The nautilus as a model

The chambered nautilus is a wonderful model for us in how to move ahead in our lives—and in how to use our pasts to good effect.

You see, throughout its life the nautilus continually adds new chambers to its structure. When the mollusk becomes too large for its current chamber, it creates a new and larger one, closing off the old one. It lives in the newest chamber, staying there until it outgrows that one. So it leaves the past behind and moves on to its new life in a new chamber.

However, here's the interesting part: Apparently, the old chambers trap air that keeps the nautilus buoyant. So the nautilus uses its old chambers to stay afloat even though it doesn't go back and live in the past by using those old chambers!

So next time some things in your life feel a little constricting and begin to pinch, how about moving out of the "shell" of whatever constricts and holds you back? Create a new space for yourself that is large enough for your new dreams, whatever they are. And let go of the things from your past that weigh you down, keeping only those things that help you stay afloat.

If your job or workplace don't allow you to be fully you, perhaps it's time for something new. Or maybe it's a relationship that's holding you back from being your authentic self? Have you outgrown something? What in your life needs some changing—something new, something that is more right-sized for you? As you move toward that new thing (that new chamber, as it were), are there parts of the old job, old friendship or old life that you want to carry with you to keep you afloat?

If this description is too vague to apply to your life, please contact me and we can do a complimentary strategy session around the topic. Let's find how this might apply to your life.