Every Sunday, I (along with millions of others) anxiously await the newest episode of Game of Thrones.  Whether you follow the series, one of the central plots revolves around a queen and her three dragons, long thought to be extinct.

Watching queen Daenerys Targaryen ride into battle on a giant fire breathing dragon gave me chills and had me thinking to myself “if only I had a dragon, I would be unstoppable.”  I thought about how cool it would be to fly into any battle or conflict and be admired by all and feared by those who opposed me.  Wouldn’t that be a powerful feeling?

I sat there watching an interesting scene last night where the main dragon, who is feared by literally everyone except the queen who owns them, approached another main character, Jon Snow, and allowed Jon to pet him.  The dragon’s eyes softened and we got to see the dragon in a new light for the first time.

You’re probably thinking, I don’t need a game of thrones recap, what’s the point?  The point is this – I figured out how to find dragons and utilize dragons in real life.

You ready?  It’s you.  You’re a majestic dragon or at least you possess the same abilities as a Dragon.  The question is, are you willing to step up in life and exude your dominance in your industry or passion? Still don’t believe that you’re a dragon? Here’s how you can unlock the inner dragon in you to leave a legacy.

Understand Everyone is Aiming For You

To become legendary, you must develop thick skin, dragon scales per se.  The reason is that as you continue to evolve, grow, and succeed – others begin to envy you.  They don’t often see all the years it took you to gain the strength you have, they don’t know your trials, they just often see you as one thing – a threat.

In Game of Thrones, many armies are seeing the dragons in real life for the first time.  Armies are building weapons to try and take out the Dragon.  Enemies always focus on the Dragon first because it poses the biggest threat.  As you flourish in your life, you must understand that people will aim for you too.  They’ll slander you, they’ll try and knock you down, they’ll do everything in their power to discredit you or stop you.  That’s just the way it is.  Accept it.  But much like a Dragon, don’t spend your time fighting those who shoot little arrows and take small shots at you.  Don’t allow yourself to be affected or give attention to the things or people that pose no threat, you’re far too valuable to waste time battling them.

Be ok with being Misunderstood

Armies see the enormous dragon flying around, incinerating enemies, whipping opposition with its tail and people shutter in fear.  That’s all they see.  The scene I mentioned earlier showed a different side of the dragon.  It showed that behind the dominating physical appearance, the Dragon still had a heart.  Without spoiling it for those who haven’t seen the show, lately, we see the dragon in battle doing everything in its power to protect the queen, (those he loves.)  He isn’t worried about what others think of him, he doesn’t fear those trying to take him out – he has one motive – be there for the one that needs him.

If you’re honest with yourself, you have that same heart.  There is someone or multiple people that rely on you being the best at what you do.  Don’t concern yourself with the opinions of others, especially those who aren’t on your side.  Even those on your side may question you from time to time.  People may judge you based on what you look like, form an opinion based on what they’re heard of you, or make assumptions based on some other fictitious factor.
That’s not for you to worry about.  You have one task, give your all every day for those you love and care about.

Don’t be afraid to Fly

As the dragon flew into its first real battle, arrows and weapons designed specifically to kill the dragon came flying toward it.  Did the Dragon flinch, retreat, or rethink its plan? No.  Why not? Because it’s a dragon and it was there to do its job.

But how many of us are that strong? I don’t mean physical strength, I’m talking about the ability to continue your mission when there is strong opposition, adversity, or problems in your way.  Too often I meet people with all the greatest attributes in skills in the world, but they’re afraid to fly because they’re afraid that people will try and knock them down.

I tell them the truth, yes people will try to knock you down.  Sometimes they’ll succeed momentarily.  But what’s the point of having wings if you’re not going to use them? What’s the point in having dreams if you’re not going to move toward them? Why have goals if they’re just going to sit on a piece of paper in your desk drawer?

Why be afraid to fly?  No matter who you are, you have some unique skillset or ability.  That skill, passion or character set is the wings of opportunity you need to get to wherever you want to go.  Stop clipping yourself and waiting to ride on someone else’s back, spread your wings and fly to your goals yourself.

Know When to Breathe Fire

Inside each one of us is a burning passion for something.  Whether that’s status, financial, family, or whatever it may be, what’s important is that you recognize what lights your fire so that you can call upon that as a source of strength.

When the dragon entered the major battle, it seemed like it was burning up everything.  But upon watching the replay, I learned the dragon was very strategic.  It created a path of fire that allowed its troops to get to the heart of the battle, it then blazed all the enemy’s supply trains, and finally, it attacked the major weapons that were formed to hurt it.

Do you see the keyword there? It was strategic.  Too often, when we’re passionate we resort to a sort of blind rage.  Our motives are good, but we expend all our energy on everything and everyone and often don’t get the results we want.  How come? We had no focus.  Potential without an end goal leads to heartbreak.  Motive without purpose results in losses.  Hustle without a strategy doesn’t equate to victory.

You must know your strengths.  More importantly, you must be so focused on your goals, that you know exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.  Don’t waste time, energy, or fire on people or situations that don’t get you closer to where you want to be or who you want to be.

Figure out what you want in life and blaze the path to the incredible life you seek – both for yourself and those you care about.

Take flight, breathe fire, become legendary.