The Dragon and The Slayer
By John Usher
()
About this ebook
This book has a dual personality. First and foremost - It is a self-development introduction, discussing the origins, purpose and process of values and beliefs. Secondly, woven into the non-fictional fibre of the theme, is a fantasy story that gives an account of Osram, a Slayer that seeks to rescue a Princess from the dragon that stole her. This short story follows the hero on his journey, revealing the characters' values and how he benefits from the understanding they bring to his life. The story shadows the non-fictional content and exercises given in the book, providing a wonderful example of a possible practical application.
As facts in life cannot be separated from our daily experience, this short book offers a combination of facts on core values and beliefs, which cannot be separated from the insights and examples of fellowship, connection and understanding. This book, as little as it is, reveals the true value behind the most powerful driving force in our lives. Values and beliefs make us who we are, cause what we do, guide where we go and determine what we achieve. We cannot separate who we are from our values and beliefs. We cannot act, decide or think apart from these guiding forces. This book is ideal for those people that are just embarking on a self-improvement adventure, or for those individuals that would like to discover the true meaning of this life. The Dragon and The Slayer will set the tone of your discoveries.
John Usher
I am a tea spoon. Within you lies great potential. You may have activated your potential. Some people do. Some people dont. I like to stirr both types of people. Stirring people to connect and engage with who they are and what they want in life. I do this by talking (a lot), I do this by writing short stories. Twenty years have gone by and I realised I have not stirred myself. Joining SmashWords is a way for me to be responsible to the gifts and talents I have fostered (some of them unknowingly) over the last 2 decades.Besides that... I am a dad, I love photography, I have a gypsy streak in my feet that makes me want to "lets go see". I love observing people. I love peanut butter sandwiches on the lawn for dinner. I have an affinity to animals, and I enjoy art (appreciating and creating).All compliments, advice and criticism is welcome (Well, the latter less so, but considered nonetheless).
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The Dragon and The Slayer - John Usher
The Dragon and the Slayer
A Little Book about a Big Subject
Copyright 2015 John Usher
First Published in 2002
Published by John Usher at Smashwords
ISBN: 9781310264863
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One – Hope on the Horizon
Light at the End of the Tunnel
No Ordinary Journey
Chapter Two – Osram's Preparations
Chapter Three – The Magic of Values
So, What are Values?
The Iceberg Effect
Iceberg People
Chapter Four – The King's Regret
Chapter Five – Discovering Values
A List of Values
A Value Discovering Exercise
Chapter Six – The Slayer is Victorious
Chapter Seven – Beliefs
Beliefs are not Facts
Conflicting Values and Beliefs
Chapter Eight – Maudred's Gauntlet
Chapter Nine – Connect Values and Mission
Link Values and Mission
Mission Finding Exercise
Chapter Ten – The Land of the Dead
Chapter Eleven – Magic of Fellowship
Eliciting Values
Ask Questions
Communicate with Values
Enjoy the Process
Chapter Twelve – Victory
About the Author
Other Books by This Author
Connect with John Usher
ISBN: 9781310264863
Prologue
Everything we do, say and think links directly to our values. What we buy and where we buy it links directly to our values. Where we choose to live, whom we choose to live with, links directly to our values. With so much of our lives linked to our values, one would imagine that we would be more in touch with them. However, this is not the case. I have counseled people in their forties and assisted them to uncover their true values for the first time in their lives. Once they did this, their lives and their circumstances made more sense to them. This is my wish for you – self-understanding!
The book is short and simple, clear and hopefully – to the point. The facts about values and a story about a dragon and a slayer are delicately interwoven to explain the power and usefulness of values. Jesus and other great teachers used parables to convey important lessons. Similarly, I have written this particular parable to explain the process of values. Just as the character in the story needed to prepare for his journey, you too need to prepare for your journey of self-discovery by opening your mind and get ready for an adventure.
Chapter One
The title maketh not the man – unkown
Hope on the Horizon
Times had been tough on the king, the strain showing around his eyes. The king’s concern was for his only daughter, kidnapped and taken to Mount Draco by a devilish monster. Witnesses told of a dragon they had seen steal the princess from her house and disappear into a moonless night sky. Reports streamed in that the dragon had kidnapped the princess to live on the dreaded mountain of monsters, Mount Draco, in the Land of the Dead. The king had summoned all his knights and men of valor to rescue his only child, offering half of his kingdom as a reward. The king had also agreed to give her hand in marriage to the man that could bring his daughter back to him. She was a headstrong, beautiful woman with her own ideas and a strong will.
Many weeks had passed since the dragon kidnapped the king’s daughter and there was no sign of her return. The king peered at the stranger kneeling before him through weary eyes. This man did not look like the countless soldiers and knights that had stood before him to accept the royal quest. All the other men were seasoned warriors, skilled in war and courageous in the face of death. The majority of the men that had had promised to bring back the princess were from the king’s own court. Men he knew and trusted. So, what exactly is a slayer?
The king motioned the new arrival to stand. He was different in many ways, thought the king. The man seemed open and sincere, but his entrance was most curious. A slayer is skilled in the art of capturing and disposing of wild beasts of the world that plague people’s existence, your majesty.
The man’s speech was deliberate and controlled.
Osram had grabbed people’s interest by arriving on a most unusual mode of transport. Osram, the slayer, had arrived on the back of a bison buffalo. He had caught the wild buffalo, tamed it, trained it and used it for a steed. The news of his strange horse reached the king’s ears long before Osram reached the palace gates. I have travelled around the world, offering my services to kill or capture troublesome beasts. I take them to a place where they can cause no harm. If that is not possible, I derive a plan to kill the beast by a quick method which will cause it no suffering, just instant death.
The palace court