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Lots of different traditions talk about the Personal Legend. But they would use different terms for it. I think Jung for example might call it "individuation". I think that's why this book resonates so much - because of all the classical mythological-spiritual-psychological and human archetypes.

cyndiha11 wrote:Could you give up everything in order to go on your own quest for your Personal Legend?

I have given thought to this many times throughout my life (giving things up in order to follow my heart), and ended up being too afraid of losing the things I had at the time. What about you? Have you given things up in your life in order to follow your heart?

I think it would be hard to give up everything in order to go on a quest, but I have in the past given up things or people to follow my heart. It would depend on what kind of personal legend it was for me. I tend to like to be happy with what I have, but with the right reasons, I will willingly give up what I have. After all, things are replaceable, but people, on the other hand, I would have a harder time giving them up.

I am very confident that I could/can give up everything to follow my personal legend. I just have an itch, a pull towards venturing out on my own and experiencing new places, so i'm fairly certain I could make this happen (especially because I plan to do this next year!)

I think a good step towards making this happen in your life is first getting rid of a lot of your personal belongings. If you're not held down to your material possessions, leaving is much easier.

I am a little afraid to give up everything to go on a quest for my personal legend. It is more of that it is outside my comfort zone, but I guess that is the point. I wouldn't know where to begin. I have a friend who picked up and moved across the country because he felt he needed to be somewhere else, but he had no job no home or anything when he left, still doesn't. I couldn't do that. I need security of knowing things are for certain. Again I think that would defeat the purpose. I have the urge to reread the novel now.

cyndiha11 wrote:Could you give up everything in order to go on your own quest for your Personal Legend?

I have given thought to this many times throughout my life (giving things up in order to follow my heart), and ended up being too afraid of losing the things I had at the time. What about you? Have you given things up in your life in order to follow your heart?

Have been there and done that, and not really been myself because I was not balancing my lifestyle properly.

I prefer to have many little projects and not one all consuming goal. But that's what works for me.

IceSmith wrote:I think, as adults, the hardest part is walking away from a steady paycheck to pursue your dreams, at least that was my biggest roadblock. Due to budget cuts someone else made that decision for me, I can't say enough about how scary but also how fulfilling the last few month have been.

Definitely understand that dilemma. I wish I could spend my days travelling, writing and reading. Unfortunately, bills still need to be paid. A girl can still dream about getting lucky and earning enough through writing to do it all but it's a difficult road and a big hill to climb for sure. I don't think I'd have the guts to quit my job without knowing I was making enough to get by.

Another thing that keeps me back is fear of failure, and regret.

CzechTigg wrote:
Have been there and done that, and not really been myself because I was not balancing my lifestyle properly.

I prefer to have many little projects and not one all consuming goal. But that's what works for me.

That's an interesting way to look at it. I think that's what I've been trying to achieve lately, but just haven't realized.

Sadly the one thing that holds me back from my 'Personal Legend' is money, but I think I still could find happiness in things similar to it even if I'm not dedicating my whole life to it.

Thanks for that!

I think it would be difficult to do that, to leave everything behind me in order to follow my own personal legend. However, I think in some ways everyone sort of does follow their own personal legend.

It's not uncommon to wonder what would've happened if you made one choice instead of another, but sometimes, that is what happens when you try to follow your personal legend.

For instance, as a child I stopped doing soccer. Why? I wasn't terrible at it. I was actually kind of alright at it. But the reason why I stopped was because I wanted to become a swimmer. And I did. I became a competitive swimmer, and not a bad one either.

So really, I think that dropping everything to follow your own path might be unrealistic, but I also think that everyone takes baby steps down the path to their own personal legend every day. It's just not as obvious as dropping everything and disappearing into the night.

Leaving your comfort zone is a scary thought. Well, at least for me it was. I got so used to conformity and comfort before that I actually forgot about what I really wanted. That dream knocked at my door every chance it got but I never listened to it. When I got into a really bad situation, I heard it again. I was scared to go out of my comfort zone but I got nothing to lose anymore so I opened the door and embraced it. Now I feel lighter and better. It's not an easy journey, but I'm sure it's worth it.

Yes, I have. But unfortunately, I did not gain what I wanted at the end although I tried. In one point Paulo Coelho's protagonists were my idols and hope, but now i regret following my heart.

In the face of a scary health diagnosis--I am thinking about this a lot. I want my husband on this journey with me. While I am willing to take the risk, he is not. So I choose relationship over legend. I will continue my part to do what needs to be done to make this decision easier for him.

I'm taking the route of following my dreams in small steps while ensuring the possibility of a steady paycheck. People like T.S. Eliot and Lewis Carroll did this and still accomplished their aspirations. It's not as thrilling as giving everything up, but it is the safest route for me.

I've given up my stuff many times. I think if I knew what my personal legend was I might be able to but I think I would need a bit of help.

cyndiha11 wrote:Could you give up everything in order to go on your own quest for your Personal Legend?

I have given thought to this many times throughout my life (giving things up in order to follow my heart), and ended up being too afraid of losing the things I had at the time. What about you? Have you given things up in your life in order to follow your heart?

When I read books like this, I want to say, yes, this could be me, I could do this. But then reality hits: I am not a hoarder, but I have a hard time letting things go. I have a hard time with change. I get set in my ways, my routine and as much as I want more or change, I only go about making things happen without major changes happening all at once.

I have let things and people go before (for the better, I learned eventually), but I think I would have a hard time giving up everything.