What's Your Hero's Journey?

Part of the coaching process is to explore the stories we tell ourselves to see if they serve us. And, if they don't, to see if we can reframe them in a way that gives us strength. The hero's journey can be a powerful way to do that.

Lego Superman on posed with a dramatic sky behind
Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash

Have you ever heard a story like this before?

A lonely hero who is frustrated takes a sudden and unexpected journey. At the start we see the promise of adventure and peril. On the journey they meet tests of character, strength, and skill. There is a dramatic battle that tests the heroโ€™s resolve โ€“ will they give up? No, they find what they are looking for (inside themselves). It closes with a triumphant return home.

Of course you have heard this story, because this is the narrative arc of thousands of Hollywood and Bollywood screenplays. It's also the basis of ancient myths like Homer's Odyssey.

There are lots of ways writers try and break down and copy this structure. Sometimes there can be as many as 17 steps including, finding an elixir. But in the simplest form, there are 3 steps:

  • Departure
  • Initiation
  • Return

So, why am I telling you this? Well, part of the coaching process is to explore the stories we tell ourselves to see if they serve us. And, if they don't, to see if we can reframe them in a way that gives us strength. The hero's journey can be a powerful way to do that.

I'd like you to try it now:

  1. Bring to mind a big frustration you have at the moment. Something you regret, something you are enduring, or something you hope for but haven't attained.
  2. Now check in with yourself, your feelings and thoughts. Are they serving you? (I will assume that, since they are frustrations, they do not.)
  3. If you are feeling regret, can you see it as the departure point of a new story? Is this the piece of learning that triggers your quest to find yourself?
  4. Are you going through something tough at the moment? Can you understand that as an initiation? A test that is showing you what you are made of?
  5. Finally, can you picture a dramatic return, battle scarred but smiling and content. How will that look? How will it feel? What will you see?

By imagining ourselves as a hero who is challenged but who will ultimately succeed, we can find new stories to tell ourselves. Stories full of adventure, growth and learning. And through those stories we can move forward.

But, notice one crucial thing. In the hero's journey, the destination is always the same. It is a returning to the self. What looks like an outward journey, is really an inward journey. A journey of self-discovery.

In other words, you are already a hero. You just need to see it.

๐Ÿฆธโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿฆธโ€โ™‚๏ธ


That's it for this week, but just before you go, take a look at these numbers:

Feedback from Silent Coaching

Pretty impressive feedback don't you think? Pretty much 100% satisfaction.

This is the feedback I've received from running silent coaching sessions for a national organisation in the UK. Now you can experience the same coaching any time you like from the comfort of your own home (or desk) for just ยฃ19.99.

See the Video Courses section of my website for details and you could have solved a problem in just 15 minutes.

After all, even heroes need a little bit of help from time to time.

Have a fabulous week,

Stephen