Last week we started on our hero’s journey, there are twelve phases to our life’s adventure. The hero’s journey is about following your heart and listening to those little niggles – or that soft voice of your intuition encouraging you to take the first step.
A little bit like the unfolding of the yellow brick road, with every step forward, the yellow brick road unfolds, directing you on your journey. Remember every obstacle is a brick in your yellow brick road to success!!
This is why you have to listen to your intuition, that very thing deep inside of you telling you it’s ‘possible’ and you know that there is more to life than what you have been living. This is when the hero appears – you are now ready to discover the obstacles as you know they are showing you the way forward for something grander. If you see your obstacle as a doorway and not a block that is preventing you from living your truth, magic unfolds!!
All of life is an experiment…
Being the creator of your life, growing and taking risks in life … making mistakes, learning from them and having fun – is all about experimenting with your life. This is the sixth stage of your adventure, this is where you experiment with your new conditions, this is where the hero undergoes a series of trials.
This is where we need to keep in mind that life in itself is a pattern and sometimes when we are in the thick of life we are not aware of our patterns. In this phase of your adventure it’s important to pay attention to these patterns, because most of the time these patterns are unconscious and if we don’t address them, we can be condemned to repeat them. But not you, not now that you’ve come this far. It might help to consider a mentor or coach to help you identify what no longer serves you and replace these with new habits, more in tune with the expanded version of you.
If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you…
The seventh part of your adventure is preparing for major change. This is where the hero enters the deepest inmost cave that holds all of your memories and habits. This is where the hero encounters an affirming love who has knowledge and wisdom that will help the hero complete the transition.
If you thought the previous parts of your journey was testing, well, they were only preparing you for this, because this is where the deep work begins. This is the time to unpack your limiting beliefs, what you are self-sabotaging and any behaviours that are not conducive to who you want to be, do or have.
And … as if to test your resolve, it’s usually at part eight in your journey when you’re really faced with temptation. It’s generally a path that leads you away from the quest! Like me, ten years ago when I embarked on my new adventure starting my own business and twelve months in, I was offered an amazing role, which paid a lot more than what I was earning. Of course, that moment makes you question what you’re doing …. But is it time to give it all up now? Is that how your movie script plays out?
We gain strength when we resist temptation…
Ok, so yes, it was very tempting, but the very thing that stopped me from taking that job was a book I was reading at the time. And it’s true that “when we are three feet from gold – the temptation is revealed.” This is simply another test. But it could be the biggest you’ve faced so far. The only thing you know for sure at this point is that you have to completely let go. If you’re serious about the desire to transform your life that started this whole journey, then you must let go of your old self too. In many ways, it’s only through the death of the self that you can experience a rebirth or renewal that is causing you to contemplate the change. Nature does this all the time. You can too.
Conquering temptation represents a new fun of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered is the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before – William Butler Yeats.
At this point, the most important thing you need to ask yourself, is “who or what do I need to confront that is holding me back?”
And maybe it’s a good time to pause too. Take a rest so to digest the insights and allow the integration of change to take place.
Life’s biggest rewards come from the biggest challenges…
In the ninth phase of your adventure, you are rewarded and liberated, from your inner and outer demons, the struggle and wrestle from your old world. Victory often comes with a wrestle to stay and not to return to the ‘old world’ or ‘old ways’ of working.
This is where the hero may let go of all conflict and reconcile with the things that they had to endure and overcome in their life. This is where the hero can put away his sword because the final battle was conquered. This phase is crucial for you to celebrate and actually reward yourself for the changes that you’ve made, and the victory that you have accomplished.
In this phase of the adventure the hero leaves the scene of victory and sometimes a new problem arises that is just as bold, where the enemy rises from being vanquished for a last fight. This is another test to see how many more fights you have in you. Are you worth the reward?
Yes, you are. Keep going. Keep strong. Keep steady.
Challenges are what makes life interesting…
Be thankful for every new challenge. Each will give you more strength, wisdom and character. We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges. Being open to new ideas, new opportunities, and new challenges will keep you thinking, dreaming, and increase your level of imagination to meet the new challenge head on with dedication.
This is the tenth phase of the hero’s adventure, where you must finally prepare to cross the threshold of return. This is where you must go back to the ordinary world, your old world, but with a new lens. And then you realise that you have changed forever. Since you are no longer the person you were once before, by going back home you look at what must you change in this ordinary world to be aligned with your new world.
The awakening does not come to you. You find it in you…
There is the overwhelming sensation that’s occurring deep inside of you. You question everything. You trust only a few people. You no longer believe in everything that was sold to you as a kid. You’re looking for facts, for proof, and for undeniable consistencies. This is proof that you are transforming, awakening; don’t fight it. Allow this energy to flow – Sylvester McNutt.
And then there is the eleventh path to your adventure. The return to the normal world … your old world involves an awakening, a rebirth, or a resurrection, where the hero may be pulled out of their adventure by a force external to themselves. Sometimes when we have gone through a shift, we have a different understanding and knowledge about life, and when you share these thoughts with old friends, they may try to talk you out of them or they may try to pull you back into the old ordinary world.
Mastery is a product of consistently going beyond our limits…
This my friend is the twelfth and final phase of your adventure. Mastery is the path of patient dedicated effort without attachment to immediate results. Self-mastery is a challenge for every individual … It is the ultimate test of our character. It requires climbing out of the deep valleys of our lives and scaling our own Mount Everest …
In its simplest terms, self-mastery is doing those things we should do and not doing those things we should not do. It requires strength, willpower and honesty – James Faust.
In this final phase mastery – where now the hero is the master of two worlds – the inner and the outer world … with a deep understanding that everything around you is a reflection of what is going on in your internal world. In other words, your outer world reflects your internal world….
But there is now balance and a freedom to live one’s life, on one’s own terms. The hero is no longer afraid of the unknown because the hero understands that the journey itself leads to freedom.
…. And it’s in that very moment, that you are up for the next challenge, the next adventure!
