Have you ever heard of the Hero’s Journey? It’s a story as old as time. It’s popular in films and novels. Heroes show up in so many stories we love from The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars and The Matrix to more unlikely tales like Forest Gump or even Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
In the journey, our hero embarks on an adventure, conquers the villains and returns a changed person. At first the hero does not want to embark on the journey. They’d prefer to remain in their circumstances, even when not optimal. The hero doesn’t realize how powerful they truly are. And often there is a guide present to show them their power (enter Yoda, Obe Wan or Glenda the Good Witch). But ultimately it is the hero who steps into that power for the good of all.
The Hero’s Journey has been told with so many characters and circumstances for thousands of years because it is the story of the human condition. It’s your story and mine. And that means we get to be heroes.
Like all heroes, we begin our journey often unaware of our true power as we navigate our circumstances. We want a life where we feel courageous, successful, maybe even prosperous. We want to see ourselves and be seen by others as clever, confident, attractive.
But there are challenges and obstacles we must overcome in our journey to truly get there. So we either shrink our dreams to fit our circumstances or we require energy, courage and motivation to break out of our limitations.
Many of us rely on our inner critic as the needed inspiration to move us forward.
We compare ourselves to others and sometimes beat ourselves up in an effort to push us to do better. It becomes a habit and, even though it feels stressful and anxiety producing, we fear letting go of that inner judgment. We might think if we are not tough on ourselves, we could get lazy or complacent. And we fear that could lead to failure or, rejection by others.
And if that inner judgment gets to be too much, we take on other thinking patterns to manage our circumstances and feel successful, like perfectionism, people pleasing, or hyper-achievement (just to name a few). It gives us a false sense that we are protected from the judgments of others and protected against our own judgment.
“If I am perfect, I am above everyone’s judgment, including my own.”
“If I can continue to achieve big results, I must be worthy. Plus others will be impressed.”
“If I please everyone, they will like me and won’t judge me and I’ll feel good about myself.”
These thinking patterns become habits too. And while they can help us achieve some success, they also produce stress and other negative feelings.
- The truth is that beating yourself up creates more discomfort than pleasure.
- And the truth is that you cannot attain your highest level of success and long-term happiness when you are motivated by negative emotion.
In fact, you are blinded to the best solutions and easiest paths for your life, when negative emotions are your motivators.
This is because negative emotions utilize the least efficient area of your brain. That’s the neuroscience of it!
It’s the reason why I guide my Destination Dream Life clients to develop a more productive inner voice, so they automatically tap into better brain regions that produce higher outcomes.
You can do this too! But it means changing the way you think.
Now, I know the idea of change can feel uncomfortable. But it isn’t as hard as you might think. It simply equates to small, targeted changes on a consistent basis for bold, powerful outcomes.
This is what makes you the hero in your own life.
Heroes we watch and read about are challenged to move beyond their perceived limits so they can discover what is truly possible. When you eliminate sabotaging thinking patterns like the ones I have mentioned, you allow that to happen too.
You achieve more with less effort because you are no longer carrying around the weight of fear, judgment or shame. Instead, you utilize better areas of your mind to uncover healthier, more productive inner resources that propel you to success.
And you are happier because you are living authentically, no longer relying on survival mechanisms to drive you.
Essentially, you discover the power that you have within you.
I have been training and coaching for almost forty years and what I have learned is that we are all more powerful than we think. You might be surprised at how much of your strength is lying dormant inside of you just waiting to be released!
And when you do, the confidence that you’ll feel will have a positive effect in every area of your life, including relationships, work, and your overall health.
There comes a time when every hero must face the villains that wreak havoc on their lives. Some of those villains live within us and conquering them might seem tough. But like all heroes, you are more powerful than you think you are.
Leveling-up the quality of your life story is within your reach.
Save this Blog article to remind yourself of your own power.
And if you are ready to become the hero you were born to be, reach out for a coaching session.