One day Zeus was shooting arrows with his bow and one hit Chiron in the butt.

Chiron was a centaur: half-horse half-human. And now he had an arrow in his butt.

The arrow became his excuse.

"Chiron, you want to climb the mountain with us?" said his friends.

"Ah yeah, I would, but I have this arrow," he'd say, pointing behind him.

This continued.

One day, Chiron was sitting down, feeling sorry for himself. His friends were off adventuring and he wasn't doing anything of note.

He turned around, saw the arrow, and decided he'd had enough. With his human hands, Chiron started yanking the arrow out, until it was gone.

He went to climb the mountain.

Now, Chiron is known as the wounded healer. He heals himself and then helps others heal.

The story of Chiron symbolises all those ways we hold ourselves back. All those reasons we give for why we can't (or won't) do something:

Because of what someone might think
Because of what happened at school
Because someone already did it
Because I have this injury
Because I have no time
Because I'm not ready
Because I feel anxious
Because of my parents
Because of my kids
Because...

Chiron yanked his excuse right out.

When will you do the same with yours?

You think you’re too committed to travel.
But others book the trip and figure it out.

You don't think you have what it takes to succeed.
But it’s just an old belief you can shake right off.

You think you’re too broken to fall in love.
But someone wants your every piece.

You take yourself too seriously to show up online.
But people less interesting than you are doing it.

You think you’re too old to start a business.
But Colonel Sanders was 62 when he started KFC.

Understand your Chiron (your core wounds) to move beyond the hard stuff you've been through. The reasons to not do something.

Face the messiness. Face the difficulty. Dig into every trigger, excuse or limiting belief.

Stop letting arrows hold you back.

During 2024 Chiron showed up multiple times for me. There were arrows firmly in place that journaling, friends and books helped me move past.

I changed my hair. I changed my home (15 times). I changed my mind. I cut stuff out and doubled down.

No big changes. No grandiose plans. Just tiny course-corrects and a commitment to get out of my own way.

What are the stories you're telling yourself that no longer apply? What are the habits you've ingrained that no longer work? What's the logic you live by that doesn't compute?

Isn’t it time you removed that arrow?