Humans are story making creatures.
Stories are how we understand out world. If we can't make sense of things, we can't make predictions and feel a sense of ease and security. If we can't put the events of our lives in their proper place and learn from them - we suffer.
It's through our stories that we understand our lives. For better and for worse.
For many people, the narrative of their lives is one of chaos and tragedy. Past events still haunt them and often they are not the main character of their own story - merely a background actor in someone else's.
As a coach, I encounter this stuff almost daily. One of my tasks then, is to help a person place the events of their life into a narrative structure that's at least helpful, if not motivating and inspiring.
Here's where the hero's journey comes in. The hero's journey is a story structure first popularized by the mythologist Joseph Campbell in his astounding book The Hero With A Thousand Faces. In it, Campbell details a narrative structure that can be found in almost all cultures across time.
That is the narrative of the hero.
And in this episode of the ikario podcast, I take Shane through an exercise I use with my clients to help them see themselves not as a victim of circumstance, but the hero of their own story.
In this episode...
Some of the points covered in today's conversation:
- 00:00 - Intro
- 02:57 - A comment from Hazel
- 10:47 - What is the Hero's Journey & why is it useful?
- 23:32 - Step 1: The Ordinary Life
- 29:30 - Step 2: The Call
- 35:35 - Step 3: Refusal Of The Call
- 38:30 - Step 4: The Guide
- 45:34 - Step 5: The Threshold
- 52:12 - Step 6: The Road Of Trials
- 57:43 - Step 7: The Approach Of The Innermost Cave
- 01:03:50 - Step 8: The Ordeal
- 01:05:43 - Step 9: Transformation & Reward
- 01:11:15 - Step 10: The Road Back
- 01:13:54 - Step 11: Rebirth
- 01:15:31 - Step 12: Return With The Elixir
Links & Resources
Over to You
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