Vikings, greek words, and Appalachian slurs

Good morning friends!

I’ve been on a Viking kick for a while now.

It all started when I was a teenager.

My brother and I were at a festival minding our own business, and this girl walks up and asks: “Hey, are you guys Scandinavian?”

After being offended (I’m from Appalachia and thought “Scandinavian” was a slur) for a few years, I eventually took a DNA test…

Yep.

Eastern-European-heavy, with a lot of Scandinavian influence.

Ever since, I’ve been super interested in the Viking age.

It’s such a wild time in history, and it’s fascinating that this relatively short period of time (~200 years) is still trending today.

Look no further for it’s popularity than all of the media that has been released in just the past 10 years…

• I’ve listened to Last of the Aesir audio series by Dan Carlin

• Watched the entirety of the The Viking series on Netflix

• Read all of the Last Kingdom books by Bernard Cornwell

• And devoured Neil Gaimen's American Gods and Norse Mythology books

You get the point.

But out of all this “research”, my favorite series is Benard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom.

It’s masterfully written.

For one, the series is historical fiction.

Cornwell puts fictional characters into real events and tells a dramatization of the story. 100% my favorite genre, no contest.

But the main character in this series is also a big reason I love it.

Uhtred Ragnarson in the Last Kingdom is a character I resonate with deep in my Appalachian-Viking bones.

Here’s why:

Cornwell created a character that lives by a set of principles. And all decisions that Uhtred make are passed through these principle filters.

These are:

• keep your word

• take care of the people you love

• don’t shy away from confrontation

Not only is this a really cool way to write a character, it’s also the optimal way to live.

See, the big takeaway from spending literal hours of my life consuming these books and TV shows is…

When you have an ethos (a code of values that provides a direction for actions that help fulfill your purpose), every single decision is easier.

Because you know which path to take.

You have a set of values and you’ve identified a life you want to live, with a big goal (vision).

Once these are in place, every decision and action gets passed through this filter.

• Does taking that job support your dream of owning your own company?

• Will accepting this client give you enough time at home with your family?

• Can this gym give you access to the right kind of people that make you get to your fitness goals faster?

And knowing which direction to take doesn’t make the decision easier, you just don’t have to wonder which direction is the right direction.

In the Last Kingdom, Uhtred has to make many of these “right, but hard” decisions. And, that is why I love it so much.

This is real life.

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

So, here’s my exhortation: take 10 minutes today and write down your values. Then, for each value, write a corresponding principle.

Example:

This is the start of your own personal ethos.

And that is the easy part.

The hard part is living by it.

But you’ll be just a bit more optimal if you do.

To your super success,

Swanagan

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