The Ugly Duckling

Once, in the book Women Who Run with the Wolves, I read the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling." I knew it before, but this time I truly grasped the deeper meaning of the story.

It was about a swan that had been considered an ugly duckling for most of its life. It suffered, ran away, and barely survived, but when it found itself in its true, natural environment among its peers, it realized that it was not ugly, nor was it a duckling.

This fairy tale is my favorite, and I often returned to this story because only by finding my people along the way did I gradually change my connection with myself. I came to truths everyone knows — but finally not with my mind, but with my heart. And I feel that I am gradually going where I am meant to be.

Another book gave me some good advice: in your achievements, focus only on your own results, without comparing yourself to others. And then I realized why. By comparing yourself only to yourself yesterday, you don't confine yourself to someone else's limits. They may be either too big or too small for you. By comparing yourself only to your results from yesterday, you have the opportunity to become better. And if you put everything you can into every step right now, you have the chance to fully unfold your potential. And only when you truly unfold your potential can you see what you are really worth.

Perhaps that is why all the painful trials of the beautiful, majestic swan were worth it — so that it could find itself, without comparing itself to ducks.