can<\/em> learn a lot by studying villains.<\/p>\nSociopaths, too. (Sadly, there\u2019s no lack of those to study within the online marketing world.)<\/p>\n
However… for me, I choose a different path.<\/p>\n
The hero\u2019s path.<\/p>\n
You see, regardless of how clever, strong, ruthless or better equipped the villain is… the hero will ALWAYS win.<\/p>\n
For one very interesting reason.<\/p>\n
The hero and the villain have something in common…<\/p>\n
A dark side.<\/p>\n
Steven Pressfield described it best when he said, \u201c\u2018Shadow\u2019 is a term used most commonly in Jungian therapy and inner work. It means that part of our psyche that we have repressed, usually out of shame and the refusal to admit that such elements (the regret that we had children, say, or the rage we carry against \u2018good\u2019 or honorable entities) are part of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
But unlike the villain, the hero is ashamed of his shadow. He doesn\u2019t want to see it or even admit that he has one. And he certainly doesn\u2019t want others<\/em> to see it.<\/p>\nSo he rejects it and tries to deny its existence.<\/p>\n
The key word being \u201ctries.\u201d Because no matter how much he denies it, the dark side is always there. And a real hero can only deny its existence for so long.<\/p>\n
I quote Steven Pressfield again:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Shadow work\u2019 in the Jungian sense is the introspection that shines a light on these repressed parts of ourselves and allows us to see them, accept them, and integrate them into our greater consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n
And THAT is why the hero will always win in the end.<\/p>\n
Because the hero is willing to do something a villain is incapable of doing…<\/p>\n
His \u201cshadow work.\u201d<\/p>\n
A hero learns and grows by facing his shadow head on.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the emotionally painful \u201cinner work\u201d that must be done if he wants to evolve into an elevated consciousness that sparks the hero\u2019s \u201csecond act.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the phase of life marked by inner contemplation… generosity… sharing your experience with others… reaching a hand down to pull up those who are struggling.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a different motivation than the hero\u2019s \u201cfirst act\u201d… where he\u2019s consumed by finding his place, constructing his identity, focusing on material pursuits, etc.<\/p>\n
Instead, the second act is motivated by what Mr. Rogers called \u201c1, 4, 3.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the hero\u2019s \u201cace up his sleeve.\u201d Because shadow work is something that the villain can NEVER do.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s what guarantees that the hero will always win.<\/p>\n
Because the hero can CHANGE.<\/p>\n
The villain can\u2019t.<\/p>\n
And even if the hero loses his life at the hands of the villain… he STILL wins.<\/p>\n
Because the hero has discovered something that the villain never will.<\/p>\n
He has only lost his \u201cmaya\u201d life.<\/p>\n
The villain, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t even realize that he\u2019s living in a false reality. So he can never discover what the hero has discovered… the very thing that has caused this change of consciousness in his second act…<\/p>\n
The atman.<\/p>\n
The Self with a capital \u201cS.\u201d<\/p>\n
And THAT is why the hero will always win.<\/p>\n
Yes, you can learn from the villain.<\/p>\n
However… for me and my house, we choose to follow the hero\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n
Best,
\nDoberman Dan<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My friend and email copywriter extraordinaire, Ben Settle says that you can learn a lot by studying villains. In fact, he has written two excellent books on the subject, Persuasion Secrets of the World’s Most Charismatic & Influential Villains… and… Super Villains of Persuasion… both available on Amazon. I agree. You can learn a lot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13123","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-success-mindset"},"yoast_head":"\n
Why The Hero Will ALWAYS Defeat The Villain - Doberman Dan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dobermandan.com\/blog\/why-the-hero-will-always-defeat-the-villain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why The Hero Will ALWAYS Defeat The Villain - Doberman Dan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My friend and email copywriter extraordinaire, Ben Settle says that you can learn a lot by studying villains. In fact, he has written two excellent books on the subject, Persuasion Secrets of the World’s Most Charismatic & Influential Villains… and… Super Villains of Persuasion… both available on Amazon. I agree. 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