
And to me the difference means everything.
I’m currently travelling and am writing in a cramped airport chair, so I’ll keep this short.
People rise to the level of story we give them to tell about themselves. And sadly people fall to the level of story we give them too.
I’ve met some caterpillars who will never be more than caterpillars… because that’s all that they’ve ever been told about themselves. No one has helped them look higher.
But how can you take a moment today to become a mentor, and remind someone that they aren’t a caterpillar, but a butterfly in progress?
What if you took the time to share with someone what you notice in them that they might not notice in themselves?
What kind of difference would it make?
Because who knows…
Your simple comment…
Your moment of encouragement…
Your belief in them…
May just be the thing they need to truly sprout wings and soar.
Just like a butterfly.
Christian
CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his family. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com
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