Unlock Your Inner Butterfly: How to Be the Best Version of Yourself

What do you think of when you hear the word metamorphosis? Do you picture something changing from ordinary to extraordinary, from something plain to something beautiful? Just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, we too have the power to change and become the best version of ourselves. But how does this change happen? How do we, as individuals, undergo our own metamorphosis?

The Metamorphosis of the Caterpillar

Let’s begin by looking at a caterpillar. When you see a caterpillar, it might not seem very attractive. It’s small, slow, and perhaps a bit plain. But within that tiny creature lies an amazing potential for transformation. Inside the caterpillar are special cells known as imaginal cells. These cells are different from the rest of the caterpillar’s cells, and they carry the blueprint for the butterfly that the caterpillar will one day become. However, this transformation doesn’t happen overnight.

The process of metamorphosis takes time. There comes a moment when the caterpillar feels like everything is over. It might even seem like it’s at the end of its journey. But that is precisely the moment when the caterpillar starts its incredible transformation. It turns into a butterfly, a creature of beauty and grace, capable of flying freely.

Our World and Its Transformation

Today, if we look at the world around us, it might feel like we are in a similar situation to that of the caterpillar nearing the end of its journey. We live in a time known as Kalyug, or the Iron Age, where everything seems depleted. Values, principles, and purity have declined, and the world feels like it’s losing its moral compass. Every day, when we read the news or hear about what’s happening around us, we can’t help but feel disheartened. We might find ourselves thinking, “How did things get so bad? How can such things happen?”

But, just like the caterpillar’s transformation, when everything reaches its lowest point, it is also a sign that something new is about to emerge. The end of the caterpillar is the beginning of the butterfly. When every soul transforms itself and becomes like that butterfly, the world, too, will undergo a transformation. This is the time when we, as souls, need to make a choice. We can either follow the existing lifestyle, which is in decline, or we can choose to live life differently, aiming to become the best version of ourselves.

Focusing on Yourself

The first step in this transformation is to stop looking at the world around us and to start looking within ourselves. Just like the caterpillar, which already has the cells needed to become a butterfly, we, too, have everything we need within us to become the best version of ourselves. But for this change to happen, we need to take a good, hard look at ourselves. What habits, traits, or sanskaras (deep-seated tendencies) do we have that are holding us back? By identifying and changing these, we can begin our journey toward becoming a butterfly.

For the next few days, try this simple exercise: look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “What do I need to change in myself to become a butterfly?” Don’t focus on what others need to change or what is happening in the world. This is about you and your own transformation.

Identifying What Needs to Change

It’s essential to be specific when identifying what needs to change. Imagine you are visiting a doctor. You wouldn’t just say, “I want to be healthy.” The doctor would ask, “What’s the problem? What are your symptoms? Is there any pain?” Similarly, when it comes to self-improvement, we need to pinpoint exactly what our weaknesses are. Is it anger, ego, irritation, or laziness? Do we tend to criticize others, worry excessively, or dwell on the past?

Once you’ve identified these traits, ask yourself: “Am I ready to remove these weaknesses from my life? Can I do it completely, not just for a short time, but permanently?” Sometimes, we might feel like we can’t live without certain traits. For example, we might think, “I need to use this sanskar sometimes because things don’t work if I don’t.” But think of it this way: an illness is either there or it isn’t. We can’t hold onto it partially. Either we keep it, or we get rid of it completely.

The Danger of Focusing on Others

One of the biggest obstacles to our own transformation is the tendency to focus on others instead of ourselves. Often, when we hear something about self-improvement, our first thought is, “If only so-and-so could hear this and change themselves.” We believe that the problems in our lives are because of what others do. But this mindset prevents us from looking at our own weaknesses.

For instance, when we hear about the importance of not being critical, we might immediately think of someone else who is always criticizing. We forget to ask ourselves, “Do I criticize others?” We are so busy observing others—how they act, what they say, what they wear—that we neglect our own self-reflection.

There was once an exercise conducted at a retreat center in Delhi. Participants were asked to write down five strengths and five weaknesses of themselves. They sat down with pen and paper but found it challenging to complete the task. Many of them even asked the person sitting next to them, “What do you think are my strengths and weaknesses?” However, when asked to write down five strengths and weaknesses of the person beside them, they did it quickly. This shows how much more we focus on others than on ourselves.

Practicing Self-Reflection

For the next four days, try not to think about others unnecessarily. Focus only on yourself and your own journey. When we practice this kind of self-reflection, we become more aware of our own virtues and weaknesses. If we have a virtue but are unaware of it, how will we use it? And if we have a weakness and don’t acknowledge it, how will we ever change it?

When we stop thinking about others, we save a lot of our energy. Think about it: every time we engage in unnecessary thoughts about others, we are wasting our mental energy, just like letting water drip from a leaking tap. If you noticed water dripping from a tap, you would fix it to stop the waste. Similarly, we need to stop the waste of our thoughts by focusing on ourselves instead of others.

Living in the Present

Another important practice for the next four days is to stop thinking about the past. Often, we find ourselves dwelling on past events, whether they were good or bad. But thinking about the past is like trying to drive forward while looking in the rearview mirror—it prevents us from living fully in the present.

Even when we think about pleasant memories from the past, it can create a sense of dissatisfaction with the present. We might think, “Those days were so good,” which implies that today is not as good. The mind is naturally drawn to the past, but we need to gently bring it back to the present.

Think of your mind like a child. When a child is young, you teach them not to do things that are harmful, like eating sand or touching something dangerous. Similarly, when your mind starts thinking about the past, you need to lovingly guide it back to the present. This won’t happen instantly; it takes practice. But over time, your mind will learn to stay focused on the present, allowing you to live more fully and freely.

Guiding Your Mind Like a Child

Your mind is like your inner child. Just as you wouldn’t let a child keep doing something harmful, you shouldn’t let your mind dwell on thoughts that don’t serve you. With patience and consistent practice, you can train your mind to stay focused on what’s important—your own growth and transformation.

The journey to becoming the best version of yourself is not about quick fixes or superficial changes. It’s about deep, lasting transformation—just like the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into the butterfly. By focusing on yourself, identifying what needs to change, and practicing self-reflection, you can begin your own journey toward becoming a beautiful, free, and fully realized version of yourself.