Cocoon Dreams: Unleashing the Power from Pupa to Butterfly

By Pavany Arulliah

If you wrote down how you spend the first hour of each day and figured out how to improve that hour to create and establish momentum, how different would life be?

Chances are that one small change would pay big dividends, but that isn’t the only thing you can do to transform your life.

Pavany Arulliah shares simple steps to find paths that lead to beautiful places and ways to reach your full potential in this self-help guide.

Drawing on her experiences as a doctor and her efforts to transform her life, she seeks to answer questions such as:

• What can we do to eat healthy food, get enough sleep, and develop good exercise habits?
• After we decide who we are, how can we work toward being who we want to become?
• What benefits can we reap from being grateful?
• What can we do to change the way we talk to ourselves?

She also explores setting priorities, visualising the day, and tackling one task at a time to accomplish more than we ever thought possible.

Knock down the walls holding you back with the action steps and wisdom in Cocoon Dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Sep 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781504314749

Pavany Arulliah

Pavany Arulliah is a physician in general medicine. She received her primary and postgraduate degrees in Sri Lanka. She is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and practice as a physician in North Melbourne, Victoria. Pavany has a special interest in women’s wellness, and she embraces a holistic view in her clinical practice.

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Copyright © 2018 Pavany Arulliah.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-1475-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-1474-9 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/25/2018

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 Love Your Body, Not Your Image

Chapter 2 Set the momentum

Chapter 3 Pay attention to your self-talk

Chapter 4 The Power of Intention

Chapter 5 Let your Power Flow Now

Chapter 6 Connect to Your Inner Wisdom and Intuition

Chapter 7 The Universe Conspires, Look for Signs

Chapter 8 Love is the Magic Pill

Chapter 9 Take a Step Forward

Chapter 10 Come out of your comfort zone

Chapter 11 Bounce Back

Chapter 12 Flying Out of the Cocoon

References

Acknowledgements

To my mother, who made me fly but forgot to come out of her own cocoon.

Introduction

In 2012 there was a huge shift in my life. I moved to a new country with my two children to join my husband, who had moved a year before. The entire world around me for more than 30 years was completely changed and I landed in an unfamiliar and challenging new life. Until then, I didn’t realise how much I’d been pampered with familiar surroundings.

I grew up amidst an ethnic war where my only focus was survival. After going through medical education for long years, I ended up as a medical professional. The world around me was small – including my job, family and friends. I would spend most of my time at work or at home where I was busy with tasks and chores.

As a teenager, I was a voracious reader but after becoming a parent, I did not have time to read books. I cannot remember myself having big dreams or intentions, and I never wondered about unlimited potential. I simply ignored the connection with myself because I’ve always been focused on the outside world and career achievements.

I started exploring new possibilities in life when I felt completely lost in the new and unfamiliar place. Just then, the dreams I had been holding for a long time started to open up, one by one. I realised that I have been stuck in a cocoon for my whole life and I’d forgotten to fly out.

This discovery shook me to the core. I surrounded myself with self-help books and videos. I started connecting with my inner-self by spending more time focusing on me. Doubts and fears started to surface in the initial period of self-discovery and I would end up craving for more and more guidance. I was guided by the supreme power which opened up new paths for me whenever I felt stuck. I witnessed a magical transformation in my life. The change wasn’t in material terms but rather in the state of my being, which became happier and unbound by the limitations of society.

I wanted to share my discovery of flying out of the cocoon with my dearest friends because I could now see how some of them were unconsciously holding themselves back from being open and unbound. I started a small group and began sharing the knowledge I had gathered by reading and practising the teachings of many wise teachers around the world. Teaching my friends about how they could open themselves up helped me formulate practical action plans for everyday life.

I started using my knowledge and experience to educate my patients, especially young women. I would end up having short discussions with them during the ward rounds. I wished I could spend more time with them and explain how their own limitations prevented them from their dreams and goals. I wanted to show them that flying is not far. I wanted them to experience the magical transformation of experiencing the best version of themselves. But I simply did not have enough time to spend with them in the busy setting of the hospital. This lack of time – combined with my goal of reaching others around the world – urged me to write this book.

Here I am now, presenting a collection of my experiences where I have learned the lesson of coming out of my cocoon. This book is written with the sole intention of reaching women, and also men, around the world, who have yet to make the move. I hope you take some time to go through this book, practice the action plans, and incorporate them into your daily life. I am sure you will witness the magical transformation of yourself, just as I have.

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Chapter 1

Love Your Body, Not Your Image

You, yourself as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection

—Buddha

How much do I love myself? Have you ever asked yourself this question? When I asked myself this question many years ago, I felt awkward and wanted to avoid it. I took care of myself, but not lovingly. When I found out the difference between taking care of myself and taking care of myself lovingly, I was not the same person as before. After that point, whenever I met young women beating themselves up for not adhering to society’s standards, I just wanted to hold their hands and tell them: "You are unique. Love yourself."

Self-love starts with loving and accepting our body. Much literature focuses on body image and self-esteem, and during the adolescent period, girls are more vulnerable to physical changes than boys. This vulnerability tends to turn into a greater level of dissatisfaction with their body and weight, which reflects low self-esteem. Discovering the joy of accepting ourselves is the first step towards building self-love.

Our thoughts and feelings about our body are influenced by the repetitive information shared around us since childhood. Unlearning the learnt habit is a real challenge, because mass media and culture continue to reinforce a particular image. Many young women choose to hate their bodies due to the distortion of