Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bigger Isn't Always Better


My daughter and I were walking along the beach and saw what looked to be a million little crabs crawling around the sand. Most of them scurried to hide when we approached them, except for one crab in particular. This little guy was housed in a small shell that looked quite average in its color and shape. Yet, he acted as if he wasn't happy with his current "living situation" because he crawled up to a bigger shell that had a beautiful sheen with rich vibrant colors of brown, blue and pink. He crawled up underneath the bigger shell, as if to see if it were occupied. Upon realizing the shell was vacant, the crustacean actually crawled out of his old shell to move into the bigger one. My daughter and I were amazed at seeing this move actually take place. His naked little body looked funny as it moved from one shell to another.

As we sat there watching, the crab crawled around in his new beautiful shell in a clumsy and awkward fashion, as if he weren't used to the newness of it all. It wasn't long, maybe a few minutes or so, before he scurried towards his old shell. We were amazed at what we saw next. The crab actually left the bigger more beautiful shell to return back to his original one. He crawled away from us, seemingly quite pleased with the comfort of his old average shell.

It was a great learning lesson for both me and my daughter. It showed us that bigger isn't always better, even though most of us think it will make us happier. Here, the crab had the opportunity to live in a beautiful big shell but declined the chance because he realized his old shell was more comfortable even if it wasn't flashy and exciting.

We can learn a lot from this story. We don't need the bigger house, toy, car, etc. to make us happy. Rather, we need to appreciate what we do have. It may not be the most beautiful or the most exciting, but that's okay. It doesn't have to be. What matters most is that we enjoy the things we have (our house, our car, our body, our appearance) and we are comfortable in our own skin. Trying to be someone else, other than ourselves, will only lead to frustration.

Happiness is derived from within.

Positive thoughts,
Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS
Executive & Personal Coach

www.LeadMeToSucceed.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you Renee! And I feel it is so important for people to believe this. Now is a great time for everyone to take stock of they really NEED to be happy. And we are learning lessons in survival. It is possible to exist without the latest clothes and technology and we have to learn to exist without Charge Cards and buy homes and cars that we can afford.
Anyway, because I am an "older" person I have to add this to my comment....your mother must be very proud of you! You are truly a successful woman!
Michigan Granny

Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS said...

Thank you for your kind words, Michigan Granny! I truly appreciate your input and wisdom. -Renee