Pressure or Present?
Tuesday 3 November 2020The Cave – Part 2: Decisions
Thursday 12 November 2020
“The cave you fear to enter, holds the treasure you seek”
– Joseph Campbell –
What are you afraid of doing?
Which conversation are you least willing to have?
Which part of your brain are you less inclined to explore?
In the words of Joseph Campbell – who pioneered the process of the Hero’s Journey – “the cave you fear to enter, holds the treasure you seek”.
Campbell alludes to the incredible power of leaning into what frightens us, as usually, this directs us down a path where the treasures we discover are valuable and momentous.
Instead of using comfort as the compass, fear is used as a guide – what we are afraid of doing becomes something not to shy away from, but instead to be tackled, head on, if we value progress, development and growth.
When we recall pivotal moments in our life, many of them followed a stage of fear. Only after, in hindsight do we realise what a significant impact these have had in shaping us.
This concept is constantly worth re-visiting as we are lulled into comfort by our biology – it craves homeostasis, eventually arriving at a point whereby there is no desire to change.
And so a conscious effort must be made to counter this.
Take for example, your physical practice. A CrossFit WOD is about far more than just the physical adaptations. It’s about challenging yourself every day, and doing something difficult. Because that makes you a better parent, employer or professional.
So where can you do this elsewhere in your life?
For in the words of Joseph Campbell, this is where the treasure you seek, may be found.