The Dream That Changed Everything
I was in a city that wasn’t my own, inside a sprawling resort that hummed with possibility. But beneath the surface, something was off.
A friend I loved dearly came to me with a request: “Find Amy.”
No explanation. No map. Just a name, hanging in the air, like riddles from an oracle.
As I set out, even though the world around me had become something sinister. My friend and I stood in the center of a room, but we were trapped—encircled by a massive horde of people marching in lockstep around the perimeter. Their eyes were blank, their faces lost in mindless forward repetition.
“How?” I asked. “How do I find her?”
My friend didn’t answer. He had vanished. Instead, in the air, just beyond the marching masses, stood a hologram of his face. It gave me a small, knowing smile, then disappeared.
I did what any warrior would do. I threw myself into the masses, pushing, shoving, and calling out Amy’s name. But it was useless. I was crashing against a tidal wave, losing myself in the current.
Then, I made a choice. I stopped fighting. I broke through. I left the crowd behind.
I burst into another room—this one empty, silent, waiting.
There, a veiled woman appeared, holding two lifeless, human-like dolls.
“One of these is Amy,” she said.
I knew she was lying. Angrily, I tore away her veil. And she vanished.
Then, another veiled woman walked into the room. She was magnificent—regal, almost Persian in her beauty and dress. I tore away her veil, demanding to know if she was Amy.
She wasn’t.
Her name was Tara.
And in that moment, she fell into my arms, weeping.
“I’ve been looking for you,” she sobbed, holding me tightly.
And suddenly, I knew.
She was the one I had been searching for all along.
What Was Beneath the Veil
I woke up with a start, my heart racing. This dream wasn’t just a dream—it was a message from my spirit.
Amy, the friend, the nameless face in the crowd, Tara—all of them were me.
I had been searching outside of myself—chasing expectations, external validation, an answer that wasn’t mine to find.
The faceless marchers? They were the voices of conformity. The world’s demand to fall in line, to follow the expected path. And for a time, I tried to fight them on their terms—yelling, shoving, demanding they hear me.
But power doesn’t come from fighting the current. It comes from stepping beyond it.
The veiled women? They were the illusions I had accepted, the false identities I thought I had to embody. And it was only by tearing off those masks, by refusing to accept someone else’s definition of truth, that I finally found the part of myself that had been waiting all along.
You will never find what you’re looking for by searching outside of yourself.
The leader, the visionary, the force of nature you seek to become? The career change or next-level step-up that you can't figure out?
They’re already inside of you. But first, you must rip away the veil.
The Myth of Atalanta
Dreams have their power because they are, in essence, internalized myths, just as myths are externalized dreams of an entire culture. Dreams and myths have the same "surreal but deeply true" vibes because they are the same thing.
This particular dream wasn't just my story -- it was the story of the mythical heroine Atalanta, too.
Atalanta was the fastest woman in Greece, the warrior who had to stop running to finally win.
Atalanta was undefeated. She outran every man who dared to race her, refusing to marry unless someone could beat her in a footrace.
One by one, they tried. One by one, they failed -- until she met a man named Hippomenes, who refused to march lockstep with Atalanta's other suitors and tried something different.
Instead of just running faster, he used strategy. He threw golden apples along the path, knowing Atalanta’s speed wasn’t just in her legs—it was in her focus.
And she did what she had never done before.
She bent down to pick up the apples.
And in that moment, Hippomenes pulled ahead. He won the race—not by being faster, but by knowing what Atalanta hadn’t yet realized:
That sometimes, finding the golden apples -- and throwing them where you want them to go -- is the only way to win.
The Truth Behind the Race—And Your Own Journey
Like Atalanta, I spent a very long time racing forward, convinced that my goal was ahead of me, outside of me. I was so fixated on the chase that I didn’t see what so desperately needed my attention.
Amy, the friend, the nameless face in the crowd, Tara—all of them were me.
I had been searching outside of myself—chasing expectations, external validation, an answer that wasn’t mine to find.
The faceless marchers, stomping in the rigid shape of a square? They were the voices of conformity. The world’s demand to fall in line, to follow the expected path. And for a time, I tried to fight them on their terms—yelling, shoving, demanding they hear me.
But power doesn’t come from fighting the current. It comes from stepping beyond it.
The veiled women? They were the illusions I had accepted, the false identities I thought I had to embody. And it was only by tearing off those masks, by refusing to accept someone else’s definition of truth, that I finally found the part of myself that had been waiting all along.
Atalanta’s mistake wasn’t racing, or even looking at the golden apples -- it was not realizing what that her actions meant.
You will never find what you’re looking for by looking for golden apples, or anything, outside of yourself.
The leader, the visionary, the force of nature you seek to become?
They’re already inside of you.
5 Ways to Stop Running & Start Leading with Authenticity
If you’re ready to stop chasing false paths and start leading your own life -- with truth -- here’s where to begin:
1️⃣ Stop Fighting the Crowd. Step Beyond It. Your power doesn’t come from convincing the world to see you differently. It comes from seeing yourself clearly. Stop engaging in battles that don’t matter. Break through. Move forward.
2️⃣ Recognize the False Versions of You. The world will try to hand you masks. Titles. Expectations. But they are not you. What roles, labels, or obligations have you accepted that don’t actually align with who you are? Tear them away.
3️⃣ Stop Accepting the Lies. Tear Them Down.You’ve been handed a false narrative—about who you are, what’s possible, what you “should” be. Are you brave enough to see through it? Or will you keep marching in the crowd?
4️⃣ Embrace the Bold Leader You’ve Been Searching For.You don’t need to become someone great. You already are. But that version of you has been waiting -- hidden beneath layers of doubt and conformity. It’s time to find your own version of "Tara." Hug it tight. Don't let it go.
5️⃣ Know When to Break the Rules. Atalanta’s suitors followed the script and ran as fast as they could. They all lost. But Hippomenes? He rewrote the game. Are you still playing by someone else’s rules? Or are you ready to change the game?
Your Next Move: Step Into Your Power
I searched for Amy. I fought through the crowd. I demanded answers.
But in the end, the truth was waiting for me within.
And it’s waiting for you, too.
So now, I ask you:
⚡️ What illusions have you been living under?
⚡️ What part of you is still veiled, hidden, waiting to be found?
⚡️ Are you ready to stop running and claim who you truly are?
Tell me: What’s the biggest illusion you’ve torn away in your career—or the one still holding you back? Drop a comment below.
Because you weren’t meant to just march. Or even, like Atalanta, just run. You were meant to lead.
Want to dive deeper into using dreams to understand your inner truths? Watch my visit with NASA astrophysicist-turned-dream coach Katherine Bell Myth Slayer Café episode, where we discuss exactly how to understand dreams as practical tools for professional transformation. Click on the thumbnail above to watch the full episode.
Because ...
I want your future to be EPIC!
I'm Scott Mason, The Myth Slayer. I am an attorney and former C-Suite executive, coach, speaker, podcaster, and Master of the Mythic. I graduated from Columbia Law School and have spent years drawing on the full depth of a background spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to provide lawyers feeling stuck or stagnant in their careers or as leaders with a unique (and fun!) system to help them live a life that's epic.
Click here to discover more about me, my mission, and how it can help you.
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