A short motivational mini-chapter by Brian Johnson (A Philosopher's Notes) advising listeners to embrace large, meaningful challenges — the "dragons" — rather than trivial obstacles — the "lizards." It frames struggle as part of the hero's journey, encourages persistence, patience, playfulness, and recommends stepping up effort when only avoiding small challenges.
Hi, this is Brian with another mini chapter from A Philosopher's Notes. This one's called Dragons and Lizards. Hero's Journey Traveler Tip. When faced with the inevitable challenges that arise as we push our edges and see what we're capable of in this precious little life of ours, it's helpful to remember that the hero battles big, ugly, stinky, fire breathing dragons, not lizards. If there weren't obstacles to overcome and demons to face, everyone would do it and it would be called an average person's journey, not a hero's journey. Right? So if you're getting your butt kicked around a bit, know that's just part of the deal. Take a deep breath, appreciate your audacity, and go back to giving it your best shot. And if all you're doing is sidestepping lizards, you might want to turn it up a notch or three. Just saying. Dragons and lizards. Let's embrace those stinky, fire breathing dragons. They're part of the hero's journey. When we push our edges and really challenge ourselves, we're going to get knocked around at times. We've got to honor that. Don't get discouraged by it. Just continue moving forward in the face of your fear. Keep on doing what you need to do diligently, patiently, persistently, and of course, playfully. All right, there you go, Dragons and wizards. Hope you enjoyed. Look forward to sharing more with you soon.
