The Hero’s Journey
Coaching The Hero Within
Self Leadership Coaching is a Heroic Journey of Self Discovery and Personal Growth
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
~ Joseph Campbell
Think about the hero of any story, book or film.
Consider the ordeals, adventures and challenges that hero went through to grow, and to become who they are.
Coaching is your own intentional, heroic, journey of growth as you cultivate who you truly are.
Where does the concept of the Hero’s Journey come from?
A man named Joseph Campbell, a mythologist, teacher and writer, studied and documented the similarities in myths that have been carried and told across times and cultures.
What Campbell found was that the hero of each myth went through nearly identical stages and ordeals, physically and psychologically.
He called this template or structure the Monomyth. I summarize some of the stages below. See if you can find where you are on this journey in your life.
The Call to Adventure & Growth
It’s time to depart from the ordinary and relatively safe world you’ve created but aren’t satisfied with. Adventure is calling and inviting you into the unknown.
Fear of change, pain and loss keep one tethered to the status-quo, and while the call to adventure and self actualization can be refused, it isn’t without painful consequences.
Does this sound familiar to you?
Are you thinking about, and maybe needing some help with a big change in your life? A new path, career, relationship? A new way of being you?
It’s time to cross the threshold. Make that life-altering decision and leave the old world behind.
- Quit that crappy job.
- End that abusive relationship.
- Take that trip you’ve always dreamed of.
- Go out and live on your own.
- Open that business & serve your purpose.
- Finally, discover, accept, and be who you are.
Whatever it is, it’s the start of your intentional journey of personal growth, and there’s no turning back.
Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth Stages – The Hero’s Journey
Trials
It won’t be easy. There are barriers, challenges and obstacles along the way – some are even in the form of people you know and trust. They’re scared for you and without meaning to, they crush your dreams and scare you out of moving forward. If not them, there are other obstacles that challenge you, and test your will.
Many do retreat and try to go back to life the way life used to be before but after some time find themselves suffering – boredom, anxiety, depression, pain, lack of drive and spirit.
Sometimes, when we’ve been hard hit by the harsh consequences of previous trials, we get stuck and fear trying again. That stuckness causes a lot of suffering. You become a different person, or version of yourself.
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell
Courage
But all hope is not lost. If one still dares to listen to their heart (soul, higher self, spirit) they find and foster the courage, the strength, and the wisdom they need to forge ahead by facing their fear and moving forwards with that fear.
Often, one finds a guide or mentor (or coach, ahem) along the way to guide, teach and inspire them to believe in themselves, and their cause.
Once again, they set out to reach their destination and they’re confronted with obstacles and challenges that summon and invoke strengths and qualities they didn’t know or believe they could possess.
The Hero’s Return
And finally, victory! Or so you think.
The challenge overcome, the destination reached, and the goal achieved. But somehow all that is now secondary to the greater achievement, that of discovering who they truly are and the purpose they wish to serve in life.
It’s not as clear, fast and easy as that. There’s a lot in between but I hope you get the picture.
The journey is NOT over.
No, it’s only round one of a cyclical process that can go on for the rest of one’s life.
In later journeys, one finds even greater gifts and treasures within the mystery of their inner world. For when they can confront and embrace all parts of themselves – the glorious and the exiled – nothing in the outer world can stop them from creating and enjoying an authentic, rich and meaningful life.
If this concept intrigued you…
I think we might enjoy a chat, and… I think you’ll get a lot out of this film called “Finding Joe”, by Patrick Solomon. He’s donated the film to the world and you can watch it on YouTube.
Here’s his message about watching and sharing the film:
“This is hope, courage and love all wrapped up in an 80 minute burrito of inspiration. I promise who ever you share this with will thank you. Please share this with as many people as you can… the world needs this message now! With Maximum Love ~ Patrick Takaya Solomon”
Learn about my coaching offerings, for inspiration, guidance and support on your own Hero’s Journey:
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