Navigating Your Own Hero’s Journey

According to a midwest radio survey conducted some years ago, four out of five people would say they have a book inside them. And sure enough, whenever I’ve posed that same question at a Chamber meeting or networking event, roughly four out of five hands would go up. And later, during coffee conversations while getting to know about one another’s businesses, I’d mention that I work with writers to help them launch.

Almost invariably, people would start to share their own stories. Over the years, as a copy editor, I’d hear people say they have a book inside them. And even if they weren’t ready to write a full book, still, there would be a story inside them—a desire to tell their personal story of something they’ve experienced that stuck with them. When asked, they would describe the story they want to tell as being akin to memoir—though not necessarily a traditional one.

You might also feel the urge to tell your own story—maybe about how you first got started with your own business venture, or a self-improvement journey or crisis you navigated that also served to inspire others. Oftentimes, framing that story within The Hero’s Journey can be an incredibly useful tool. It helps with organizing and making sense of your past—both for reframing the past in order to move forward, and also to organize your personal story to lay out as memoir, or even in crafting a speaker bio. You can also use the framework of the journey to anticipate, plan for, and navigate challenges you want to take on as you set future mid- and long-range goals.

Whether you are looking to tell your story as a memoir, plan your next immediate steps on a current big, hairy, audacious goal, or put forward a first draft toward your future vision, charting your next steps in the frame of a journey can help illuminate the path ahead.

Joseph Campbell famously said, “You are the hero of your own story.”

Questions to Navigate Your Journey

Here are some questions to use to help lay out your journey, whether from the past, present, or future:?

• Have there been any journeys in your life?
• What was the call to adventure you eventually undertook?
• Was there a mentor who provided encouragement, guidance, or a plan?
• Did your guide give you a metaphorical sword and thread, like a great piece of advice, or website link, that showed you a first step?
• When did you know your quest was underway, and there would be no turning back?
• What obstacles did you encounter?
• Who were your allies? Friends? Supporters?
• Who were your “enemies”? Any skeptics, doubters, or “haters?”
• What was your greatest challenge, or “all is lost” moment, when your dragon had your back against the wall?
• What was the climactic moment like?
• Did you relish the reward?
• Were you forever changed or transformed by the journey?
• Was there a takeaway you still guide others with to this day?
• On hearing your story, someone might have said, “You’re kind of my hero right now,” and perhaps you took a sip of coffee and said, “I don’t know if ‘hero’s’ the right word, but it’s been a journey all right.”

A hero.

A journey.

A hero’s journey.

Joseph Campbell was a writer and mythologist who, in 1949, wrote the famous Hero with a Thousand Faces, where he observed similar patterns in stories ranging from Greek myths to Native American hero tales.

Then, USC-film student and story analyst Chris Vogler reframed Campbell’s ideas in a concise framework, which would go on to become a popular Hollywood storytelling tool.

Here are the 12 steps of the Journey:

The Ordinary World

The hero lives in their mundane, everyday world (e.g. Luke Skywalker as a moisture farmer on Tattooine).

Call to Adventure

The hero is presented with a challenge or problem, whether from outside, or their own internal sense of dissatisfaction.

(e.g. Leia’s hologram: “Help me, Obi-Wan. You’re my only hope.”)

Refusal of the Call

At first, they resist the challenge, feeling hesitant, or even balking at the idea of it. (e.g. Luke: “I can’t go with you to Alderaan, I’ve got work to do.”)

Meeting with the Mentor

They have a meeting with a wise figure who offers guidance, encouragement, or a magic weapon or talisman. (e.g. Obi-Wan gives Luke his father’s lightsaber.)

Crossing the First Threshold

The hero enters the special world of the story, and there’s no going back. (e.g. Luke’s home is destroyed, and joins Obi-Wan.)

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The hero learns the rules of the new world. She meets allies who she can trust. She meets adversaries who cannot be trusted. She undergoes challenges and obstacles that test her resolve. (e.g. Luke meets Han Solo and battles a training droid.)

Approach to the Innermost Cave

The hero nears the core challenge. She prepares to enter the innermost cave—the place she’s most afraid of. This is the dragon’s lair—which houses her greatest fear, who also guards the treasure she seeks. (e.g. Entering the Death Star)

The Supreme Ordeal

The hero touches bottom, risking death (real, or metaphorical) as she faces her greatest trial, coming face to face with the villain. (e.g. The trash compactor scene, Obi-Wan’s death)

The Reward (Seizing the Sword)

Having defeated the villain, she seizes the sword, the treasure she has been seeking. (e.g. Rescuing Leia, stealing the Death Star plans.)

The Road Back

The heroes recommit to returning to the ordinary world, but they face new challenges or unfinished business. The villain may have returned, this time even stronger. (e.g. Escaping while being pursued by Tie Fighters.)

Resurrection

The hero crosses yet another threshold, often undergoing a final test, or facing the villain in a final battle, where everything is at stake. She emerges from the special world, transformed by her experience. (e.g. Luke destroys the Death Star by trusting the Force.)

Return with the Elixir

The hero returns to the ordinary world, with the treasure, often newfound knowledge or experience from the special world. (e.g. Bringing new hope for the galaxy)

This universal pattern is why stories like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games resonate so deeply.

And it’s not just for fictional heroes; it’s for us, too.

Have you ever been called to do something creative yourself? Whether it’s starting a side venture, writing a book, launching a local initiative, or even planning that road trip you’ve always dreamed about, there’s often that voice of hesitation: “I don’t have the time.” “I don’t have the money.” “I don’t know where to start.”

Even Luke Skywalker (and Rey, Harry Potter, Frodo, and Bilbo) resisted at first.

But once you step forward, you find allies, overcome trials and, eventually, begin to transform. And often, somewhere toward the end, someone will start to point out how much you’ve changed, saying things like, “You’re really starting to sound like a writer.” “You’re really stepping into yoga as a way of life.” “You’re really becoming an entrepreneur, aren’t you?”

As you can see, even Luke Skywalker resisted at first. But once you take that first step, you find allies, start to overcome obstacles and, eventually, undergo the process of transformation.

And, it won’t be long after before you’ll adopt the title that comes with your having undertaken the new venture, feeling for the first time like a real yoga practitioner, artist, writer, entrepreneur, business owner, public speaker, coach, or other journey you’ve chosen to undertake.

And eventually your newfound story may start “My journey towards . . .” And further down the road, it won’t be long before someone else is inspired by the changes you’ve made, and this time it will be you making that book or video introduction, connecting them with someone who can help them start their journey, or inviting them to join a new group.

So, where are you in your own journey right now?

Have you started writing your story?

What challenges are you facing?