“I love my dragons — only as my earrings.”
We all know them.
The moody, fire-breathing humans who turn casual conversations into dramatic performances.
One minute you’re talking about ice cream — and the next, it’s like you’ve got a gun to your head.
Okay, I’m exaggerating. But am I really?
Scene: The Hermes Shawl Debacle
Just a few days ago, I made the innocent mistake of sharing something beautiful with someone I thought would appreciate it — a dandy friend who I figured would love Hermes shawls for men.
What followed was not elegance.
Instead, he spiraled into a completely unrelated fury, dragging in topics that had zero connection to shawls, scarves, or style.
I sat there thinking, “How did we go from silk to smoke?”
But here’s the thing:
Thanks to self-development — and let’s be real, the coaching wisdom of my Bestie 🖤 — I didn’t take the bait.
I breathed.
I silenced my ego.
I chose stillness over the rampage.
And you know what? That silence was power.
Dragons Are Real — and They Wear Human Skin 🔥
Some people are dragons in human form:
🔥 Always ready to blow up.
🔥 Always carrying emotional fire with no intention of cooling it down.
🔥 Always reacting, always blaming, always burning whatever’s near.
They’ll start a fight mid-latte.
They’ll hijack a peaceful moment just because their internal volcano never sleeps.
And if you let your ego match their fire — congratulations, you’ve just signed up to co-star in their chaos.
Here’s the Secret: You Don’t Tame Dragons. You Don’t Fight Them. You Outsmart Them.
Some dragons are people we must deal with — family, colleagues, long-time friends. But that doesn’t mean you let them torch your sanity.
🛡️ My Personal Rules:
Before every call or interaction, I decide:
✔️ What I will talk about
✔️ What I won’t talk about
✔️ Where the exit is if things go left
That’s called boundary-setting with strategy.
It’s knowing your opponent’s fire pattern, so you don’t walk in blind with a bucket of gasoline.
Oh — and fun fact:
This particular friend? Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. Scorpio in the western one.
Both toxic if unhealed. Coincidence? I think not.
But I digress.
What Dragons Teach Us (If We’re Listening)
The truth is, these people are suffering.
They’re carrying storms they never learned to name — and when they open their mouths, the storm gets unleashed.
But that’s their journey, not yours.
Your job isn’t to fix the dragon.
Your job is to not become one.
Because the moment you let someone else’s fire ignite yours, you stop being the author of your emotional state.
And that is way too expensive.
🐉 Journal Prompts: Spotting & Slaying the Dragons (With Grace)
Get your pen and a calm heart, and dive into these reflective prompts to reclaim your energy, draw your boundaries, and lead with clarity, not fire.
🔍 IDENTIFY YOUR DRAGONS
- Who in my life consistently triggers me into anger, defensiveness, or emotional exhaustion?
- What specific behavior or tone in them sparks a strong reaction in me?
- What past wound or story might their behavior be poking at?
- Is there a pattern to when or why our interactions escalate?
🛡️ DEFINE YOUR BOUNDARIES
- What topics or conversations do I need to avoid with this person to protect my peace?
- How can I prepare emotionally before interacting with them?
- What is my personal rule for what I will not tolerate — even from people I care about?
- What would it look like to lovingly detach when a dragon tries to provoke me?
🔥 RECLAIM YOUR POWER
- In the past, how have I let my ego take over during conflict? What did it cost me?
- How does staying calm and grounded serve me more than being “right”?
- What would it feel like to respond from my higher self, not my wounded one?
- Who is the future version of me I want to embody in these tough moments?
🕊️ LET GO (IF NEEDED)
- Is this relationship life-giving or life-draining?
- If I choose to release this person or reduce contact, what guilt or fear comes up?
- How can I remind myself that protecting my peace is not cruelty — it’s clarity?
- What am I creating space for when I stop engaging with fire?
✨ Closing Reminder Prompt:
“How can I become the calm in the room, no matter who is trying to light the match?”
💎 Final Thought: Protect Your Peace Like It’s Royalty
Let dragons do what dragons do.
You? You’re building kingdoms of peace.
And a queen does not leave her throne just because someone outside is screaming
Stay grounded. Stay graceful. Stay dragon-proof.
Salima
Just me thinking out loud over here