In the middle of a "green algae" person or day, you may see something good and useful developing.
Sluggishly, the long dirty arms move along the branch of the giant tree. The form attached to the arms seems to be slumped like a glob of putty as it hangs suspended. It is hairy and stinky and ugly. On its belly are wiggly lines that appear to be moving. .
The sloth is not out to win any race. In fact, it is one of the slowest mammals created. As it hangs upside down and slides its arms and legs along the branch it has no other thought than to use the least amount of effort. It would rather be sleeping, which occupies most of its time. But it does have to eat, so it laboriously and begrudgingly performs this mundane task.
At first glance, the sloth has no redeeming qualities. It is filthy and anti-social. To add to its oddity, its hair grows from its tummy down towards its back. Because it is so dirty, green algae grows on its coat of hair. A pitiful creature, by all accounts.
But, mother nature is kind. There is still a purpose to be found in the sloth. The green algae that forms so readily in the dirty hair actually serves a worthwhile purpose. The sloth, without knowing it, provides a good turn to another creature.
The green color helps protect the sloth from enemies by providing a camouflage amongst the green leaves of the trees it calls home. Remember those wiggly lines on its stomach? They are caterpillars. Moths love the cozy habitat of the sloths’ green hair so they lay their eggs in it. The newly born caterpillars live off the algae until ready for their transformation into a moth.
We may all be tempted at times to view ourselves or our circumstances as pitiful and good-for-nothing. We seem, at times, to have eyes that only see the negative—in ourselves, in our peers, in our bosses, and in our circumstances. Look more closely. In the middle of a “green algae” person, you may see something worthwhile developing, despite the perception of an entirely negative appearance. During an unpleasant day that we have initially written off as a loss, we may change your view and see opportunities to explore or expand our strengths.
We can train ourselves to see and promote positive growth in less-than-ideal circumstances and people. If a sloth has that potential, then we certainly do. We can choose to cultivate the positive. We can look for opportunities that are buried in challenges. We can color ourselves, our people, or our circumstances any way we’d like.
A few tips:
As this happens, consider altering the filter through which you are viewing them. Consider seeing them in a different light.
You may be pleasantly surprised at the ways their uncommon characteristics can be matched with others to generate positive outcomes.