The Call to Adventure
Self-Discovery as the Hero’s Journey
How does Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey translate into our personal journey of self development?
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Growing up, I loved stories of adventure and fantasy. Like many who loved films, books, and games, I dreamed of starships, magic, and fairy tales, secretly longing to be a hero myself. But how does this translate into the real world and finding your purpose as an adult?
Having watched, read, and researched so many “find yourself” programs, I often come out afterward feeling more lost than when I started. The exercises feel easy enough to do but don’t lead me to that overarching purpose or fully answer that nagging old question of “what do you want to do with your life?”.
For me (and perhaps for yourself as well), self-discovery isn’t some easy academic project. It’s more of a journey, where we have to dig down and really discover what’s there. And only by working through it can we return back home to see who we really are. An adventure where we must become our own heroes, and only through that journey can we find our real purpose and mission.
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”
- Joseph Campbell
The Hero’s Journey
In stories, the main characters may have special talents, magic, superpowers, etc., but these things alone do not make them heroes. They have to go on some great adventure to gain their true purpose and become the hero they are meant to be.
Joseph Campbell described this adventure requirement in The Hero With A Thousand Faces, calling it the “Hero’s Journey.” The would-be hero must leave the ordinary world, face their trials, eventually meet and defeat their adversary, and at long last, return home the victorious hero. Their story follows this pathway, from a humble start to the triumphant return home.
In our own journey, we make a similar cycle. Starting with The Call to Adventure, we decide to set forth and work to find a better self and discover our true natures. Then we must overcome the challenges, both outside and within us, to transform into our higher selves. And long last, we return to our normal everyday lives with new eyes on what we want and our purpose.
The Hero’s Journey
Departure
The Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Supernatural Aid
The Crossing of the First Threshold
Belly of the Whale
Initiation
The Road of Trials
The Meeting with the Divine
The Temptation
Atonement
Apotheosis
The Ultimate Boon
Return
Refusal of the Return
The Magic Flight
Rescue from Without
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
Master of Two Worlds
Freedom to Live
Preparing for The Journey
The making of heroes is not an easy process, and few great adventures happen overnight. Even if self-discovery is mainly a mental journey, it is not effortless travel and may at times feel like a real excursion. There is no clearly defined map for this trip or predetermined timetable. The terrain will be at times be rugged, and the path likely to mender through mind, heart, and soul.
There may also be dangers lurking in your path: what if you don’t like who you’ve previously become, facing your mental fears, struggling with guilt, overcoming self-doubt, and accepting your past and moving forward. None of these are easy, and it may be a hard journey and one that should not be set upon lightly. But the rewards of becoming the person that you always wanted to be and finding the path that will lead you to fulfillment are great treasures to be found and urge us onward.
“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”
- Joseph Campbell
What to Pack
One should always plan out their gear to be well prepared for any travel. While this is a mental journey, there are still items to ensure we stow in our proverbial knapsack before setting out.
Packing List
Determination - It may be a long and difficult journey, and we must be resolved to see it through.
Patience – It will take time to scale the mountains of our past and cross the deserts of self-doubt.
Sense of Humor – Even the most serious of tales leaves room for a touch of comedy relief.
Willingness to Seize Opportunities – There may be a best time to catch that magic, and we must be ready and willing to take the chance.
Courage – Monsters and our fears are scary, but to defeat them, we must face them.
Openness to New Experiences and Ways of Thinking – Listen to your traveling companions; they may have more experience and can help defeat that dragon that we can’t on our own.
Curiosity to try new experiences – You won’t know you’re a natural archer if you’ve never picked up a bow.
Gentleness – Everyone is on their own journey and has their own battles to overcome. Be gentle with yourself and others that you meet along the way.
“My bags are packed, the gear stowed, and ready.
The sun is bright, and the garden gate awaits.
Let us join as traveling companions and
Find adventures along the way.”
The Prologue
Most stories start just before the call to action. We meet the main character, and they are nothing special yet. They are living their ordinary lives, just like us. It is only after this mundane start that the hero-to-be gets their invitation to wizardry school, the group meets the prophet, they find the magic sword, etc., and they start their adventure.
As a child, I had all these great ideas of what I wanted to do when I grew up. I think many of us did: astronaut, actor, athlete, pilot, princess, teacher, veterinarian, etc. In our hearts, we knew that we were destined to be heroes. But growing up, the vines of reality wound around us and, little by little, obscured these dreams. Now, as adults, many of us have lost sight of the path that seemed so clear in childhood. But childhood was just the prologue to our story.
As an adult, I do find that my life may feel mundane and, at times, meaningless. But it must have felt the same for those would-be heroes as well at the beginning of their stories. So if I feel lost and without purpose, it just means my story is still in its first chapter, and I am ready to turn the page.
Setting Forth
The Hero’s Journey starts with a call to action, something that pushes us forward on our adventure. At first, our main character is just living their lives, outside of any adventure. In many stories, there is some major catastrophe or issue: a zombie apocalypse, an evil overlord, a dangerous world order, etc. Then something happens to bring this issue to the would-be hero’s doorstep and spurs them into action.
A lot of modern champions, those that fight hard for important causes like the environment, poverty, equality, etc., will say that they had a serious real-life experience that was the catalyst for their advocacy. But for the rest of us, those calls to action may be more of a whisper.
So how do you know when you have found your call to adventure? Maybe there is a faint interest in something new that you’ve finally stopped ignoring and are ready to try? Perhaps that place that used to feel so welcoming and familiar has now become stifling? Maybe that job that was sure to mean success turns out to be boring? Or perhaps, the call to action is just that you are finally willing to step out of your proverbial front door and go searching.
You may not know what you are looking for or even realize that you have really begun. And yet being willing to start looking for something more is the start of your own Hero’s Journey.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”
- Joseph Campbell
Author:
Laurie Trueblood is a writer and life coach that enjoys fantasy, science, psychology, and everything nerdy. As the founder of Adventures to Authenticity, her mission is to help others level up and become the best versions of themselves.
Read more on adventuring as self-discovery. Check out Reloading Your Starting Character, Real-life Questing, and How to Be a Hero, or start on our adventure page. Looking for a mentor on your journey, check out our Hero Coaching Programs.
