The journey to a happy, confident you
Jul 19th, 2008 by spaceagesage
Mythic heroes in our culture often have their beginnings in obscurity or adversity. Their awakening — be it Luke Skywalker becoming a Jedi or Harry Potter becoming a powerful wizard — fascinates us and keeps us coming back for more. Just look at some recent movies about heroes:
- Hancock awakens from a drunken pity party of insecurity to transform into the selfless hero.
- Kung Fu Panda Po awakens from a lack of confidence and status to embrace his inner strengths and talents.
- The Iron Man character awakens from a false reality about what his father’s company has become to turn himself into a force for good.
I like the way the character Duke Leto Atreides in the movie Dune puts the hero’s journey: “Without change something sleeps inside us and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”
~ As most of my readers know, this the ninth installment in a series on Building Confidence by Overcoming Insecurity. The first post in the series is here. In this post, we take a look — in story form — at the journey from insecurity to confidence.
The Hero’s Journey
Heroes wake up just enough to begin their journey, and they discover more along the way about life and their own power. The journey to the Land of Confidence, where people are comfortable with who and what they are, can be difficult because it’s hard to accept we really are worthwhile and needed people.
Are you ready to take this journey? You must take two items with you before you go.
The first item is a pair of shoes, but these are not ordinary shoes. Once you put them on, your feet will always move forward and rarely backwards. They are magically imbued with the Power of Determination and Effort.
A second item is an equally special map, and it is imbued with the Power of One Step at a Time. The parchment of the document shows your starting point and your destination, but between those two points, the map only shows two day’s worth of travel at a time. This allows the traveler to face the journey in small increments, like a karate student slowly earning one colored belt at a time on their way to achieving their black belt.
The Monsters
Armed with determination, a destination, and a map that reveals the way each day; you start out on your journey to the Land of Confidence. But wait! Every hero must face enemies along the way. Every hero has his or her own Kryptonite to overcome. In this Hero’s Journey, you must be wary of four monsters along the way.
- The Dragon of Doubt
This nasty beast loves to nibble, chew, or devour whole. It does so by slicing and dicing your heart and willpower into pieces with the words can’t and I’m afraid to try. Many a hero has fallen prey to this foul beast. - The Whiner Weasel
This small, ferocious monster kills by poisoning your thoughts with phrases like This effort is not worth it anymore and It’s just to hard to push through this. - The Gremlin of Second Guessing
This microscopic monster bores into your brain and tries to make you unsure of about taking the journey or becoming a hero. It pushes thoughts like these: Maybe I should do this later after I have more education or Maybe I can start this journey when I have more money. - The Misery Monster
This is a many-headed beast dedicated to making you feel powerless. It has the faces of people in your past or present who believe misery loves company. The monster wants you to blame everyone else for your hardships, to embrace the idea that you are a hapless victim of a cruel world, and to convince you the odds are against you, so why try? It fills your head with words like, If it wasn’t for that stupid teacher … or If they would just give me this loan … or How dare they treat me like this!
The Secret to Winning
If you listen closely to those who have traveled this path before you, they will pass on the secrets to overcoming the monsters along the way:
- The beasts only have power over you if you listen to them and decide to act or not act based on their words.
- It is safer to travel in numbers, so find supportive friends along the way who can lift you up when you fall.
- Find something you can have trust and faith in to help sustain your heart and spirit along the way. Ask God, the universe, Source, or whatever ultimate creating and spiritual force you believe in to guide your steps.
The Journey’s Power
As you travel forward with determination, face the monsters of doubt, and follow the wisdom of the road; you will discover the old you beginning to transform. Slowly, but surely, you will find the wounds, issues, and limiting thoughts that held you back from this journey for so long fading away like dew evaporating in the hot rays of the sun. Each step forward, each battle won, each new dawn brings you closer and closer to your destination. Then one day, not too long from now, you will look back from the Land of Confidence and be amazed at how strong your heart has grown and how wonderful life has become. You will look around at the welcoming vista and know you are finally home.
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Photo credit: speech path girl
It certainly isn’t an easy road. I think we can all agree with that right? But the advice you suggested is sound advice. Embrace the journey for what it is; including the challenges. Gather a force of friends around you to garner support for the missions ahead. And accept that you have a choice to listen to yourself and not the words of those who want to deter you.
Even if it’s only one step at a time, as long as you enjoy the journey, you’re living the to the best you can be.
Ricardo —
Sounds like you got it right — safe journey to you!
I love it. I absolutely love it. You picked the perfect name for the whiner weasel. It is sneaky, sly and smart. It finds its way back to taunt you again and again. I wonder if I can create a metaphorical Benny (my jack russell) to ‘ferret’ it out of its hiding place and eat it.
Don’t get me wrong, I still trip up over some of life’s challenges. But I’ve become more conscious of the fact that I don’t have to go it alone.. and that ultimately, I decide where I go. It’s still hard, but “bring it on” I say 🙂
Have a great week!
Melissa — Metaphor is some fun and powerful stuff, yes? Happy hunting!
Ricardo — Yes, the road of life has its share of obstacles, and I’m glad you don’t give them too much power. Thanks for wishing my week well, and may yours be fun and fulfilling as well!