Hello everyone!
Welcome to today's adventure! Life is a grand journey, a quest to discover who we truly are and what matters most to us. Sometimes, like any hero, we might face challenges or detours on our path. But by understanding our core values, the guiding principles that make us who we are, we can navigate those challenges and create a life of true fulfillment.
Today, we'll embark on a mini-quest of our own. We'll explore the Hero's Journey and discover our own definition of success. This can be used as our compass, guiding us towards the life we truly desire. So grab a pen and paper, because we're about to dive deep!
To begin, the first thing we need to understand is the idea of radical responsibility. No this is not blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. It's about recognizing that we have the power to influence our circumstances and create the life we want. It's about understanding that we are not victims of fate, but active participants in our own story.
You have the choice to follow the light or the dark path of the Force, to stay as you always were or to transform your life into one you could never even imagine.
Now to embark on this heroic journey, we must first embrace the Hero's Journey framework. This timeless narrative structure, as outlined by Joseph Campbell, provides a blueprint for personal transformation.
From the Call to Adventure to the Return with the Elixir, the Hero's Journey mirrors our own lives. We encounter challenges, overcome obstacles, and emerge stronger and wiser. By understanding this structure, we can recognize the patterns and themes that shape our experiences.
I can see many parallels in my journey to nomadic and will use my experiences as illustrations but please look at an area of your life for which you see the parallels. If you haven’t heard my whole story here are just some highlights.
So what are these stages?
It starts with the Call to Adventure: This is the initial spark that ignites our journey. It might be a dream, a message, or an external event that triggers a desire for change. For me, that was when I went into meditation and was told to get in an RV and go.
Refusal of the Call: We may initially resist the call, feeling inadequate, afraid, or unwilling to leave our comfort zone. I had a whole day of thinking how absurd that is, how I am not the one to really even enjoy going in the woods, and I can’t even make a fire.
Acceptance of the Call: Eventually, we decide to embrace the challenge and commit to the journey. This was when I started asking why not and start really looking at what life looks like on the road.
Crossing the Threshold: We leave our familiar world and enter a new, unknown territory. When I got the Mini Cruiser.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies: We encounter obstacles and adversaries that test our skills, strength, and character. We may also meet helpers and allies who will support and guide us. This would definitely show up from the whole time I was in the Mini Cruiser, not being able to keep it running and together, getting the fifth wheel, covid hitting, and the various things that went with that.
Approach to the Inmost Cave: We approach the heart of the journey, the place where the ultimate goal or prize is located. Finally getting on the road and having all the issues that I had.
Ordeal: We face our greatest challenge, a life-threatening or life-changing experience that tests our willpower and commitment. Going into the water and losing the fifth wheel, getting the new rv and having the motor blown.
Reward: We emerge victorious from the ordeal and receive a reward, such as a treasure, knowledge, or power. Getting the engine fixed and getting back on the road.
The Road Back: We begin the journey back to our ordinary world, but may still face challenges and obstacles on the way. Being back on the road again in the motorhome.
Resurrection: We face a final test or challenge that requires us to use all the skills and lessons we have learned on the journey. Being in New Orleans with no money and no AC.
Return with the Elixir: We return to our ordinary world, transformed by our experience and equipped with a valuable gift or insight that will benefit ourselves and others. Where I am now heading back to Detroit so that I can go to Chicago and then back on the road.
So where are you on this journey? If you are anything like me, you have multiple quests going simultaneously and can be in different spaces about each. My challenge for you this week is to look at each of the spaces in your life – education, relationships, finances, and don’t forget fun then write down where you are in each of them then write down what winning looks like for you in each of them.
