How to tame your inner dragon
How to tame your inner dragon
Dragons, in various cultures, symbolize power, strength, and wisdom. Yet, they also embody the internal battles we all face.
The dragons within us breathe the fires of doubt, fear, and criticism, often obscuring the path to our authentic selves.
Yet, these dragons are not to be vanquished but understood and loved. They hold the keys to our liberation, offering lessons in resilience, courage, and the power of embracing our vulnerabilities.
Just as the dragon is a respected symbol in Chinese culture, so too can our inner dragon be honored for the protective role it plays in our inner world.
Over the years I’ve met many versions of this dragon in every person I’ve coached. It shows up in one of these four forms:
1. Paralysis by Analysis: When facing a significant decision, our inner dragon might manifest as doubt leading to overanalyze every possible outcome. This critical voice can lead to indecision, convincing us that no choice is safe enough or perfect enough, ultimately stalling our progress.
2. Fear of Failure: Our dragon is only thinking of the outcome and whispers warnings of embarrassment, loss, and the judgment of others which can block our creative free spirit and deter us from taking any risks or making bold decisions that could lead to growth and success.
3. Impostor Syndrome: This self-doubting voice questions your qualifications and abilities, making you wonder if you're truly deserving of the opportunities ahead, potentially leading you to pass up on valuable chances.
4. Resistance to Change: This inner dragon preys on the comfort of the familiar, instilling fear of the unknown and convincing you to stick with the status quo, even when change is necessary for personal growth and well being.
Can you relate to any of these?
We do our best to silence our dragon with unhealthy habits so that we can cope with life. But no amount of alcohol or drugs or any other addiction will ever tame this beast. It will only feed it and make it stronger and louder. We must face this dragon head on with love and compassion so that it becomes our ally rather than our tyrant.
Inner Critic Portrait by Randy Stuart / Creative High Growth 2022 Alumni
Here’s what we do:
We invite the dragon to the table. We listen to its fears with a heart wide open, learning to discern the protective intentions behind their fierce and ugly voice. We learn how to love this part of us whose sole role is to protect us from harm.
At the same time, we begin a radical self-love practice.
Radical self-love goes beyond the conventional self-care. It involves recognizing and embracing every aspect of our being — including flaws, mistakes, and vulnerabilities — with compassion, understanding, and unconditional love.
A radical self-love practice will challenges societal norms, expectations, and the sabotaging inner dragon that perpetuate feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and unworthiness.
And this is when the magic happens. This is when we meet our inner angels—the best versions of ourselves—beings of light, wisdom, and potential that we can only fully embrace once we've made peace with our inner dragons. They are the voices of encouragement, inspiration, and love that flourish when the critic is no longer ruling our inner world with fear.
As we tame our dragons, we unlock the gates to a richer, more vibrant life, where our angels guide us toward our true potential.
This Year of the Dragon calls us to embark on a journey of profound change, guided by the principles of love, abundance, and creative free spirit.
Let’s embrace our inner dragons, not as tyrants to be feared, but as teachers, protectors, and partners in our quest for growth and self-realization.
What I know for sure is that when we dance with our dragons, we unlock the full spectrum of our creative power, ready to paint the world with the colors of our wildest dreams. After all, it is through taming our dragons that we learn to fly.