Sometimes life has dragons. They want to stop us and devour us. Understanding that we’re still around is step one in defeating your dragon.
The Purpose of a Dragon
Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. ― Neil Gaiman, Coraline
In most stories about dragons, the dragon serves a singular purpose: to be defeated. People fear the dragon. People run from the dragon. The hero often doubts their ability to do anything let alone face a dragon.
But the fact that the hero is still around says that the dragon has not won. The hero has not only survived until now, they also have the ability to continue to fight on. That’s not only a lot to be thankful for; it’s a lot to celebrate. Realizing that is the first step to defeating your dragon.
The Purpose of the Wall
Randy Pausch realized that when he gave his speech about achieving your childhood dreams. In it he talked about walls that stop us from what we want. The purpose of the wall, he says, is to see how bad we want it.
If we don’t care, we walk away and say “there’s a wall there”. If we really want it, we find a way around, under, over, or through. Maybe we just need to find a way to fly. (After all, today is a great day to fly!)
Whether it’s a wall or a dragon, it’s meant to be defeated.
Defeating Your Dragon
Are you ready to defeat your dragon? Here are the things you need:
- Resolve. You must be ready to fight for what’s important. Don’t just give up. That may also require the next step.
- Adaptability. Too often we try something that doesn’t work and we say “oh well”. Maybe it’s in our approach. Maybe we have someone at work who’s just a bear and we treat them like dogs. Maybe we need to try a different approach or a different person.
- Peace. Sometimes the best thing we need is mental peace. We need to remind ourselves that it’s okay and we can handle it. We need to slow down and calm our mind so we can find the right solution and the right approach.
Don’t be afraid of your dragon. It’s there to be defeated. Keep at it until you find the right way to defeat it.
