How to Slay Your Dragons

Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'

This post was inspired by Ed Latimore. Check out his 30 for 30: 30 Lessons From 30 Years of Life.

In his post, he saved the last lesson for the one that had the greatest impact on his life. It has a similar impact for me. "You only need 2 years to change any part of your life you are unsatisfied with." Depending on how old you are, 2 years is either a really long time or a really short time. It's a matter a perspective. For those nearing 30 (waves hand), 2 years is very quick. One minute you're out of college, and the next your 20s have flown by you.

In the movie Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne spent 16.9 years of his life digging out of prison. Based on the math, he averaged 1/64" a day. It's a matter of perspective whether you believe that amount is insignificant. If you start with $1000 and invest $100 a week for 40 years, you'd be a millionaire assuming 7% interest. One hundred dollars seems insignificant compared to a million, but it adds up. A fraction of a inch of progress a day is the difference between someone stuck in prison and a free man (metaphorically).

We are all stuck in some mental prison. For some, they wait for the miracle wall-smasher that will instantly destroy the walls holding them back. This big divide between fantasy and reality can lead to major anger and resentment. For some, they see other inmates tunnels far ahead of theirs. They fall into the trap of comparing themselves to others. And then they give up because they are not where they "think" they should be. They fail to see the amount of time it took digging that tunnel. Another possibility, they don't realize their wall is not as thick as the other inmates and freedom is very attainable for them. Each mental prison varies.

Jordan Peterson talks about how he helps his patients in his clinical psychology work. He tries to inspire the hero out of them. This idea comes from Carl Jung and the Hero's Journey.

He is no hero who never met the dragon, or who, if he once saw it, declared afterwards that he saw nothing. Equally, only one who has risked the fight with the dragon and is not overcome by it wins the hoard, the “treasure hard to attain.”

Now with Dr. Peterson's patients, they are dealing with massive mental dragons. These are crippling, paralyzing dragons. And he helps his patients break down the big dragon into smaller pieces. He gets the patient to break down the piece as small as necessary so that the patient can make a step of progress. Remember even if it is just a fraction of an inch of progress, it adds up.

This is the hero's journey. To face your dragons and whittle it down for as long as it takes. In our gut, we can feel the dragons lurking inside of us. The Big 3 for me are fitness, women, and career. I have a feeling many men feel the same way. The successful people have the ability to break down their dragons into manageable pieces. The successful people embrace the suck and tackle those pieces for as long as necessary. The successful people have the ability to audit their progress and make the necessary corrections as needed. Check out Scott Adam's post about Goals vs. Systems and create a system that works for you.

Slay your dragons, win the treasure.