3. The Story of the Caterpillar - SAMPLE
Lesson
Once there was a caterpillar. Each day he ate and slept.
One day while the caterpillar was with his friend, the ant, a huge thing flew over them. “What was that?!”
The ant said, “It is a butterfly. They fly in the air and feed the flowers”
The caterpillar said, “I wonder what it would be like to be a butterfly.”
The ant said, “Caterpillar, don’t you know that you were made to become a butterfly?”
The caterpillar could not imagine becoming a butterfly. He was not beautiful and he could not fly.
How could he be a butterfly? It must be very difficult. How could he fly in the air without falling? Does it hurt to grow wings? How do you feed a flower? All these new things seemed scary.
The ant said, “Yes, you are a caterpillar, but you can become a butterfly. Everything that you need is inside of you.”
The caterpillar did not believe it. “How do you know? Are you going to become a butterfly too?”
“No, I am an ant. I was made to carry heavy loads and carve beautiful mazes, but you were made to become a butterfly that feeds the flowers.” the ant said.
The caterpillar did not believe it. “How can I become a butterfly when I am only a fuzzy worm?”
The ant pointed gray bundle hanging from the tree. And she said, “You have to go in there. You have to change.”
The caterpillar was very confused. He crawled on the branch toward the bundle.
“Hello?” he said.
“Hello!” the bundle answered.
“What are you doing?” the caterpillar asked.
The bundle replied, “I am becoming a butterfly!”
The caterpillar was confused. Butterflies are big and beautiful. They do not hide in gray sacks hanging from trees.
The caterpillar asked, “How do you become a butterfly?”
The creature inside the bundle answered, “First, you must want to become a butterfly more than you want to remain a caterpillar. You must want to fly more than you want to crawl.”
“Then you make a cocoon. This is where I grow my wings and legs. It does not look like anything is happening, but inside everything is changing. It takes work and patience.” the creature explained.
“But how are you certain? Are you afraid?” the caterpillar asked.
“I am not certain, but I have seen butterflies and I want to become a butterfly. I am afraid of falling, but I really want to fly.”
The ant said to the caterpillar, “You were made to become a butterfly. It will be new and scary, and there will be much to learn, but you will be a butterfly. You can go in your cocoon and I will be here when you come out.”
The caterpillar crawled out on the branch and began to wrap himself in the silks from his own body. He formed a cocoon around himself and he waited.
Sometimes the caterpillar would get tired and think that this was all a waste. Sometimes the cocoon was uncomfortable. Sometimes the caterpillar became very afraid that he would fall from his cocoon. The caterpillar wanted to quit, but he stayed. He believed he could be a butterfly.
Eventually, the caterpillar grew too big, and his cocoon cracked. Light came into the cocoon and he saw that his fuzzy body was gone!
He crawled outside. His new legs and wings were awkward and he was unsure of how to use them. He was afraid and wished to go back to his fuzzy body.
But he looked up and saw all of the butterflies dancing in the trees. Then he looked down and saw his friend, the ant.
The caterpillar jumped off the branch and stretched his wings. He was flying!
“Ant, it’s me, the caterpillar!”
The ant replied, “No, you are a butterfly!”
The caterpillar had everything he needed to become a butterfly. It was scary, uncomfortable, and new, but the caterpillar discovered that with encouragement, work, learning, and faith he was able to grow into a beautiful butterfly. When he changed the way he saw himself, it changed what was possible for him to do.
Discussion
(Each lesson in the course includes a discussion section where learners can submit their answers to prompt deeper learning and solidify the concepts and skills covered.) This lesson’s discussion prompts are:
We are like this caterpillar. We are capable of becoming what we want to be, but we have to believe in ourselves, learn from others, and work hard. As you think about this story, answer the questions below.
Name one thing you would like to become - a business person, a teacher, a farmer, a doctor, a pastor, a good parent, or any other hope that you have for your future.
Name one thing that makes your hope difficult or scary - maybe you don’t think that you are not smart enough to finish school, or you worry that becoming a farmer will be too much work, or you are afraid that you will fail as a business person.
Name one talent, skill, or characteristic that you have that would make you well-suited for your hope future - maybe you are very good at caring for others and that would help you to be a good doctor, or maybe you are very skilled in maths and that would help you to be a good teacher.
How can you encourage someone else in your group as they share their hopes for the future? Go ahead and give them this encouragement.
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The Course Includes
Module 1: What is Mindset? (6 Lessons)
Module 2: Mindset to Work (5 Lessons)
Module 5: Mindset for Business (7 Lessons)
2 to 5 Powerful insight-building discussion questions accompanying each lesson