Your own Hero’s Journey in 12 steps

The theme of the hero myth or Hero’s Journey is universal, occurring in every culture. Some of the components vary with every story, but the basic form remains the same. A hero, called from the normalcy of their ordinary world, is pulled to directly face the challenges of another world and then back to where they started but now with new knowledge and skills. 

A simplified version of the Hero’s Journey can be applied in your own life as a problem-solving method for changes big or small. 

In his book 1949 book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” Joseph Campbell outlines that all stories consist of common structural elements found universally in fairy tales, dreams, and movies. Imagine there is a new movie where a re­luctant hero guided by a wise mentor moves through a dan­gerous world where they, aided by allies, confront a villain. Sounds familiar, right? Joseph Campbell found that stories in all cultures follow the same pattern. He gathered these ideas together and organized them as The Hero’s Journey. 

The Hero’s Journey builds on the writings of the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Jung wrote that archetypes, or constantly repeating characters, occur in the dreams of all people. Archetypes reflect different aspects of the human mind. Some archetypes include hero, mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shapeshifter, shadow, ally, and trickster. 

The Hero’s Journey steps when depicted as a cycle shows the path of the hero. These twelve steps can be applied as a plan for action in your own life!

The “Call to Adventure” step is often described like a phone ringing; you can try to ignore it, but it will keep calling until you answer it. The journey is something you must do. 

“The universe will open doors where there were only walls.” 

– Joseph Campbell

Starting with Step 1, think about a challenge in your life. It might small (e.g. delivering a big presentation to an important audience) or large (e.g. getting your PhD or working through a health challenge).

1. The Ordinary World (limited awareness of a problem). In a few words, describe what your ordinary looks like.
2. Call to Adventure (increased awareness). What is a problem, challenge, or adventure that you seem to be called to undertake?
3. Refusal of the Call (reluctance to change). What are some factors that might prevent you from answering this call?
4. Meeting with the Mentor (overcoming reluctance). What current or future relationship might be able to help you overcome resistance and answer the call?
5. Crossing the First Threshold (committing to change). What might this new world look like?
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies (experimenting with the first change). What tests might you encounter? What allies, current or future, might you need on your journey? What enemies might appear to work against you?
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave (preparing for a big change). For your journey, what is this “most dangerous place” where the object of your quest is hidden?
8. The Ordeal (attempting a big change). What is the potential major confrontation that might cause you to fail on your journey?
9. Reward (improvements and setbacks). What is the knowledge/experience/change that you envision gaining through this journey?
10. The Road Back (re-dedication to change). Once you have accomplished your goal, what dangers, temptations, tests might you still encounter?
11. Resurrection (final attempt at big change). How might this journey transform you with new insights?
12. Return with the Elixir (final mastery of the problem). What lesson might you learn that you can bring back to your ordinary world? The essence of the journey is giving back. How can your knowledge help others? 

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. 

And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” —Terry Pratchett, author

Progress is more important than perfection. Don’t get bogged down in deciding which is the perfect first step to take. Focus on taking that first step and start your journey.