September 2007 :: The Power of Butterflies

The waiter brought our breakfast plates to the table as I sat in a diner with a friend. Steam rose off the food and the aroma of food and fresh coffee filled my nostrils. A splash of cream for the coffee. A dash of hot sauce for my eggs. And now for the topper, a dollop of ketchup for my potatoes. Ah, the coy ketchup would require a moment of pause. As I tapped the bottom of the ketchup bottle, coaxing it to give up its sweetness, my friend broke into the Carly Simon song used in the old Heinz commercial:

“An-ti-ci-pation… An-ti-ci-pay-yyay-tion…”

I acknowledged his fine voice and finished my task. The subtle power of anticipation had been filling my thoughts as of late, so I took his song to have meaning beyond my home fries. I’m convinced that being in the state of anticipation is essential for consciously creating a very cool life. Lately I’ve noticed that each time I check my e-mail, I feel that warm rush of expectancy swell within me.

My eyes lock on each message as it pops in my inbox. I lock in, scanning for an e-mail having to do with my book. Perhaps my agent, a publisher, or an author I had contacted has gotten back to me. I wrote my brother Ned, another published author, about my feelings of anticipation.

“The butterflies appear every time I check my e-mail.” I wrote.

He wrote back, “Butterflies good. A sign you are living life as you should.”

His simple words of wisdom have stayed with me. I love the butterflies. I love how that field of energy suddenly appears out of nowhere and then begins to spread throughout my body. Lately, I feel alive while checking my e-mail. What’s more, that wonderful feeling seems to stay with me, regardless of what shows up in my inbox. We all know the glorious feeling of anticipation. Christmas morning as a child. Prepping for a first date. The countdown before a vacation. But why is that feeling of anticipation so powerful? I’m glad you asked…

Being in the state of anticipation means that you are engaged in the creation of something you desire. The focus of this desire can be anything — it can be finding a new house, going to a concert, creating a baby, or even adding ketchup for your potatoes. When you engage that creative energy and begin to direct its flow, you are really tapping into the same infinite Energy Source that created the universe and everything in it. This Energy Source is always available to us – it surrounds you right now — but like most wonderful things, it requires your awareness in order for you to wield its true power.

It’s important to clarify that being in the state of anticipation does not mean living in the future. A common trap is to place all of our emphasis on the manifestation of things versus the process of creation. In these times, we get locked in on what we want and wanting it NOW. The fact that our desire has not yet arrived often leads us to be a state of worry and doubt (which of course, are known butterfly poisons).

The greater truth is that as much as we may fall prey to the illusion that it’s all about the moment of manifestation, deep down we all really live for being in the experience of creating things. If this still sounds strange, let me show you what I mean. Picture this (and pretend you love baseball as much as I do): Your team is playing in the World Series. It’s the ninth inning of the game. Your team is ahead. Which one of these games would you prefer to watch? One where your team was leading 12-1? Or one where your team was ahead 3-2? I’ll wager you’d choose the close game because the outcome is still in doubt. Not only has the outcome not unfolded, but if you’re a fan, there’s even some tension!

The underlying reason we watch any game (e.g., sporting event, election, the stock market, etc.) is because we enjoy being a part of the unfolding, stress and all. Otherwise we would simply read the headline the next morning and move on. Quite simply, it’s just more fun to be in the unfolding of things. And remember, we are here to have fun.

Likewise, imagine for a moment that you had a book you deeply wanted to share with the world. Again, I’ll give you a couple options to consider. In the first option, suppose you that you have the power to snap your fingers and instantly manifest all the rewards (e.g., some notoriety and money) of having a bestseller. Snap! Whammo! Done. Compare this to your second option, which is probably more similar to most of your experiences. Instead of having the experience of the book manifest on the spot, would you prefer to be part of the unfolding of how your book went from obscurity to bestseller?

While this option would likely include moments of rejection and doubt, it would also include new people, places and a series of events building upon each other that surpasses anything in your imagination. Again, when you really think about it, I’m putting you down for the latter option. The essence of life is to be in the flow of energy and the creation of things. The juice exists in the experiences we have, the unfolding of our stories, and the feelings of our desire and anticipation.

So a powerful question to ask yourself is this: “Where are the oh-so-powerful butterflies in my life?” In other words, what are the grand desires you hold for yourself? What is the next cool thing that you’d like to bring into your life? If you have no butterflies, you’re not really giving yourself a fair shot at the coolest version of your life. So, your work is as follows:

1) Discover where your butterflies of desire live. (Hint: They tend to hang out on right on the edge, away from what you know to be “safe.”)

2) Hold your desire. In the process, continually make adjustments so that you feel in alignment with your desires.

3) Revel in the unfolding.