In What Direction Adventure? Part Two of Living for Real

You can choose a dragon

or you can wait until a dragon chooses you,

but every happy person fights one.

Our dragons give us purpose.

Our dragons give us adventure.

The problem with adventure is that we seldom realize how much fun we’re having until it’s over.

When you’re having an adventure, you wish you were safe at home. But when you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure.

Challenge and reward and danger – the possibility of a negative outcome – these are the essential elements of adventure.

The idle rich are bored because pleasure is no substitute for adventure.

St. George must forever kill the dragon and the dragon must forever be killed, because if the dragon were ever finally killed, there would be nothing left but a lonely man looking for something to do.”

– John Steinbeck (1961)

Can you name your dragon, the one you are trying to slay? If you can’t, let me tell you how to find him. Look in the darkness toward your personal north star – your impossible dream – and take a series of steps in that direction.

Keep walking. Keep your eye on that star. Your dragon will soon appear.

Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

– G.K. Chesterton (1909)

Video games and movies and fiction books are surrogate adventures.

Television shows – including the news – are surrogate adventures.

Extramarital affairs are surrogate adventures.

Gambling – including the stock market – is a surrogate adventure.

Living for real is an actual adventure.

Living for real means choosing to make a difference.

Choosing to do a kindness for a stranger.

Choosing to encourage a friend.

Choosing to right a wrong.

Choosing to apologize.

Run unafraid

toward the dragon

that can never be slain.

Carpe diem.

Roy H. Williams

PS – In addition to the dragon you already face, I’m going to introduce you to a HUGE new dragon in next week’s MMMemo and it’s a business dragon, not a personal one. Then two weeks from now I’ll give you the final installment in the Living for Real series. The title is, What Does Your Ocean Whisper? – RHW