My Hero's Journey: Chapter 7

  In reviewing the principles of the 7 Habits, the last habit, number seven, really resonated with me.  Called, “Sharpen the saw”, this habit says that we shouldn’t get so caught up in the motion of sawing that we fail to realize we are using a blunt saw.  Take time to sharpen the saw in physical exercise, spiritual needs, the mental dimension, and the social/emotional dimension.

  The strength and truth of this habit is something I can personally testify of.  For example, I exercise on a regular basis, lifting weights three times a week.  According to this habit, however, I should be spending a minimum of 30 minutes a day exercising.  Just a few months ago, I didn’t understand how much better I’d feel if I exercised everyday, rather than every other day.  This past spring, when I went to school, I didn’t have car.  I walked everywhere.  My apartment was at the base of campus, so if I walked fast, I could be at the center of campus in approximately seven minutes.  

  Walking every day?, you may be thinking, sounds great, but did it make that much of a difference?  And the answer is a resounding yes.  The thing is, I walked to and from campus multiple times a day… up a steep hill.  The elevation, combined with my speed walking, lead to results I didn’t realize I can capable of.  My legs grew strong and muscled, aided by my regular workouts, and within three weeks, I was toned beyond recognition.  I truly experienced a paradigm shift of my own self image.  I was happy with myself beforehand, but this daily routine increased my existing confidence.  This satisfaction bled into other areas, such as the mental dimension, which also experienced a boost.  This is just one example of how living your life to the fullest in one dimension will affect the other dimensions.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 6

  This week, we had the opportunity to read a few chapters from Mastery, by George Leonard.  The concept of Chapter 6, Practice, particularly stood out to me, because it focused on the “goalless journey” rather than the goal-driven way of life our society is focused on.  Masters don’t devote themselves to a task for the sake of getting better.  They throw themselves into their passion because they love to practice, and they improve as a secondary factor.  Personally, I resonate with this style of mastery.

  In my own life, I love to write.  I’m nearly finished with my first novel because I enjoy the process of practicing.  I’ve seen multiple pieces of writing advice that suggest writers get better by practicing a little everyday.  This style of writing focuses on accomplishing these small goals, and developing them into a regular habit to become a better writer.  While this isn’t bad advice, I never related to it.  Turning writing into a formula, so to speak, took the enjoyment out of practicing and discovering the path as I traveled it.  I abandoned that goal-driven, end-game mindset and focused on the art of practice, and as a result, I’ve improved without intending to.  I feel a lot more peaceful and relaxed in this sense.

  Writing is an obvious example of this phenomenon in my life, but I look forward to when my, as of yet, unawakened entrepreneurial spirit will experience this journey of mastery as well.

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 5

  This week, we watched a video called “A Hero’s Journey”.  There were several points that stuck in my mind, which I will highlight and elaborate on here.  

  The Hero’s Journey is characterized by three factors.  1.  To live every moment of your life because it matters.  2. To live because you have an important mission.  3.  To see struggles as adventures.  

  As I’m entering adulthood and considering these questions, I’m encountering more and more experiences in which such themes play a role.  Most notably, in sifting through the multitude of educational choices to discover what I resonate with.  As my junior year of college converged upon me, and with no declared major to speak of, I took my first step into software engineering.    

  Why?, you may ask.  Because I possessed no inclinations as far as what industry I wanted to work for, but I knew I liked video games and wanted to create them.  More than that, however, I thought my inborn traits would suit engineering, (i.e. problem-solving, strategy-forming, creativity, etc).  

  Software engineering was among the biggest, if not the most momentous, struggle I’ve encountered in 21 years of life.  Without a lick of programming experience to speak of, it took me approximately 45 minutes to code my first assignment: Hello World.  Later on, I could do that thing in five seconds, but in the beginning it confounded me.  I had never before encountered such a steep learning curve, but that wasn’t a bad thing.  It was the struggle.  And, though my frustration-addled mind didn’t believe it at the time, it was one of the best adventures I’ve experienced.  Because I put my mind to something I believed was impossible.  Engineering is for smart people, extremely smart, capable, motivated people.  For a brief, bittersweet period of time, I threw my shoulders back, tilted my head up high, and marched amongst their ranks.

  Dotted with moments of extreme, cry-into-my-keyboard-despair and galvanized euphoria, those three months of intense study were a great lesson to me about the importance of trying impossible things.  As the video said, “It’s not the prize at the end, but how the hero is changed in the process.”  Although I closed the software engineering chapter of my life, I was able to start the next: Business Management.  It wasn’t about saying yes or no to engineering.  It was about discovering the next phase in the process, not only for my educational goals, but for my personal growth, though I didn’t realize it at the time.  The video also stated, “Failure once so feared, seen in reverse, only made you stronger.”  I can see that now.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 4

  This week, my class focused on deconstructing our fears (related to starting a business).  My biggest, and most prominent fear, is that I wouldn’t be financially capable of pursuing the start of my own business venture.  There’s always the option of loans and pooling of resources with possible business partners, but the fact remains that, if I do fail, I’m left with a mountain of debt that I’ll spend the next few years of my life striving to pay off.  One venture could either be the discovery of a brilliant dream, or the beginnings of a debt-ridden nightmare.

  That said, the purpose of this activity was not to wallow in self-doubt, but to consider the bigger picture.  If I truly believe in my entrepreneurial dreams, what do I gain from maintaining the status quo?  What life lessons and experiences am I missing out on because I’m choosing to cower in my own safety bubble? Because that’s all it is.  A bubble.  The perception of safety, but in its very nature, frail and weak, susceptible to the needles of life that prick and prod.     

  Lao Tzu said: “Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.” 

  I’m not claiming that it’s easy to turn a new leaf, to suddenly greet each and every day with the intent to follow my dreams.  But it is possible.  Through the balance of bridled optimism and healthy cynicism, I can find the line between dreams and reality that, given time and effort and determination, will grow, wider and wider, until it’s a road so broad even the world itself will walk upon its surface. 

  It’s all my choice.  I think I can figure it out.