10,000 NOs

CHAPTER 9Transformation

“So when I went to my artists and my business partners and I said that I wanted to retire they were confused. I said, ‘I'm gonna be an athlete.’ ‘What does that mean, Charlie? 29 years old, 300 pounds, you're gonna be an athlete?’ ‘Yes. Because that was my dream that I buried when I was a little kid.’”

—Charlie “Rocket” Jabaley, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Nike Athlete

One of the most inspiring things about hosting a podcast about resilience is sitting face to face with individuals who have transformed their lives, and the lives of those around them, in dramatic fashion. While each chapter in this book touches upon various aspects of surviving and thriving, the underlying theme is really that of transformation. At its core, transformation is about adapting and allowing aspects of ourselves that are no longer serving us to die while simultaneously cultivating emerging aspects of self to move us in new directions. By transforming ourselves, we give ourselves access to that which we previously may not have even realized was available to us.

The Caterpillar, the Cocoon, and the Butterfly

The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly is an awesome feat of nature. Such a metamorphosis reflects the potential for change in all of us. The fact that a living being can go from being a hairy, 16-legged furry creature that inches along almost imperceptibly by contorting its rotund body with extreme effort and transform into a multicolored, intricately patterned, ...