A good story shakes you to the core. I can remember the first time I watched the original Star Wars as a kid. I felt I could take over the world. The next day I joined a lacrosse team at school, something I would never have seen myself doing. Still, I felt inspired by the story of Luke overcoming the dark forces of the universe. Stories can change how you perceive the world and help us create meaning to events in our life.

You can utilize the power of stories as a transformational tool. The key is to take control of the narrative. Stories can be interacted with in two ways, as the active storyteller or the passive listener.  As the storyteller, you can mold the meaning behind events, make small moments seem triumphant, and reinstill that feeling of inspiration from overcoming the odds. 

For the longest time, I thought I wasn’t a strong person. It was because I was told repeatedly how skinny and weak I was as a teenager. For years I worked out and still didn’t feel strong. I realized I was always telling myself the story I heard when I was a kid. I took control of the narrative and told myself I was strong every time I worked out. Eventually my identity changed when I no longer saw myself as that skinny weak child. I not only changed my identity, but I also saw massive improvements in my workouts. By changing the story, I changed who I was. 

Your identity is the culmination of the stories you tell yourself, but they aren’t fixed points. You have control over the narrative. The Hero’s Journey is a tool that can help you re-write the stories and help you become the hero of your tale. 

Joseph Campbell coined the term “Hero’s Journey.” His studies in narrative and comparative mythology found that every story had the same series of events. He called it the monomyth, or the Hero’s Journey.  In the tale, the Hero leaves the ordinary, overcomes a great conflict, and returns home changes. Joseph Campbell created the twelve stages to the Hero’s Journey to give a detailed map of the process of transformation. 

Working with the Hero’s Journey unlocks the power of story. You can use it to change the stories of your past or write new ones about your future. The HeroRise Masculine Archetype Deck comes with twelve cards based off of the Hero’s Journey.  Become the active storyteller of your life. 

A Never-Ending Quest

Our daily lives are much more complicated than stories. It’s hard to pinpoint beginnings and ends. When looking at the Hero’s Journey every day, remember that we are usually in multiple stages of the journey at any given time. 

I hardly ever have only one project at a time. Even as I write this, I have a painting I am working on, an upcoming test for boxing, and spending time healing interpersonal problems with family and friends.  The Hero’s Journey is a never-ending exploration, and different quests have different timelines that can overlap.

And, to be real, life isn’t always a fascinating epic. The drive for an exceptional adventure has been used by marketing campaigns to pressure us into a consumptive culture. Try not to get unconsciously swept away into the need to be a flashing Instagrammer just to be happy. There are other ways to find peace and growth in your life.