Most people would be more than a little reluctant to declare themselves heroes. We're happy to apply the term to Superman and Batman, hobbits and Hogwarts attendees, even to regular people who do extraordinary things: Firefighters, brain surgeons, inventors, nurses and teachers who help severely disabled people live long, happy lives. Heroes change the world, save lives, take on tasks that may seem impossible to the rest of us. So when we think of heroes, we seldom think of ourselves.
But the truth is that anyone can be a hero, and many of us are already on hero's journeys. Their transformations begin when they hear and answer calls to action.
There are key events of a typical hero's journey, including the call to action that gets the ball rolling, departure from the ordinary world, trials that take place in the special world of the story, crisis, return home, and the new life that begins once the quest is complete. And, as he points out, myths and stories from all over the world that span all of recorded history reflect these key events. Each hero may have a different quest, a unique cast of characters, and a specific setting, but each hero's path is more or less the same. In fact, each hero is more or less the same.
Which may sound disappointing at first, since it reduces much of literature to a single repeated character ... but it's also empowering! Because that universal hero archetype is everywhere, and can be found inside each one of us. After all, we use stories to reflect on our own world, our real life experiences. Even when those stories are symbolic or fantastical, they are meant to teach us lessons about and encourage us to explore our shared reality. Each hero is more or less the same, and all of them are grounded in being human. Ordinary. Someone who doesn't need magic or gadgets to help others or change the world. Someone like you. Someone like me.
Which means we all have the capacity to leave our comfort zones, step up, live through transformative experiences, recover, and do it all over again. And we may do this to achieve something on our own, or to support someone else in need of care. In fact, I've recognized this pattern in nearly every wife of a wounded warrior I've ever met: These women face the daily challenge of providing intimate personal care for their spouses, of being the silent heroes behind their injured loved ones. Through their patience and perseverance, they prove that overcoming everyday fears is heroic, that heroism isn't always about glory, fame, or acts of valor. It can be about helping, healing, and loving.
And they inspire the rest of us to face our own challenges, slay our own dragons, follow our hearts into uncharted lands and toward unknown goals. Each of us can take a hero's journey if we listen for calls to action and accept the challenges laid out before us. Whether we are asked to rearrange our entire life's plan to accommodate the needs of an injured family member, leave a stable job to pursue a lifelong dream of entrepreneurship, or put everything on hold to travel the world, we can take the plunge. Anyone can be a hero, and each of us has a hero waiting dormant inside of us.
What's your challenge? What will YOU do when you hear the call? What will your hero's journey look like?