Girls Who Slay Monsters

And why it helps to think of yourself as capable of legendary acts

I was in Dublin on Sunday, where my son and I visited with a dear friend from Belfast who I met when we were both fellows at Harvard University. He had been there to write about his reporting on the Troubles. I was there to write about prejudice—how it is created and perpetuated, truth often be damned. 

Now, we hadn’t yet wandered into the more serious conversations we would have later in the day—about the state of politics here and the uneasy peace there—when I spotted a place called the National Leprechaun Museum. 

Naturally, we tried to get in, and I suppose equally naturally tickets were sold out. So, we just had a look in the bookstore when he suddenly declared, “That’s you! That book was written for you.” 

The title was Girls Who Slay Monsters. 

I laughed, but he said, in that lovely Irish way, “It is,” and then insisted on taking a photo. 

It was one of those moments that was not entirely serious but also reminded me of something important. 

Knowing the monster you wish to slay is important for people like me—that is, people who want to do something to make the world a better place, whether through mission-driven work, caring for others, or any of the many other ways open to us. 

Of course, there are many contenders these days. Honestly, I have sometimes been a bit overwhelmed by the preponderance of choices lately. Once upon a time, I was clear that my primary monster was prejudice and discrimination. This was later supplanted by inaction on climate change. Then came attacks on democracy, women’s equality, and so much more.

In recent years, there have been just too many monsters for a girl to slay—indeed, even one challenge of our day is too great for one of us alone.

Still, as my friend insisted that the book was written for me, I was reminded of how wonderfully clarifying, motivating, and empowering it is to have one clear focus, even and perhaps especially in a world as complex as ours. 

None of us can tackle any of today’s great challenges alone. Thinking that we can or should is a prescription for burnout or disengagement, two common ends of the ineffective spectrum.

Then, looking again at the book title, I am reminded that it is Girls—plural—Who Slay Monsters.

Together, in other words, we can. 

There is one other thing worth mentioning about this.

“Slaying Monsters” is grand, the stuff of legends and myth. And, in the face of big challenges such as those of our day, perhaps that is exactly what we need to gain clarity, motivation, and a sense of personal power: to see ourselves as heroes—everyday heroes, ordinary heroes, or even extraordinary ones. 

The good news is that there is a time-honored journey for the person who embraces a heroic identity over that of a victim, villain, or bystander. It is one that leads through a call to adventure, challenging tests, and the ultimate elixir: growth. 

And so, I have finally come again to clarity about my chief monster of the moment: all that stuff that gets in the way of our feeling capable of rising to today’s challenges and becoming the people we can be.

In my work with clients, I use the framework of a modern hero and heroine’s journey to help good people do hard things in tough times. Please message me to learn more. I love to talk about it.