In the 1800s, sailors would stamp, “Here be dragons” on unexplored, dangerous sections of maps. It was meant to serve as a warning, but what if there aren’t as many dragons as you were told? What if it was time to launch that adventure you’ve been dreaming about? What if you could beat those dragons? This short, inspirational episode is going to make you want to run through a wall like the Kool Aid man. I promise.
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In the 1800s, sailors would stamp, “Here be dragons” on unexplored, dangerous sections of maps. It was meant to serve as a warning, but what if there aren’t as many dragons as you were told? What if it was time to launch that adventure you’ve been dreaming about? What if you could beat those dragons? This short, inspirational episode is going to make you want to run through a wall like the Kool Aid man. I promise.
Follow Jon on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
Order Soundtracks, Jon's newest book available wherever you find quality books!
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To quickly see your savings with Medi-Share, text JON to 474747. Now remember, there's no H in Jon. It's text J-O-N to 474747. That's J-O-N to 474747. Thanks. Hey, everyone, and welcome to the All It Takes Is A Gold podcast. I'm your host, Jon Acuff and I love goals. Why? Because a goal is the fastest path between where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow. And best of all, finishing a goal feels amazing! You'll never forget what it felt like to put the letters PhD by your name. You'll never forget what it felt like to take your family out to dinner without moving money around from different accounts first. You'll never forget the moment you get to pick vegetables from the garden you planted with your own two hands. That's why restaurants have their first dollar bill framed behind the cash register. It's not about the amount of money. It's about what that money means. It means they did it! They finished! That's the best feeling in the world. I want that feeling for you. I want you to have that moment. I want to help you cross the finish line of whatever goal you care about, because the future belongs to finishers. That's why I'm doing this podcast. Today's episode is a slingshot. It's a single short idea meant to propel you into the rest of your week. My goal is that you listen to it on your way to work, while doing the dishes, on a treadmill etc. and it makes you want to run through a wall. I'm talking full on out, Kool-Aid man, smashing through whatever obstacles you're facing. So no, no pressure, right? Cool. Let's jump right in. In the 1800s, sailors and mapmakers, I believe people call them cartographers, would stamp unexplored dangerous territories with the phrase "Here be dragons." It was meant to serve as a warning that if you ventured this far, if you went here, you ran the risk of great peril. Danger galore! Unknown tragedy! If you sailed off into the distance, a fire breathing seed dwelling monster was sure to swallow you up. "Here be dragons." It was a phrase used to warn people about the dangers of the unknown, but it was only used for the farthest reaching, most deadly spots. It was a stamp use sparingly, kept in a drawer for only the rarest of occasions. And today, it's a stamp we all still own. We might not sail on a ship. We might not stare out over the horizon at an unforgiving sea. But it's all in our pocket, or our junk drawers in our homes. The bravest of us don't use it. Maybe we've even forgotten where it is. But most of us have worn that stamp out. We know exactly where it is because it never leaves our hands. When confronted with new possibilities or things that feel the slightest bit awkward, we are quick to stamp "Here be dragons." And then we hide. What if our new mission doesn't work?"Here be dragons." What if it works, but not exactly how we planned? "Here be dragons." What if it works so well that we feel the pressure to maintain that level of success? "Here be dragons." I'll never forget when a songwriter in Nashville, which is where I live, asked me if I knew what the worst day was in his profession. I didn't. So I asked him. And he said the worst day for a songwriter is the day after a song you wrote hits number one, because now you have to repeat it. "Here be dragons." What if you try and you devote your life to this new mission, this brand new thing, only to find out it was a waste of time and you will never get that time back? "Here be dragons." What if it's far harder than you anticipated and all your deepest flaws float to the surface in the most public of ways? "Here be dragons What if they find out we're a fraud? "Here be dragons." What if everyone else has some special rulebook that tells them the exact right next step to take and we, we can't find ours? "Here be dragons." Stamp, stamp stamp. We might not realize it. But over the years, we've stamped so many areas that there's very little room left on the map of our lives without those words,"Here be dragons." One day, you wake up and realize your map is a mess. What was expansive, what was vast, what was an endless opportunity of exploration is now the size of Rhode Island. Our world is reduced to a tiny safe cul-de-sac. We control it, or at least maintain the illusion of control say for the random pandemic or two. But for the most part, we are protected. The dragons cannot get in, but nor can the life get out. But then something happens. A friend expands their land. They step into an area we believe was rife with dragons and suddenly, we are confused. They, they were not consumed. They are not on fire. They have not even been singed by the much fear dragons. They seem fine. Better than fine, they are smiling. They are waving back from a land that suddenly seems less dangerous. And then it stirs. That feeling inside of us, that question, "If they can do it, why can't I? Perhaps they have something I don't possess." Perhaps they are brave beyond measure. Perhaps they are networked to the hilt. Perhaps they came to this planet with skills and talents you could never hope to acquire. And so you wait. One more day. one more month, one more year, one more spin around the cul-de-sac. But then something else happens. You hear a song, you see a film, you watch a bird that weighs an ounce climb 100 feet into the air in your backyard, you visit the ocean, you listen to a Porsche growl past you like angry art and something stirs inside you once again. You take your map back out, and you wonder, "Are there really that many dragons?" Have you ever even seen one? That question is a punch to the gut because you know the answer before it even leaves your lips. You haven't. In all your years refusing to climb into the boat, you've never once even glimpsed the tiniest portion of a real dragon. You've heard about them. In your cul-de-sac, they're a popular topic of conversation. People who use stamps are quick to tell other people how many dragons there are. Fear after all, is contagious. A well-placed dragon story in childhood, a seemingly friendly word of caution as a young adult, a question that really isn't a question at a dinner party from a neighbor, it all adds up over time. Dragon gossip is perhaps more powerful than the dragons themselves. And now that you think about it, haven't you heard about somebody who once got destroyed by dragons? Isn't that all the proof you need? A friend of a friend of a friend told you a story. Maybe somebody tried, just the once, but they tried. They embarked on an adventure and they returned to bloody. "That will happen to me," you think, "That same thing, only, it will be worse." But those stupid birds, that sunset, that song, that friend who dares believe that they and you are meant for more, that tiny little spark inside, they won't leave you alone. So you decide to make a start of it. It's time to have a go, as it were. You will now jump into the middle. The middle of the world. The middle of the storm. The middle of the dragons. Maybe not jump, let's not, let's not get carried away. Some days you will inch, but you will leave. You will step out of the cul-de-sac and into the great unknown which is probably a line from Frozen 2, but is also a thing you are going to do. Put the stamp away. Trade it for a passport. "Here be dragons?" No. "There be you." Thank you for listening today. If you liked this episode, please review it and subscribe so that you don't ever miss any of the other ones. See you next week. And remember, all it takes is a goal. This episode of the podcast was brought to you by Medi-Share. Text JON, J-O-N to 474747 for more information. Huge thank you to Medi-Share for sponsoring it. J-O-N to 474747.
Producer:Thanks for listening. To learn more about the All It Takes Is A Goal podcast and to get access to today's show notes, transcript, and exclusive content from Jon Acuff, visit Acuff.me/podcast. Thanks again for joining us. Be sure to tune in next week for another episode of the All It Takes Is A Goal podcast.