How Does Iron John Become a Great King?

Shaan Puri says the move from wild man to great king happens when a king stops serving only his own needs and takes on a kingdom. He wants the people in the kingdom happy and thriving. The kingdom can be a family, friends, a neighbor, strangers on the internet, a community, or people with a rare disease he decided to serve. Fierce wild energy goes toward something worth more, in meaning, than comfort and lifestyle.

A baby cares only about milk, a diaper, and a nap, and cries without them. Shaan says care might later reach appearance or grades, then more of life. Each new care forces growth to meet the new need. He applies the idea to getting bullied and deciding to build a self: the person had to become more, because the new aim mattered more than comfort, safety, and familiarity. When the scale tips, change is forced. Letting the wild man out carries tremendous power, energy, and ferocity. In another story, a man chewed off his leg to save his life, then lived as a three-legged wolf forever because he lost something, and as a free wolf and a fierce wolf. Letting Iron John out of the cage is a one-way street. A person becomes more and is not the same again.

The message hit Shaan because he already had a beautiful lifestyle. He was told he has three kids, a happy marriage, his health, all the money he needs, hobbies, a podcast, and fame, then asked what he wants and why they were still talking. They were still talking because something more sits beyond him.