Mark Ristau's Blog - Posts Tagged "courage"
Star Wars and a Message for 2018
During his brilliant career as a scholar of comparative mythology, Joseph Campbell introduced us to a paradigm for storytelling that became known as the "Hero's Journey." As a narrative pattern, examples of the Hero's Journey can be found in stories told throughout ancient and modern history, including George Lucas's Star Wars, whose most recent chapter, "The Last Jedi," opened this weekend.
The Hero's Journey leads us to the edge of a threshold, where we are faced with a choice—take the next step or turn back...
On the other side of the threshold lies a world of possibility and opportunities for personal achievement, artistic/professional advancement, spiritual growth, connection with others, and love...
But something holds us back—it's all those thoughts in our heads, those all-too-logical reasons: "Now is not the right time. It's too dangerous. A fool's errand! I might lose everything I've worked so hard to achieve." It's all those doubts and fears...fears of loss, failure, rejection, making a mistake. Most of all, I think, it's fear of the unknown...
On this side of the threshold lies the comfort and security of the familiar. The routine can be tedious, but at least it's safe.
Yet we have the power of choice. We can choose to let go of the past and embrace the possibility of something different, something revolutionary, a taste of freedom...Yes! We can choose to face our fears and take that step into the unknown...it just requires a little faith and a little courage...
Joseph Campbell would advise us to "follow our bliss" into the year 2018 and beyond...
A Hero Dreams
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The Hero's Journey leads us to the edge of a threshold, where we are faced with a choice—take the next step or turn back...
On the other side of the threshold lies a world of possibility and opportunities for personal achievement, artistic/professional advancement, spiritual growth, connection with others, and love...
But something holds us back—it's all those thoughts in our heads, those all-too-logical reasons: "Now is not the right time. It's too dangerous. A fool's errand! I might lose everything I've worked so hard to achieve." It's all those doubts and fears...fears of loss, failure, rejection, making a mistake. Most of all, I think, it's fear of the unknown...
On this side of the threshold lies the comfort and security of the familiar. The routine can be tedious, but at least it's safe.
Yet we have the power of choice. We can choose to let go of the past and embrace the possibility of something different, something revolutionary, a taste of freedom...Yes! We can choose to face our fears and take that step into the unknown...it just requires a little faith and a little courage...
Joseph Campbell would advise us to "follow our bliss" into the year 2018 and beyond...
A Hero Dreams
Visit my Website
A New Dream
It's New Year's Eve. Outside my window, purple shadows are stretching across St. Paul's frozen landscape, and the sun is setting on 2017 for the very last time.
On this New Year's Eve, we find ourselves, like Ricky Williamson in my novel A Hero Dreams, standing on the edge of a threshold. When Ricky arrives at his threshold, he hesitates. On the other side lies the promise of a fresh start and a world of infinite possibility. Yet something holds him back. There's uncertainty, trepidation, fear. Of course he's come too far to reverse course, but like every person who walks the hero's journey, he must take a moment to gather his courage before entering the unknown—an unknown where new possibilities are waiting to be born...
So let's take a moment—and a deep breath—before entering 2018. Let's take an inventory of lessons learned and forgive ourselves for mistakes made. It doesn't matter how many times we've repeated our mistakes; the new year offers us an opportunity to follow a new path—the hero's path, for each of us is indeed a hero...
And let's gather our courage before taking that next step, for courage we will surely need if our intention is to create a new reality for ourselves, a new story, a new dream...
What's your dream for 2018? One based on past experiences and old mind patterns? Or one you choose freely with an open heart? We're all about to be handed a blank page. What do you intend to do with yours?
A Hero Dreams
Visit my Website
On this New Year's Eve, we find ourselves, like Ricky Williamson in my novel A Hero Dreams, standing on the edge of a threshold. When Ricky arrives at his threshold, he hesitates. On the other side lies the promise of a fresh start and a world of infinite possibility. Yet something holds him back. There's uncertainty, trepidation, fear. Of course he's come too far to reverse course, but like every person who walks the hero's journey, he must take a moment to gather his courage before entering the unknown—an unknown where new possibilities are waiting to be born...
So let's take a moment—and a deep breath—before entering 2018. Let's take an inventory of lessons learned and forgive ourselves for mistakes made. It doesn't matter how many times we've repeated our mistakes; the new year offers us an opportunity to follow a new path—the hero's path, for each of us is indeed a hero...
And let's gather our courage before taking that next step, for courage we will surely need if our intention is to create a new reality for ourselves, a new story, a new dream...
What's your dream for 2018? One based on past experiences and old mind patterns? Or one you choose freely with an open heart? We're all about to be handed a blank page. What do you intend to do with yours?
A Hero Dreams
Visit my Website
Origins
The origins for A Hero Dreams have been with me for almost as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is of nearly drowning in a swimming pool at the age of four. But somewhere along the way, I buried the memory. Then one day I remembered. I remembered the incident. And I remembered who I was—a storyteller. I had a story to tell...
While working as in-house counsel for a manufacturing company in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, I liberated myself each day at noon from the confines of my ten-by-ten office for a run. My hour-long reprieve would lead me along winding trails, past ponds and lakes, and through the natural wooded beauty surrounding our suburban corporate campus.
One summer afternoon, as the temperature soared past 100 degrees, I was sprinting past a small lake when my oxygen-deprived brain conjured up a ghostly image—the body of a small boy floating along the lake’s grassy shore. I stopped short. Magically, the scene came to life. Lost in reverie now, I found myself crouching in the grass and holding this phantom boy in my arms. I gazed into his face...
Thus, my protagonist was born—a young boy named Ricky who refuses to allow the circumstances of his life prevent him from pursuing his dreams. After losing his father, he embarks on a journey fraught with one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after another. Yet he continues on...
Ultimately, Ricky's story teaches us that we are not defined by the past, nor do our fears have control over us.
If a scared little boy can find the courage to leave the past behind and embrace the future with an open heart, so can we. It just requires a little faith...
A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
Visit my Website
While working as in-house counsel for a manufacturing company in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, I liberated myself each day at noon from the confines of my ten-by-ten office for a run. My hour-long reprieve would lead me along winding trails, past ponds and lakes, and through the natural wooded beauty surrounding our suburban corporate campus.
One summer afternoon, as the temperature soared past 100 degrees, I was sprinting past a small lake when my oxygen-deprived brain conjured up a ghostly image—the body of a small boy floating along the lake’s grassy shore. I stopped short. Magically, the scene came to life. Lost in reverie now, I found myself crouching in the grass and holding this phantom boy in my arms. I gazed into his face...
Thus, my protagonist was born—a young boy named Ricky who refuses to allow the circumstances of his life prevent him from pursuing his dreams. After losing his father, he embarks on a journey fraught with one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after another. Yet he continues on...
Ultimately, Ricky's story teaches us that we are not defined by the past, nor do our fears have control over us.
If a scared little boy can find the courage to leave the past behind and embrace the future with an open heart, so can we. It just requires a little faith...
A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
Visit my Website
A New World
In December 2011, I left the corporate world for a new one—the world of a writer and budding first-time author. The next five years were dedicated to crafting a 700-page manuscript, originally entitled Even the Banyan Tree Knows Peace. When I wasn’t writing, I spent much of my time contemplating two of the story’s largest themes—the root causes of violence and the possibility of peace.
These themes are, of course, timely and important. The world we live in seems to be increasingly fragmented and divisive, not only in our political discourse, but in the manner in which we treat people we view as somehow different from us, based on nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, etc.
It is my personal belief that the discord and violence will come to an end only when we embrace the simple truth that each of us is an essential part of an interconnected, interdependent whole.
Embracing this truth will require nothing short of a heroic effort. For most of us, this means embarking on a journey that will lead to a radical transformation in consciousness.
It's about letting go of the "us vs. them" mentality. It's about letting go of our obsessive need to be right and make others wrong. It's about building bridges, not walls. It's about letting others into our hearts...
For many of us, letting down our guard against external threats is counter-intuitive. We're afraid of what might happen if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We're fearful that our enemies will take advantage of us and conquer us. So, we hunker down. We draw lines in the sand. We build walls. We raise armies. We close our hearts.
The hero's path—the one that leads to peace—requires the courage of a warrior and the open heart of a child. It requires the willingness to take a leap of faith into unfamiliar territory. A new world. A world where peace is possible...
A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
My Website
These themes are, of course, timely and important. The world we live in seems to be increasingly fragmented and divisive, not only in our political discourse, but in the manner in which we treat people we view as somehow different from us, based on nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, etc.
It is my personal belief that the discord and violence will come to an end only when we embrace the simple truth that each of us is an essential part of an interconnected, interdependent whole.
Embracing this truth will require nothing short of a heroic effort. For most of us, this means embarking on a journey that will lead to a radical transformation in consciousness.
It's about letting go of the "us vs. them" mentality. It's about letting go of our obsessive need to be right and make others wrong. It's about building bridges, not walls. It's about letting others into our hearts...
For many of us, letting down our guard against external threats is counter-intuitive. We're afraid of what might happen if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We're fearful that our enemies will take advantage of us and conquer us. So, we hunker down. We draw lines in the sand. We build walls. We raise armies. We close our hearts.
The hero's path—the one that leads to peace—requires the courage of a warrior and the open heart of a child. It requires the willingness to take a leap of faith into unfamiliar territory. A new world. A world where peace is possible...
A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
My Website
Dark into Light
Human beings have been grappling with the problem of violence ever since the rise of the world's first civilizations some 5500 years ago. My novel, A Hero Dreams, explores this seemingly intransigent problem through the eyes of a child—a ten-year-old boy named Ricky. Early in the story, Ricky suffers multiple childhood traumas: a near-drowning at the age of four; the loss of his father when he's only eight. Later, he falls victim to a brutal assault at the hands of an older boy named Spencer Black.
The path that leads to the end of our suffering—and ultimately to inner peace—requires courage. This is not a time for squeamishness. We must embrace that which is most abhorrent to us and walk through the dark of night in order to witness the glorious dawn of a new day. This is why our journey is called the "Hero's Journey." It is a journey that lies well outside our comfort zone. It is a journey that will test our resolve. Along the way, we will be forced to face the very ugliest, the most vile aspects of human nature. This is unavoidable. We must face the dark if we wish to one day see the light...
We've learned that avoiding pain by burying unpleasant memories doesn't work. Our demons are clever. They have a way of resurfacing when we least expect it, often at the most inopportune moments.
Now here's the good news: Within each of us lies a hero—a hero of virtually unlimited resources. We have the tools and the power to choose to live our lives as men and women of courage. We are not defined by the past, nor do our fears have control over us.
In A Hero Dreams, Ricky's journey leads him through a metaphorical and literal "Tunnel of Doom," where all his demons are lying in wait. With each step, he must relive the terrors of his past—a necessary rite of exorcism. His only defense is to speak directly to the demons: "You're not real...None of this is real!" He's right. As we shall learn, the demons live—have always lived—inside his head and not in the material world.
As Ricky approaches the tunnel's end, he spies a speck of light that fills him with hope. When finally he emerges, his heart overflows with gratitude, and he lets loose with an exuberant yawp. But his journey is not yet over. There's a voice. A mysterious voice is enticing him to take one more step—a step that will transport him across a threshold and into another world...a world of infinite possibility...
A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
Visit my Website
The path that leads to the end of our suffering—and ultimately to inner peace—requires courage. This is not a time for squeamishness. We must embrace that which is most abhorrent to us and walk through the dark of night in order to witness the glorious dawn of a new day. This is why our journey is called the "Hero's Journey." It is a journey that lies well outside our comfort zone. It is a journey that will test our resolve. Along the way, we will be forced to face the very ugliest, the most vile aspects of human nature. This is unavoidable. We must face the dark if we wish to one day see the light...
We've learned that avoiding pain by burying unpleasant memories doesn't work. Our demons are clever. They have a way of resurfacing when we least expect it, often at the most inopportune moments.
Now here's the good news: Within each of us lies a hero—a hero of virtually unlimited resources. We have the tools and the power to choose to live our lives as men and women of courage. We are not defined by the past, nor do our fears have control over us.
In A Hero Dreams, Ricky's journey leads him through a metaphorical and literal "Tunnel of Doom," where all his demons are lying in wait. With each step, he must relive the terrors of his past—a necessary rite of exorcism. His only defense is to speak directly to the demons: "You're not real...None of this is real!" He's right. As we shall learn, the demons live—have always lived—inside his head and not in the material world.
As Ricky approaches the tunnel's end, he spies a speck of light that fills him with hope. When finally he emerges, his heart overflows with gratitude, and he lets loose with an exuberant yawp. But his journey is not yet over. There's a voice. A mysterious voice is enticing him to take one more step—a step that will transport him across a threshold and into another world...a world of infinite possibility...
A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
Visit my Website
A Note of Encouragement to Budding Authors
A little bird informs me (I’m never one to ignore the wisdom of a little bird) that there’s something of great significance inside of you, something valuable that needs to be shared with the world…something that wants to come out and play…
My advice is to let it out…just tell your story! Tell it in whatever manner, in whatever medium feels right for you. Don’t worry about getting it right or whether it will be accepted by others. Just tell your story and tell it from your heart. Don’t think about it…just step aside and let your heart reveal itself authentically…and gloriously. Let your light shine!
Too often, in this transactional, results-oriented world of ours, we filter our messages; we tell our story in a way that we think is likely to please others. This is understandable. There is a deep-seeded, primal need within each of us for acceptance, acknowledgement, and recognition. A need to connect with others. But I urge you to tell your story regardless of whether it’s likely to be received with critical or general acclaim. The only way to establish a true connection with others is by first being true to ourselves.
It took me many years to discover within myself the courage to write and publish my novel, A Hero Dreams; and when I did, I made a conscious effort to resist the temptation to pander to commercial interests. Rather, I told my story as authentically as I could and without regard to how well it might be received. Maintaining creative freedom was (and is) of critical importance to me, which is why I chose to bring A Hero Dreams into the world via the indie publishing route. It had always been (and continues to be) my intention to bring something new into the world—something that inspires readers with the idea that anything is possible…
“How to begin?” Well, first of all, find yourself a sacred space and brew a really nice cup of coffee (or tea, if you prefer!)…and then…just write. My preferred method is to start with a pen and a legal pad and later migrate to a computer. But if you feel more comfortable in front of your keyboard and screen, then by all means, start by hammering away at the computer! Eventually, you’ll want to think about structure and to develop an outline, but for now, just write, revise, and write some more…
A final word—nothing truly great was ever accomplished by following a formula or by guessing at what message might resonate with an audience…it MUST come from your heart…and you must have faith that your story will find its audience…so start writing—no matter how simple, short, silly, complex, long or gravely serious your story might be. We NEED to hear your voice. It’s the only thing that can save our world…
My advice is to let it out…just tell your story! Tell it in whatever manner, in whatever medium feels right for you. Don’t worry about getting it right or whether it will be accepted by others. Just tell your story and tell it from your heart. Don’t think about it…just step aside and let your heart reveal itself authentically…and gloriously. Let your light shine!
Too often, in this transactional, results-oriented world of ours, we filter our messages; we tell our story in a way that we think is likely to please others. This is understandable. There is a deep-seeded, primal need within each of us for acceptance, acknowledgement, and recognition. A need to connect with others. But I urge you to tell your story regardless of whether it’s likely to be received with critical or general acclaim. The only way to establish a true connection with others is by first being true to ourselves.
It took me many years to discover within myself the courage to write and publish my novel, A Hero Dreams; and when I did, I made a conscious effort to resist the temptation to pander to commercial interests. Rather, I told my story as authentically as I could and without regard to how well it might be received. Maintaining creative freedom was (and is) of critical importance to me, which is why I chose to bring A Hero Dreams into the world via the indie publishing route. It had always been (and continues to be) my intention to bring something new into the world—something that inspires readers with the idea that anything is possible…
“How to begin?” Well, first of all, find yourself a sacred space and brew a really nice cup of coffee (or tea, if you prefer!)…and then…just write. My preferred method is to start with a pen and a legal pad and later migrate to a computer. But if you feel more comfortable in front of your keyboard and screen, then by all means, start by hammering away at the computer! Eventually, you’ll want to think about structure and to develop an outline, but for now, just write, revise, and write some more…
A final word—nothing truly great was ever accomplished by following a formula or by guessing at what message might resonate with an audience…it MUST come from your heart…and you must have faith that your story will find its audience…so start writing—no matter how simple, short, silly, complex, long or gravely serious your story might be. We NEED to hear your voice. It’s the only thing that can save our world…
Connection
Connection. It’s all about connection...
How connected—truly connected—do you feel in our fast-paced, results-driven, high technology, digital age? An old friend recently reminded me I’m not the only one who feels that tug in my heart, that longing for a deeper, more authentic connection with others...
A Hero Dreams follows a young boy’s search for connection in a deeply divided and all-too-often violent world...
At age 8, after the sudden death of his father, Ricky Williamson feels lost—hopelessly lost—and disconnected from everyone and everything. His world has become unrecognizable—a dark and hostile wasteland inhabited only by bittersweet memories and ghosts of the past. He wants to reach out to others—to his grieving, alcoholic mother, to his charismatic and athletically gifted brother Danny—but he doesn’t know how. Most of all, he wants to reach out to his beloved dad, but that's no longer possible...or is it?
Two years later, Ricky’s mother sends him to a New England summer camp where he learns the hard way that “honor” is the watchword and bullying is considered normal. After a traumatic incident at the pond, a mysterious voice assures him everything will be okay, but first he must take a leap of faith and cross a threshold into another world—a world where anything is possible...But can the voice be trusted?
What about you? Can you trust that voice...the one in your heart that longs for deeper, more authentic connections with others? Are you ready to take a leap of faith into another world?
A Hero Dreams
A Hero Dreams Website
How connected—truly connected—do you feel in our fast-paced, results-driven, high technology, digital age? An old friend recently reminded me I’m not the only one who feels that tug in my heart, that longing for a deeper, more authentic connection with others...
A Hero Dreams follows a young boy’s search for connection in a deeply divided and all-too-often violent world...
At age 8, after the sudden death of his father, Ricky Williamson feels lost—hopelessly lost—and disconnected from everyone and everything. His world has become unrecognizable—a dark and hostile wasteland inhabited only by bittersweet memories and ghosts of the past. He wants to reach out to others—to his grieving, alcoholic mother, to his charismatic and athletically gifted brother Danny—but he doesn’t know how. Most of all, he wants to reach out to his beloved dad, but that's no longer possible...or is it?
Two years later, Ricky’s mother sends him to a New England summer camp where he learns the hard way that “honor” is the watchword and bullying is considered normal. After a traumatic incident at the pond, a mysterious voice assures him everything will be okay, but first he must take a leap of faith and cross a threshold into another world—a world where anything is possible...But can the voice be trusted?
What about you? Can you trust that voice...the one in your heart that longs for deeper, more authentic connections with others? Are you ready to take a leap of faith into another world?
A Hero Dreams
A Hero Dreams Website
Mark Ristau's Blog
Reflecting on dreams, thresholds, and the possibility of what might lie beyond...
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