I step out without fear to experience and investigate.
`This way. Follow me. Take action,' I say,
and urge you on when you hesitate,
perhaps from past disappointments.
"In fairy tales I am the young lover,
often a prince in disguise,
who wins the hand of a lady
through his pure-hearted acts and bravery
in a crisis or a contest against an older, manipulative suitor.
In other stories I am the `dummling,'
a worthless, unlucky, seemingly stupid character
who turns out to be a hero or finds unexpected success.
"I encourage you to take risks and
to look at things in your own unique way.
�Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' I always say.
Yes, I could pay more attention to details and preparation, but if I stopped to think out everything, I'd never get ahead.
"Mine is the innocent wisdom of the impetuous.
I am the impulse to leap forward into the unknown,
and I'll serve you again and again
as you encounter the challenges, conflicts, and the joys
- especially the joys -
of the symbolic life.
I represent your ability to be fully yourself
and to be true to your own nature.
I hope that you never cast me aside,
for I am a crucial part of your humanness.
"A key phrase to remember me by is
the limitless energy of spirit."
