Some days, I get disillusioned by the boring, mundane challenges of life.
Sometimes I feel that life would be better in a fantasy world, where great heroes fight dastardly villains, where the days are filled with noble quests and epic battles, where the world needs to be saved and every step is filled with magic and significance.
Let’s be honest. Fighting the armies of darkness sounds a lot more exciting than fighting the armies of procrastination and apathy and existential angst.
I don’t think I’m alone in this. There’s a reason for the popularity of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings and Marvel Comics. There’s something inside us that craves storybook adventure, something that wants more out of life than everyday happenings.
Do you ever feel this way? As if you’re a dragon-slayer in a world where dragons don’t exist?
Making Your Own Adventure
During those times, it helps to remember what Helen Keller said:
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”
I think she was onto something. In the real world, you have to find your own quests to follow, and you don’t get a montage sequence for the boring bits. You have to make your own adventure.
And so you have two non-mutually-exclusive options:
The first option is to learn to break the rules, to be unrealistic and idealistic, to chase grand vistas and big dreams. To constantly put yourself a position to find a life worth experiencing.
The second, and equally important option is to learn to find the great and noble right where you are and inside the things you already do. To do the small things as if they were great things, and in doing so pave the way forward.
The punch line, of course, is that you need to do both.
I’ll end with a confession: I haven’t completely given up on the idea of someday fighting a great battle for the soul and survival of the world – and I probably never will. That hunger for something epic is an important part of who I am and what I do.
But in the meantime, I try to live as though the little things in life are great and noble. It’s a good start.
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My friend Raam Dev has compiled a free ebook full of little (read: great and noble) ideas to help you make a difference in the world. Check it out here.
Hope you’re having a great week. See you next time.
19 Comments on “As If They Were Great and Noble”
says:
Thanks, I so needed this, as I mentally battle the conflict between the sacred and the profane (reality vs fantasy) every waking hour of my life.
says:
I feel this tension constantly, and love the idea of imagining and creating an epic, extravagant life not being mutually exclusive from finding significance and joy in the everyday. Over the past year or so I have sensed myself moving into more of a balance between the two, rather than needing the epic all the time.
Thanks for a wonderful and inspiring blog. The layout is lovely as well!
says:
I think the fact that we want to be a part of something more is ingrained in us. Why? I don’t know, but realizing you don’t have to live a boring life and that you can [as you put it] “make your own adventure” is incredibly liberating to know.
says:
Jeffrey, this was awesome!
I think the hunger for doing something epic is at the root of all great things, and not denying that hunger is what helps drive us. Allowing our imagination to roam freely is vital to keeping ourselves on track for doing great things. After all, so many “great things” are often looked down upon in the beginning and it’s only our ability to imagine something greater that pushes us to greatness.
Like yourself, I often see myself as a knight, battling dragons and saving the world. The term digital nomad might substitute for “knight in shining armor” and poverty, world hunger, greed, and ignorance might be the “dragons”, but the metaphor works. And in my head, those dragons are real; my quest is real; and, like any good tale, the hero will be victorious no matter how many challenges he faces. He will never give up, no matter how hopeless the situation appears.
Thank you for mentioning one of my quests (the ebook); it was only possible with the help of other knights in shining armor (yourself included!). :)
says:
My Mum managed to give me a different slant on this – she told me (when I was about 9 or 10, and into fantasy in a big way!) that real dragons were so big we couldn’t actually see them, and that it was a bit like the bricks that make a house – what we could see were the people and attitudes that were the bricks, and if we dealt with the bricks we could slay the dragon! She was talking social bricks, of course, but I got the message – tackle the small bad things one at a time, and you can achieve something epic! My Mum could even make washing up the dishes epic ;o)
says:
Well said, Jeffrey! Dragons must exist somewhere. And unicorns, too (please let it be true).
But seriously, I think a lot of creative people feel this way. It’s why we keep doing what we do – a chance to do something great and make a difference.
Much love!
Melissa
says:
This reflects the message of the movie “Up” – Most of the best adventures are simple everyday moments of sharing, we just need to appreciate them. The sweet smell of cooler evening air after a hot day. Bird songs in the morning. Laughing uncontrollably about a silly thing….
says:
I’m so happy someone else feels this way! I constantly long for the epicness of battling something evil …and succeeding of course. Like the movies you mentioned, I also think that’s why video games like World of Warcraft are so addicting for people. The essence of adventuring and conquering feels so good and it traps you. The trapping part is not so good. Balance is definitely important. As you said, let the big AND little things be epic.
Thanks for the great post. I definitely resonate with it :)
(How odd that my roommate JUST started watching The Lord of the Ring…lol)
says:
Very inspiring post! If we could just maintain the imagination of endless possibility like when we were kids. Anything seemed possible. I think this is a trait of great people. Those who see the bigger potential, bigger picture and ideals, and don’t let life get them down. It is tough to do, but a very inspiring feat. Thanks!
says:
This is a very cool post – concise and to the point… and it really opened up my thinking for the day.
One concept that I’ve always found fascinating is the idea that the old stories and myths about dragon-slaying are culturally embedded metaphors for man’s battle with the “lizard brain”.
Dragons have always represented the elements of human thinking that we dislike the most: Greed, aggression and deceitful cunning.
When the hero slays the dragon, he’s winning out over the internal struggle with his darker, fear-driven self… only it’s projected out to the external world and woven into a metaphorical, action-packed tale.
Love posts that get me thinking! :) thanks again
says:
interesting one -
I always try to live my life like a movie – every challenge and problem I encounter gets treated like a major event from a movie. I’m addicted to comics and fantasy stories, and by mixing them up with the way I experience reality, it helps me live a life that appears to be more epic.
says:
Love that quote from Helen Keller – I’ve got to remember that when I’m doing laundry and dishes. :o)
says:
…Are you all serious? We’re surrounded by dragons, honey! What are you all waiting for? If its an engraved invitation, it’s on the six o’clock news, kids.
I slay dragons every day. I’m a public school teacher.
Gotta jet, peeps…my cape’s at the cleaner’s…
Stop worrying about “finding yourselves” in a double latte and get into the fight. We need you out there.
says:
Okay, that sounds a little too antagonistic. Please finish your double latte and bring me one when you join me. :-)
says:
I think we make our battles as epic as we want, and our moments (every moment) as wondrous as we wish.
Every day is an adventure, a fight, a collection of tiny victories and small yet significant steps to a heroic life that makes a difference, and a part of a larger community that together can change the world. It definitely feels that to me, with the people I know online, and the bloggers I follow.
We must keep moving, keep striving, keep encouraging and supporting each other. It’s the quiet, steady, maybe sometimes unglamorous work that changes the world too…
says:
We all hear about stories of those who have accomplished only after herculean effort was matched against impossible odds. We are inspired, maybe even motivated… but then return to our mediocrity. We live in “the middleness of life” and we muddle through middle… waiting for our adventure. This post reminded me that mediocrity is perhaps the ultimate challenge… when I have so many options… so many paths… so many choices… it’s easy to just take it easy. Interestingly, when I decide to fight that feeling of mediocrity… life turns to adventure!
says:
Thank you for this wonderful and insightful post. Unlike children adults often forget that imagination is the fuel that feeds the soul. I am fan of The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn or “Strider” is the character that I came to admire because of his sense of honor and integrity. When we tie ourselves to a honorable ideal we can transform our lives to something truly epic. Everyday life can seem mediocre. But as was mentioned before if we give life, with all its adversities the imagination that it deserves, we can slay the monstrous fears we have inside ourselves and conquer the evils we encounter in the world.
says:
Too true Jeffrey. Life is one big quest but one of our own making. So many of us are living lives based on the norm, the run-of-the-mill, expected living and settling for everyday stuff. But there is another life. One we are here on the planet for. To bring to life what we bring to life – something great and noble in us. We all have the brilliance gene but first we must choose to switch it on.
says:
Jeffrey -
You’ve really got me thinking with this great post. Would I like to spend my days fighting dragons? I think the underlying principle is that happiness is a combination of pleasure and purpose. To be happy we need to enjoy every moment, however mundane. However, we also need clear and exciting targets to aim for – to change the world, save the princess! Then we can truly thrive and live a daring adventure every day.
Phil