Think Like A Viking
Are You Looking for Truth or Agreement?
Recently, my son showed me the instructions he had given his AI assistant.
He didn't ask it to agree with him. He asked it to challenge him. To find his weak spots. To identify his blind spots.
He asked it not to simply tell him what he wanted to hear, but to help him find the truth and discover what might genuinely be best for him and his work.
As I read it, I smiled.
That is thinking like a Viking.
Not because Vikings had all the answers. They didn't. Not because they were fearless. They weren't. But because exploration requires something many of us find difficult. It requires a willingness to leave the familiar. To venture beyond what we already know. To discover that there may be something we haven't yet seen. And perhaps that raises an interesting question.
How Often Do We Ask Life to Agree with Us?
How often do we:
- Look for information that confirms what we already believe?
- Avoid people who challenge us?
- Stay within familiar ideas?
- Want reassurance instead of truth?
- Ask for advice, but only like the advice we already agree with?
We often say that we want to grow. We say we want change. We say we want something different. But how willing are we to discover that the way we currently think may be part of what is keeping us where we are? That is not always a comfortable question. Because growth sometimes requires us to admit:
- I don't know.
- I may be wrong.
- There may be another way.
- Perhaps there is something I haven't seen yet.
And perhaps this is where we can learn something from the Vikings.
More Than One Thing
A Viking was not defined by one narrow role. The same person might farm, sail, trade, build or fight depending on what was needed. Versatility was part of life.
Today, many of us become defined by our role.
- Our job.
- Our qualifications.
- Our past.
- Our responsibilities.
We can begin to believe: This is what I do. And eventually: This is all I can do. But what happens when we begin to question that? What else might you be capable of? What skills have you not yet developed? What part of yourself have you never needed to explore?
Perhaps rebuilding confidence isn't always about becoming better at the thing you already do. Perhaps sometimes it is about discovering that you are capable of more than one thing. We are built to adapt.
Move With Purpose
Movement was woven into everyday life.
- Walking.
- Rowing.
- Carrying.
- Building.
- Working.
The body was not something separate from life.
Today, movement can easily become another item on a list. Something we have to schedule. Something we feel guilty about not doing. Something called exercise. But purposeful movement feels different.
- Walking somewhere.
- Carrying something.
- Working in the garden.
- Making something.
- Climbing a hill.
Moving because life requires you to move.
Perhaps the question isn't always:
How can I exercise more?
Perhaps it is:
How can I bring more life into the way I move?
You Need a Crew
A ship could not be sailed by one person. A settlement was not built by one person. People relied upon each other. Contribution mattered. Reliability mattered. The crew mattered. And yet many of us have developed what I call the Lone Ranger attitude.
- I have to do everything myself.
- I shouldn't need help.
- I don't want to be a burden.
- It's easier if I just do it myself.
But self-reliance and isolation are not the same thing. There is strength in being capable. There is also strength in being willing to ask, learn, listen and accept help. Think about your own life. How much have you genuinely achieved entirely alone?
- Someone taught you.
- Someone encouraged you.
- Someone gave you an opportunity.
- Someone shared knowledge.
- Someone opened a door.
- Someone challenged you.
Perhaps someone even taught you what you didn't want by showing you an example you chose not to follow. Our lives are connected.
You can hold the compass without having to walk every mile alone.
Hardship Is Part of the Journey
The Vikings lived with uncertainty. The weather could change. The sea could become dangerous. Life could be physically demanding. Hardship was not necessarily a sign that something had gone wrong.
Sometimes it was simply part of life. That doesn't mean we should seek suffering. But perhaps we need to become more curious about our relationship with discomfort. How quickly do we try to escape it? How quickly do we soothe it? Distract ourselves? Give up? Avoid the difficult conversation? Stop when something becomes challenging? Sometimes discomfort is telling us to stop. But sometimes discomfort is simply telling us: You are somewhere unfamiliar. And unfamiliar does not always mean dangerous. Sometimes it means you are learning.
- Growing.
- Trying.
- Discovering.
Perhaps resilience is not about becoming hard. Perhaps it is about becoming confident that you can experience discomfort without immediately needing to escape it.
Know Your Story
The Vikings had their sagas. Stories mattered. They carried history, identity and meaning.
What is your story? And more importantly: Who is writing it? Is your story still being written by something that happened years ago?
- A rejection?
- A failure?
- A mistake?
- A relationship?
- A belief you formed as a child?
Perhaps you have allowed one difficult chapter to become the title of the entire book. But a chapter is not the whole story. You have the opportunity to write the next one. Not by pretending the past didn't happen. Not by denying the difficult chapters.
But by refusing to let them become the only thing you see.
At the end of the day, ask yourself: What did I do today that the old version of me might not have done? Over time, those small moments become evidence. Evidence that your story is continuing. Evidence that you are not standing still. Evidence that there is more to discover.
The Courage to Look Beyond
Perhaps this is where the real Viking mindset begins.
- Not with a ship.
- Not with a sword.
- Not with a costume.
But with a question: What if there is something I haven't seen yet? What if the information you are looking for challenges what you already believe? What if someone disagrees with you and has something useful to teach you?
What if you are wrong? What if being wrong is not failure? What if discovering that you are wrong simply means you now have the opportunity to learn something new?
My son's instructions to his AI assistant stayed with me because they demonstrated something important. He wasn't asking to be reassured. He was asking to be challenged. He wasn't asking for agreement. He was asking for truth. And perhaps we could all ask ourselves: Am I looking for truth? Or am I simply looking for agreement?
Becoming a Modern Viking
This isn't about becoming someone else. It isn't about trying to recreate the past. It is about remembering some qualities that may help us navigate the future.
Adapt
You may be capable of more than the role you currently occupy.
Move
Bring movement back into life with purpose.
Find Your Crew
Be capable, but don't confuse independence with isolation.
Tolerate Discomfort
Not everything uncomfortable is wrong.
Know Your Story
Your past is part of your story, but it doesn't have to write the next chapter.
Remain Curious
Be willing to discover something you don't yet know.
Question Your Map
The route that brought you here may not be the route that takes you forward.
Leave the Shore
There comes a point when you have gathered enough information. You have thought about it. Considered it. Perhaps even discussed it endlessly. And then eventually, you have to decide.
Do I remain where I am because it is familiar? Or am I willing to explore?
- You don't need to see the entire journey.
- You don't need to know every answer.
- You don't even need to be completely certain.
But perhaps you need to become willing to leave the shore of what you already know. Because you may discover something you never expected.
A new skill.
A new direction.
A new understanding.
Or perhaps...
A new version of yourself.
A Question for You
Before you leave, consider this:
Where in your life are you asking for agreement when what you really need is a different perspective?
And perhaps:
What might you discover if you became willing to look beyond what you already know?
Escape the familiar.
See Beyond what you currently believe.
Discover what else might be possible.
Welcome to Scee Beyond. 