Are you prepared to plan a siege to get what you want?

The murder holes were nasty. They were openings in the ceiling of a gateway of a castle. Defenders hurled rocks, arrows, or boiling oil onto intruders who made it past the first line of defence. Some armies used Quicklime. They made this by burning limestone at high temperatures, which created a dangerous chemical agent. This concoction reacted violently with water, resulting in an excruciating heat. Once it connected with an enemy’s eyes or mouth, it would burn, blind, and choke them. It was a tactic that some sea-faring nations used to blind their opponents before boarding their ships.

That is a lot like our lives when we are trying to level up. For me, it is about getting healthier and stronger. Actually, forget that, I just want to look better in my clothes. Don’t tell me you haven’t ever felt the same. So I stuck to the gym routine religiously for four weeks, going at least 3 times a week. I could see the progress, but then I attended a class. I was levelling up, but I was not prepared for the Cognitive Dissonance backlash. The drawbridge went up and I was shut out.

Overexertion can strain our bodies and weaken our immune system, making us more susceptible to illness, according to some personal trainers. My son was ill at the time and so because I had not fortified myself before levelling up, I effectively lime-stoned myself. Now as I am writing this, I am nursing a cold which has threatened to sabotage my workout routine.

I can imagine that nasty detector of cognitive dissonance sitting in the dungeon with me. He shrugs and says, “Look, I am sorry you are stuck in the dungeon. I really don’t want to kill your dreams. But you simply don’t belong here. You tried to sneak into the castle, and I will give it to you. You made it this far. But now I must destroy you. Sorry, King’s orders.”

This is where most of us crash and burn. We can rationalise it as much as we want, but we quit. As I wrote my wins and gratitude in my journal this morning, it occurred to me I haven’t been affirming health. I am making progress in all the areas that I affirm, and that lack of fortitude has had some unpleasant results. It is a tactical weakness on my part. One I intend to rectify.

So instead of accepting defeat, I am going to try a different strategy. I have two choices. The first is to make friends with the gatekeeper. At some point, he is going to let me in. Or I can lay siege to the castle. I can set up camp outside the castle and stop any resources from getting in. Nothing goes in and nothing goes out. This sounds a heck of a lot like an extreme diet. In a way, it is only on a mental level. Choose what you say to yourself and what you let other people say to you.  

Start minimising the time you spend with people who don’t support your dream or who make you feel unworthy of it. I did this when I started writing my medieval fantasy series. My strategy was to cut the time I spent with people who thought it was impossible. I immersed myself in environments that recognised and supported my dreams.

These are mental challenges that many of my characters in my series have to face. When Nadine learned she was a dragon whisperer, she was ill prepared and blundered through her initiation. However, I created a protocol for training Dragon Whisperers, which included four types of tutors. A battle trainer, a protocol trainer, a dragon trainer, and a spiritual trainer. I did this because I recognise that any quest worth pursuing is going to test you in ways you could not imagine. We all have more in us than we imagine. But sometimes the spirit surrenders before we have truly tested the last of our strength. 

I am willing to lay siege to my old beliefs about myself until I am ready to step into my destiny. What are you planning to do for your dreams?