by Aileen Journey
I went to see Harry Potter last night. I loved the series and read most of the books to my kids. I thought the movie was great and it felt so satisfying. I was trying to figure out why this huge, trying adventure felt so satisfying even though the idea of a boy going through all of that mayhem and misery would be horrifying. I realized (perhaps the last person on earth to get this) that these adventure, “holy grail” stories are a metaphor for our own lives, but set at a distance so we don’t feel so distressed by them. While watching the movie, I was thinking, almost unconsciously, about my new business and the goals I have for it and what I need to do first and next and so forth.

Building a new consulting business certainly seems a bit more mundane than searching for horcruxes and destroying evil in the world, but the element of the unknown and reaching goals is still the same. I have an idea of where I want to be (successfully earning money doing a job I like), but I don’t really know what obstacles I will be encountering. I don’t plan on having to slay any talking snakes or deal with actual evil, perhaps just with ideas that don’t work and cause me to have to start again.

In some ways it feels just as anxiety provoking to me as watching Harry battle the army of the Dark Arts. I knew he’d succeed. I certainly hope that I will. I do now plan to think of my work on my future as a great adventure. I will try to consider each obstacle as a new chance to triumph over my opposition. I’m not sure it will make the path seem less anxiety-provoking, but it may help me keep going and see obstacles in a more positive, if not exciting, light than I might have previously.