It’s only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world. Maurice Sendak
Today the Chinese calendar ushers in the Year of the Dragon. And since we’re on the subject of dreams, I thought I’d explore the symbology of dragons and how important they are as we embark on the journey of our dreams.
Mythically speaking, dragons are often seen guarding the entrance to a cave filled with great treasure. Carl Jung believed that the cave represents our unconscious and the dragon is what stands between us and our true self: the treasure. So if we want to actualize our true selves and reach the dreams we hold so dear, at some point we must expect dragons…especially if we are getting anywhere NEAR treasure.
Dreams come with dragons.
It’s normal to feel fear when confronting such beasts. So I’ve provided accounts of warriors who’ve gone before us, successfully beat the odds, and lived to tell the tale. Here are three common dragons that can stand in the way of our dreams:
Dragon #1: I’m too old.
Colonel Sanders held odd-end jobs until he took $105 from his first Social Security check to open his first restaurant. He was 65 years old. Ten years later he sold the Kentucky Fried Chicken corporation for $2 million dollars.
Grandma Moses, a renowned American folk artist began painting in her 70s. No longer able to embroider due to a bad case of arthritis, she took to the canvas. After an art collector discovered her work she rose to the heights of the art world. Her work has appeared in the Modern Art Museum of New York, graced the covers of Life and Mademoiselle, and to this day her piece, Fourth of July, still hangs in the White House.
I could go on with countless numbers of other stories, but you guys get the point. Life isn’t over until we’re six feet under. Until then, everything is fair game.
Dragon #2: I don’t have the right background.
The best example I can think of is Oprah Winfrey. Growing up in 1950s Mississippi, she was on a fast-track to becoming a maid just like the generations of women that came before her. But a series of events in high school led to a job at a television station which launched her into a multi-billion dollar business as a television host and media mogul. Had she allowed her background to hold her back, she may very well have ended up cleaning toilets for a living.
Dragon #3: What if I fail?
Every successful person has had to slay this dragon at least once in their life. John Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by 28 publishing houses, but he persisted until he found a willing publisher. Ludwig van Beethoven became one of the most famous and influential composers of all time despite being told he was “hopeless” as a composer and going deaf at age 26. As long as you keep trying, you haven’t failed. Like Thomas Edison said after thousands of failed experiments in creating the light bulb, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Illuminating wisdom.
So what dragons are breathing down your neck? What are some tactics you use to tackle your dragons? Why do you believe dragons are so frightening to us all, even when we do find success? Do you think success takes the dragons away? OR do they come back stronger than ever? Let’s play armchair psychiatrist and have some fun!
I never thought about the metaphor around the dragon in this way. This is a refreshing way to see dragons and perhaps I’ll be able to use it in my fiction. I dealt with a dragon before I did NaNoWriMo last year and since then I’ve been writing pretty regularly. It has be wonderful. Beating your dragons does bear treasures beyond measure. Thanks for posting.
That’s awesome! Good for you!!
Fantastic insight and examples, Ingrid. If they can attain crazy-uber success, dragons and all, why can’t we? I imagine that the higher we climb, the greater the risk for dragon breath. So I say, bring it on.
Amen sista! And don’t forget the mentos
Thanks for this post ~ it was a nice reminder of what we all face as we seek our inner truths. In a way I think we’re always facing and slaying our dragons (those fears, insecurities, doubts and all the other negative challenges and struggles that pop up to try and pull us back into the comfortable).
The dragons just get bigger as we get closer, and as we slay one, we build confidence and courage to keep on going.
What happens when we reach that pinnacle and dream? Well, I’m not entirely sure, but neither am I convinced the dragons disappear forever, because I don’t believe that our journeys ever end. Our dreams, once attained, will be replaced by others with their own set of dragons.
Anyway, worth some more thought but good luck as you continue to slay your dragons!
Thanks for the wonderful comment! I couldn’t agree more.
Good luck to you too!
Wonderful lesson, Ingrid. I’ve used No 1 as my excuse for so many years Kristen is tired of kicking my a$$. I’ve made up my mind that this year I will complete a book and e-pub it. When you see me, feel free to remind me of Colonel Sanders or Grandma Moses.
My friend’s grandmother wrote (and published) two romance novels in the 1970s (when she was in her 50s). More recently, she wrote a fictionalised account of her life in WW2 and it was published by Vanguard Press last year – when she was 91! She’s now working on the sequel … on a typewriter since she hasn’t yet learned how to use a computer.
So no, it’s never too late, and you’re never too old!
That’s amazing! I love that!!! What’s her name so I can look them up?
You are starting to freak me out, Ingrid, by writing articles that so directly address specific issues I’m dealing with. But, since you address them with such beauty and wisdom, I’m hanging on to every word.
I don’t think the dragons ever go away entirely, but perhaps we build muscle for slaying bigger dragons with each one we knock off.
Awww. Thanks Meredith
Glad it’s helping you. There will always be dragons but knowing they serve a purpose makes us less scared. Good luck in your slaying!
Really great post! Dragon #3 is a big one for me. Success stories are so glamorous, the failure stories aren’t nearly as fun
I try to remind myself that without failure I won’t appreciate the success as much. It’s easy to be so overcome by fear of the unknown that you cut yourself short before you give it a try. Or ten tries. Or however many tries it takes to turn “no” into “yes.”
Yep! I feel like if it’s something you truly want, you’ll work for it until you get that yes
Thanks for this insightful post. Dragon #3 used to be one of mine – I have the upper hand in this battle, though.
I find many people think “How can I ever achieve that?” but since there is usually someone else who’s done it before (made a fortune from a patent, won an Oscar, become a bestseller, circumnavigated the globe) the proof already exists that we can too – IF we slay these dragons first!
Absolutely! Such a good reminder. If they can do it, so can we
I’m all for working with (I mean slaying) my dragons. Just hoping they aren’t windmills in disguise…. Or maybe those are the most ferocious beast any of us ever face, the ones we create for ourselves. In which case, I’ve with everyone else who says they never go away.
Wow. I needed this post. Thanks, Ingrid.
You’re welcome! Like one of my friends likes to say, when you can conquer yourself, you can conquer anything.