Do You Have “Turtle Tendencies”?
If you were asked to compare your personality traits to a living creature, what creature would you pick? Could you be compared to a lion because people hear your roar? Or perhaps a possum who plays dead when facing a difficult situation? The list is endless for comparing our personality traits to animals or reptiles. The creature that is of extreme interest to me to make a correlation to however, is none other than the turtle.
While a turtle may be cold, slimy and lives in a tank, pond or ocean, it does have other traits that can be so very human-like. The turtle envelops itself in a hard natural shell, much like we envelop ourselves in shells of fear, denial and guilt. The shells we wrap ourselves in are not always visible to others yet they are very much part of our being.
Over the years I probably have developed a “shell” of some sort……it was a necessity when going through cancer…..as long as I was “tough” and had my “shell” to protect me I could get through. That shell often took the shape of laughter, jokes, bravery…….when underneath I too felt the same anxiety, fear, and worries that every cancer patient feels…..yet I focused on being tough for my children, my family and myself. I have always been a positive thinker at heart and it is indeed a necessity during a trying time. Yes, the shell of determination was solidly in place.
If we continue to ponder the virtues of turtles, we realize that a turtle does not get anywhere without sticking its neck out. A turtle cannot take one simple step without sticking its head out. A turtle cannot get anywhere in life if it does not take that first step of sticking its head out of its shell. We are often like the turtle. Our turtle tendencies at times cause us to withdraw within our shells and the process of taking risks, trying new adventures, facing trials, striving for dreams, developing aspirations become stalled as we stay within our shells of doubt and fear. If we don’t take risks, stick our necks out, or seek new directions, we quickly become stuck in the routine of our lives.
Risks are to be taken. The risks of trying a bit harder and trying new things can propel us to new adventures and successes. The risk of enjoying life as it is meant to be enjoyed can be liberating! If we don’t try new things and push ourselves to new heights we will never know what we can become…….and that would be a shame.
If you were asked to compare your personality traits to a living creature, what creature would you pick? Could you be compared to a lion because people hear your roar? Or perhaps a possum who plays dead when facing a difficult situation? The list is endless for comparing our personality traits to animals or reptiles. The creature that is of extreme interest to me to make a correlation to however, is none other than the turtle.
While a turtle may be cold, slimy and lives in a tank, pond or ocean, it does have other traits that can be so human-like. The turtle envelops itself in a hard natural shell, much like we envelop ourselves in shells of fear, denial and guilt. The shells we wrap ourselves in are not always visible to others yet they are very much part of our being.
Over the years I probably have developed a “shell” of some sort……it was a necessity when going through cancer…..as long as I was “tough” and had my “shell” to protect me I could get through. That shell often took the shape of laughter, jokes, bravery…….when underneath I too felt the same anxiety, fear, and worries that every cancer patient feels…..yet I focused on being tough for my children, my family and myself. I have always been a positive thinker at heart and it is indeed a necessity during a trying time. Yes, the shell of determination was solidly in place.
If we continue to ponder the virtues of turtles, we realize that a turtle does not get anywhere without sticking its neck out. A turtle cannot take one simple step without sticking its head out. A turtle will stay closed up in its hard shell if it never sticks its head out. A turtle cannot get anywhere in life if it doesn’t take that first step of sticking its head out…….I too found similarities to the turtle. Risks, adventures, trials, dreams, aspirations……..all part of sticking my head out! If we don’t take risks, stick our necks out, or seek new directions, we quickly become stuck in the routine of our lives.
Risks are to be taken. The risks of trying a bit harder and trying new things can propel us to new adventures and successes. The risk of enjoying life as it is meant to be enjoyed can be liberating. If we don’t try new things and push ourselves to new heights we will never know what we can become…….and that would be a shame. We are here to reach our potential……we are here to stick our necks out……we are here to be like the turtle……to stick our necks out to move forward. I guess being like a turtle is not so bad.
We are here to reach our potential……we are here to stick our necks out……we are here to be like the turtle……to stick our necks out to move forward. Stick your neck out! Try something new! I guess being like a turtle is not so bad!