Penguin on Land In-sight

for confidence and empowerment

 

The Story

This in-sight can be applied to many life circumstances, social, professional, personal, and otherwise. In fact, I quite often feel like a penguin on land through much of what I am doing right now. I have mentors I look up to and follow, but I do an awful lot of waddling on my own, awkwardly trying to find my way to my sea. I have realized that many of us are destined to feel this way, to some degree, for the rest of our lives.

But there is a sea for each of us. That is the point. Mine is helping you find yours. So let’s go.


The In-sight

This in-sight is pretty straightforward. Picture yourself, waddling along, looking awkward, feeling awkward. You have very little, if anything, figured out. And you should, right? You're thirty-nine. Or fifty-three. Or twenty-two. Or eighty-five.

But, nope. Stop it. Age is just a number. And life is ever-flowing, ever moving. Thus, why should we have it all figured out? Life IS the ocean. And we are the penguin.

Now, see? That easily, we are flowing. We just slipped into that water. Wait, we were already there all along. And we are swimming, we have been swimming, and we will be, still, as we go along.

There will be currents, waves, but underneath, we know what to do even if we don't feel like we know what we're doing. We're already there. In the sea. You’ve got this.


Variations, Tips, and Possibilities

  • This in-sight is similar to the Flopping Fish In-sight, but involves more interaction with the outer world and our perception of this waddling rather than just flopping on our own. In its own way, it is like an ugly duckling story, when you discover you are really the swan. If you have a hard time seeing yourself as a penguin, try thinking duckling into swan. Swans are pretty awkward honkers, but you never hear much about that, do you? Embrace who you are, because who you are is GREAT. We are ALL still figuring it all out.

  • A horse knows. They know if you are bluffing or not. They know bravado, expectation, anticipation, knowledge, understanding, and otherwise. So, if you step into an arena with less knowledge than you claim, they know, and quite often they call you on it, through their actions or inactions. But with this intuition, they also have a respect for truth. I have seen it many times, where I have worked with a horse that has challenged me in one way or another because of my knowledge and expectation, then turned around and completely melted for a child or a person with very clearly self-acknowledged inexperience. There was no hiding or shame in the inexperience and lack of knowledge or expectation, something these horses knew, respected, and perhaps even loved. There was truth in it all. So, live your truth, bumbling and all. Be proud of your not knowing as much as knowing. Because we are all glorious parts of chaos and greatness.

  • Also try the Flopping Fish In-sight.