Awaken The Sleeper Inside of You

To become the person you need to be you must awaken the sleeper inside of you.

Each day we wake up and go through the motions of our life. Over time the motions become repetitive habits, perhaps with small interruptions to our routine. Human beings are not made to live like this. Deep inside we desire new experiences and a change to our day-to-day routine.

One of my favorite quotes from the book Dune by Frank Herbert is when Duke Leto Atreides speaks to his son Paul. They are preparing to leave their water filled home planet of Calderon for the dry sands of the planet Dune.

I’ll miss the sea, but a person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.

The Duke knows that change is coming to their life and many challenges await them. By saying “the sleeper must awaken” he is telling his son that change is needed for him to become the person he needs to be.

Travel to Dune does indeed bring change for Paul. The betrayal and the death of his father. Exile from all that he has known into a strange new world. Paul does not shrink away fearful of his future and the change that has come. He accepts it and embraces the challenges that eventually lead to the fulfillment of who he needed to become.

Later in the book Paul remembers the prophetic words his father told him that night and proclaims to his now dead father “Father, the sleeper has awakened”.

We Need New Experiences

“Without change it is impossible to grow. To grow one must improve. To improve one must change.”

This comes from an article I wrote “Leadership Skills – Leaders Drive Change” to explain why change is important. In business change is vital to growth and expansion. Change is the spark that drives innovation. It improves your business, your employees and yourself.

In your personal life change is vital to improving yourself and leading a more fulfilling life. New experiences bring change to our life that helps us grow and fills our natural human desire for change. In your professional life change is equally important to gain new experiences and advance your career.

Change in your personal like can include:

Join the gym or start exercising
Take a trip to a place you have never been
Starting a new hobby

Change in your professional life can include:

Taking a class to gain or improve a skill
Reading a book on a new skill or in an area you need to improve
Asking for or accepting new challenges at work