The business world loves its glamor.

When we hear the words like ‘market’ or ‘finance,’ our minds can go right to Wall Street, GameStop, or initial public offerings with billions in the pipeline.

But while it’s easy to imagine the life of a Zuckerberg, a Bezos, or a Richard Branson —the types who blast off in their own spaceships— do we ever think about the 28 million small businesses around the United States?

Sure, we love a good underdog.

But unless we’re all into shows like ‘Dirty Jobs,’ we’re probably not slowing down to contemplate the struggles, victories, and daily grinds of the little guy—dudes who swap our carburetors at their own auto shop, or roll burritos in their own food truck.

Not that they care. They’re busy hustling.

When good work pays the rent—and shoddy work doesn’t—things like risk, growth, and rising to mastery are no luxuries.

They’re raw ingredients for results.

So when we talk about things like the hero’s journey or emerging from a gloomy cave with a little more self-actualization, there’s a lot to learn from those who fight tooth and nail.

Maybe that’s your fight, weekly if not daily.

Or maybe—like us—you welcome it and with it the chance to learn and adapt when life brings an ass-kicking.

But whether you’re big or small, and whether your fight is muscular, financial, or even abstract, mastery is more than punching a time card.

With a little help from myth and story, we can understand that the hum-drum path of choices, headaches and small victories is a universal furnace—a kiln that melts down what’s old to shape something glorious.

If we let it, our journey can bring us face to face with divine mystery, and challenge us to go where we never thought possible.

“Rather than the hero reaching enlightenment or ascending to godhood, I think the key point is that the character becomes the best possible version of themselves.” – Aaron Lowery

Next Stop… Mastery

For anyone with skin in the game, mastery’s a calling card.

In American culture, it’s even an expectation—something we demand as a guarantee.

But in the hero’s journey, mastery accrues as hard-won confidence—and it’s more than killing enemies with brand new skills, or making it out of a booby-trapped cave with a golden idol.

While mastery sees heroes evolve to new, almost divine status—the fancy Greek word for this is apotheosis—they only get there by making all the stops.

That is, they answer the call, risk everything on a new, dangerous road, discover new skills, make friends and allies, slay monsters in the cave, fight temptation…

And finally…. they meet a goddess.

That’s right.

No goddess, no dice.

Divine Rebirth

In his landmark book ‘The Hero With a Thousand Faces,’ story guru Joseph Campbell identifies the goddess as a divine being with two natures—one terrible, and the other welcoming.

The hero succeeds only when he meets, and understands, both natures. The encounter helps him grasp a new, profound truth about himself and move to a higher calling.

At the beginning of the original Star Wars movies, Luke and Han Solo are nobodies. They spring to action only because the shit hit the fan.

But Princess Leia is the goddess.

Luke, the gifted rescuer, sees her sweet and caring side, while the self-interested, scruffy-looking Han tastes her scorn—until he commits to a higher calling.

Graced by the goddess, Luke and Han combine their old skills with new insight and become indispensable, helping the rebel forces conquer the Empire.

By the end of the saga, we see that Leia’s rescue was the catalyst… in both the story and in Luke and Han’s rise to cinema sainthood. It’s also no surprise when both heroes discover they have very

with Princess Leia.

At its core, Star Wars is a divine wash cycle, a model of rebirth that digs deeper, and then rises to a grand purpose.

It’s the story we tell ourselves, over and over again.

Seeing versus Being

Even if the means are a bit murky, mastery looks amazing.

We all see the Jedi, the grizzled badass who’s done everything, come out on top, and isn’t shy about it.

But if we let the optics take care of themselves, we can distill the true value of transformation—shedding of what holds us back from a higher, more satisfying calling.

Rebirth doesn’t care if we’re an average Joe or a high-powered consultant.

Reaching mastery in our chosen field, becoming the best version of ourselves with wisdom, perseverance, and the chops to show others the ropes—if we’re doing any of that, then we’re on the right track.

It means we have purpose and inner strength.

If our mastery looks like Luke Skywalker in ‘Return of the Jedi’—ready to sacrifice himself rather than be taken by the Dark Side—then that means our ego and old beliefs are on the chopping block.

Right where they should be.

Not Someone Else’s Story

We’re all about mastery, rebirth, and gearing up for another battle.

We root for heroes who answer the call… knowing full well that they’re in for the wash cycle.

Give us those small victories that aren’t flashy enough for the big guys.

If you think you’re one of the ‘normal people,’ the ones who never set out on a religious or spiritual path… you might be right.

But if you’ve ever picked a costly fight, or started something hard and worthwhile when someone said you couldn’t—think again.

You might be who Dare Capital is looking for.

Your own life may not feel mythic.

But it’s yours—not a story about someone else.

And if you’re like us, you’re not looking to be some old-school Buddha, sitting around, oozing answers with a peaceful grin.

You’d rather break some beliefs… with a baseball bat.

And take the old with the new to fight another day.