“Toss a coin to your Witcher, O’ Valley of Plenty…”
I’ve often found myself chanting this in my mind when I’m happy ever since I’ve recently watched The Witcher.
This fantasy drama is nothing short of awe-inspiring moments. Discard the gore, the plot twists, and the nude scenes, and you’ll see there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Sure, I do love a great fantasy series, but I tend to look beneath the surface as well. This is where my passion for self-help kicks in! I’ve shared with you 5 personal development advices I’ve spotted in this show.
If you haven’t seen the show, please be mindful of some spoilers below.
- Cling to something or the world will descend into chaos
As Geralt’s mother told him, clinging on to something is important or the world will descend into chaos. In my mind, this holds true for every belief we have, nascent or otherwise.
What would we do without something to believe in? It’s said that every person needs to believe in something to move forward every day. You might not do it intentionally, but your beliefs shape your world, and, in turn, your actions.
Propel yourself forward with clear beliefs. Don’t stand idly by and allow others to tell you what to believe.
- The law of surprise (claiming your repayment)
A common denominator in The Witcher, the law of surprise is not at all a…surprise. An unwritten law as old time in the Witcher universe can tell us about claiming your repayment every time you do a great deed.
I know. Instantaneous gratification is not my thing either. However, you can mentally expect the Universe to repay you. The trick here is to send this subconscious signal without the need to actually come true, or in the form you desire it.
If you’re craving the repayment, and formulate the shape of it, you’ll block it from ever reaching you. Did Geralt know what the law of surprise would mean for him after he saved Duny’s life?
- “Enchanting” yourself won’t grant you what you desire the most
Yeneffer, the sorceress, and Geralt’s main love interest, made the decision to “enchant” herself so she could be physically attractive. But the procedure had a downside. It meant the removal of her reproductive system.
I think there’s a lesson here we all could learn from. When we take a shortcut or try to cheat our way to our objective, life tends to take something in return. Call it karma if you want to.
In Romania, we have a saying. “Arde toate etapele”. It goes to show that if you try to cheat to get in front you’ll eventually fall back to the level you had to go through the right way. I’m guessing Yeneffer processed this information, albeit barely.
- The need to leave a legacy
Every character in the Witcher series appears to want to leave a legacy behind them. Whether it’s to have a baby, conquer the known world, a strong Brotherhood, or just passing through J, everyone wants to leave a legacy.
Please don’t be the person who is just passing through. I believe we all should find, nurture, and leave something important behind. As Steve Jobs said, we need to put a dent in the Universe.
It’s not going to come easy, though. We may wonder through life for years without knowing what makes us tick inside. When we’ll actually find our legacy, it’s our moral duty to leave it for the benefit of those who come after us.
- You cannot escape your destiny
As another common denominator, destiny seems to play a bigger hand in this fantasy show than in our world. Granted, in the end it’s just a fantasy show. Geralt’s destined meeting with Ciri, despite all the obstacles, can give us some clues about destiny’s play in our lives, too.
Haven’t you noticed that when you tried to run from something you somehow ended up in that very situation?
It’s happened to me several times. I’ll give you a quick example. I tried to run from learning to work in Umbraco, a content management system, when, in fact, it was what I needed to evolve in my position at work. I can’t see a different timeline of my life where I haven’t learnt to work in Umbraco.
Now that I’ve shared the personal development advices I’ve noticed in the Witcher show, it’s your turn to do so.
Leave a comment below with your impressions on the personal development advices lurking beneath the surface in this show.