Growth Mindset Tip #28: Have Fun Storming the Castle
The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.
And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
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Why does Michael end every podcast and blog post with the same six words from one of his beloved movies?
In this Friday Growth Mindset Tip, tip number 28 in his yearlong series celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Last Bad Day, Michael unpacks the story behind his signature sign-off, "Have fun storming the castle."
He traces the line back to a favorite scene in The Princess Bride, where Miracle Max and his wife Valerie send Westley off on an impossible rescue mission.
You will discover:
- Why Miracle Max's self-doubt, Westley's support system, and Valerie's push all reflect something deeply human
- How this line became Michael's countermeasure to greed, hatred, and delusion, the three poisons at the heart of mindfulness
- Why Michael believes love, and the kindness, empathy, and generosity that come with it, fuels resilience and endurance
- How a lighthearted movie quote became a serious reminder to pursue love in everything we do
Press play to discover the story behind the phrase, and why Michael believes pursuing love, even when it feels like it will take a miracle, is what helps us create a meaningful life.
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<p> Hey there, it's Michael. Welcome to Whole Again, the show that is here in support of the person you're becoming and your quest to live a meaningful life. And since it's Friday, I have another one of my last bad day tips for you. We're up to number 28. And last Saturday, July 11th, I celebrated the 25th anniversary of my last bad day And all this year on Fridays, I've been sharing things I've picked up throughout my journey that helped me create a meaningful life and step into the person I'm becoming.</p>
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<p>And I'm sharing them not with this belief that they're all going to work for you. As I've shared before here on the podcast, I believe we all have our own Toll House cookie recipe. Yes, there are some basic ingredients that we all need, but we all put our own flair into our recipe. And the things that work for me, well, some of them may work for you, but others simply won't.</p>
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<p>You're like, "Uh, not so much. I'm not gonna put those in my recipe," which is totally cool. I share them, and then you get to decide. And here we are. We're up to number 28, which is have fun storming the castle. Every blog post I write and at the end of this podcast, I say this line. It's from one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride.</p>
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<p>If you know the movie, you probably know the line. But as it goes in life, not everyone sees everything, not everyone listens to everything. So when I started saying it, people were like, "Why do you keep on saying that line?" And then we had the whole January 6th moment, where criminals stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, and many people after that event said I should stop saying, "Have fun storming the castle," because Capitol and castle sounded too similar.</p>
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<p>That was their perspective. So let me share more about why I say this line and its history. So, as I mentioned, it comes from one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. There's a scene in the movie, it's probably 75%, 80% into the movie, where our protagonist, our hero, Westley, he's been beaten down by Prince Humperdinck.</p>
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<p>So his two compatriots, Inigo and Fezzik, bring him to Miracle Max because they need a miracle. They need to stop the wedding of Prince Humperdinck and Buttercup. Buttercup is Westley's one true love. They feel they need a miracle to stop this evil leader from ruining everything So Inigo and Fezzik bring Cary Elwes to Miracle Max and make their case why his life must be saved.</p>
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<p>And at first, Miracle Max was like, "Uh, not so much. I don't know." But then they say, "If you save Westley's life, you can seek revenge on Humperdinck." Now, Miracle Max and Humperdinck, they have some history, and that caught his attention. But even then, Miracle Max is still unsure. He has self-doubt because Humperdinck did a number on his confidence.</p>
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<p>But then his wife, Valerie, comes into the scene and pushes all of Miracle Max's buttons, and then Miracle Max begrudgingly decides to do it, and he creates something that looks like a chocolate-covered Easter egg or one massive M&M. They give it to Westley, and the boys go off. And as they do, Valerie and Miracle Max stand at the door waving goodbye.</p>
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<p>And as they're waving, Max says, "Have fun storming the castle." And Valerie says, "Do you think it will work?" And Max says, "It will take a miracle." The good news is that, and spoiler alert here, Westley saves Buttercup, stops the marriage. It's the classic Hollywood ending. All is good in the world. But I love this scene, this two-minute and eight-second scene, if memory serves, because it brings forward so many great qualities of what makes us human Miracle Max has self-doubt.</p>
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<p>Westley has the support of Inigo and Fezzik. Miracle Max and his wife Valerie, their relationship, and in relationships, sometimes one party needs to push the other party. But there's also this pursuit of true, impeccable love. So they go off to storm the castle in pursuit of this love. So I say this line or write this line in each podcast or each blog post.</p>
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<p>By the way, if you wish to receive my blog, you can sign up for it at MichaelO'BrienShift.com. But I share this line multiple times each week as a reminder to pursue love. Love trumps hate. Love is what we need so much more of today. With love, there's kindness. With love, there's empathy. With love, there's compassion.</p>
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<p>With love, there's gratitude, there's generosity, and so many of the wonderful qualities of mindfulness. It's a countermeasure to greed and hatred and delusion, the three poisons of mindfulness that tie back to the Buddhist underpinnings. I also believe it's fuel, it's strength for us to be persistent, to endure, to be resilient.</p>
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<p>So I put a lot of weight into love. And I say, "Have fun storming the castle," as a reminder to pursue love in all that we do. It's how we can show up, because how we show up is an intentional choice. And I've learned throughout my recovery that when I show up in pursuit of love, good things happen. It has helped me create a meaningful life and continue to step into the person I'm becoming.</p>
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<p>And I hope the spirit of it helps you to do the same. And if you haven't yet seen the movie, I'll encourage you to check it out. It's not high-level cinema, but at the end of it, I'm pretty confident you'll feel good. And we all need things to help us feel good from time to time.</p>
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<p>And as always, thanks for listening. Thank you for being here. And I hope you'll check out tomorrow's next episode, next conversation in my series that I'm doing this year called A Perfectly Imperfect Union, where I'm talking to everyday folks just like you on their reflections this year, the year of 250 for America.</p>
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<p>And of course, I'll have new episodes of Whole Again for you all next week. But until then, let's remember to celebrate our scars as golden symbols of our strength and resilience, and you can say this with me, have fun storming the castle</p>
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<p>And if you wish to learn more about creating beautiful ripples and how to prevent a bad moment from turning into a bad day, please visit my website, michaelobrienshift.com, and sign up for my newsletter called The Ripple Effect. And join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday here at Whole Again, and discover how you can heal, grow, and become more resilient, and celebrate our scars as golden symbols of strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Until then, remember, you can always come back to your breath. You've got this, and we've got you.</p>
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