You can draw a lot of inspiration from the stories of Old Hawaii and from legends from around the world. Especially those about heroes and warriors. Several years ago, I came across a book that will change your life. It was written by Joseph Campbell called The Hero With a Thousand Faces. It shared the thoughts of Campbell who studied myths and mythology and saw that all heroes follow similar journeys.
It’s a book about storytelling and stories, that draw the attention of society. The story is about us, it’s about you.
As I learn more and continue to look into the Hero’s Journey, it shows how we can be stronger, be kū. It’s about how you can be a better man, be the hero and create your own legend.
The book talks about the pathways and lessons in life that all heroes go through, and what it takes to be stronger and better ourselves to be leaders. It helps you create change in not only your life but the life of others as well.
Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, and known for his work in comparative mythology. Campbell’s life philosophy was also simple, “Follow your bliss.” Like ours, “Be You. Be Kū.”
Campbell was heavily influenced by great thinkers such Abraham Maslow , Arthur Schopenhauer, James Joyce, among others.
His main focus of comparative mythology led him to research and compare myths from different cultures and see what they had in common, rather in what were different. In every culture there are stories that tell of a journey of a hero, in Hawaii we have Kamapua’a, Kamehameha, Kahekili, Pikoi the Great Archer, and more.
The universal pattern that Campbell found among all the cultures came to be known as the monomyth, or as he made popular – The Hero’s Journey. This monomyth, or Hero’s Journey, is a single myth told in a thousand different ways. Hence, the book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
If you can grasp the concept of the journey and understand that you are living within your own monomyth, then you, my friend, can be a better and stronger man. You will be Kū.
Breaking Down The Hero’s Journey
In every monomyth, there is one character, the hero, or you.
It doesn’t matter if you are some celebrity, sports superstar, or a construction worker. The paths are all different but the journey is the same. Hard to believe?
On a hero’s journey, he will come across other characters that play an essential role in his growth. They are known as archetypes: the Mentor, Herald, Trickster, Goddess, and etc. So if you think about it, Kamehameha, Queen Lili’uokalani, and Duke Kahanamoku all had similar paths and each had a mentor, a coach.
Look at all the great movies out there that shares the story of a hero:
- Rocky Balboa had Mickie.
- Frodo had Dumbledore.
- Daniel-san had Mr. Miagi.
- Luke Skywalker had Yoda.
- Bruce Lee had Ip Man.
This theme of relationship between hero and mentor is found in every cultures’ myths. And it’s something that is happneing every damn day. But many of us pay no attention.
Still Wondering What I’m Talking About?
Okay. Let me use myself as an example to give you an idea on how you can look at your own life. But before then, here’s a diagram to follow along taken from Matthew Winklers video above.
I like to find strength in stories and everything around me and because of that, I am fascinated by The Hero’s Journey. Through understanding the structure of the monomyth and how it is shown in storytelling, we can relate to those stories ourselves and understand the things that are going on in our lives.
Remember, although the path may be different, the journey is all the same. Campbell did opposite of what most people do which is look at the differences, Campbell focused on the commonalities found in all cultures.
John Romaniello, I consider, is my mentor although I never actually met or spoke with him. We maybe tweeted and commented on facebook updates but that’s the extent. But I first came across the Hero’s Journey from him in his epic book called, Engineering the Alpha (a book a recommend to every guy I know).
He has a knack for explaining complex ideas and making them relatable.
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[su_spoiler title=”Roman’s Table of the Hero’s Journey” style=”fancy” icon=”arrow-circle-2″] <fn>This article highly inspired this article</fn>
|
Stage of the Journey |
Description |
Example |
| The Ordinary World | The Hero’s starting point | Dorothy Gale living on her farm (The Wizard of Oz) |
| The Call to Adventure | The Hero realizes that there is a larger world that he can be a part of | Harry Potter gets a letter from Hogwarts (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) |
| Refusal of the Call | In a moment of doubt, the Hero decides not to undertake the quest | Luke Skywalker tells Obi-Wan Kenobi that he can’t go to Alderaan (Star Wars) |
| Meeting with the Mentor | Either the first encounter with the Mentor figure, or the moment when the Mentor encourages the Hero to take on the Quest | Daniel LaRusso meets Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid) |
| Crossing the First Threshold | The Hero moves from the Ordinary World to the Special World, and sees the difference between the two | The Narrator walks into Tyler Durden’s house for the first time (Fight Club) |
| Tests, Allies, and Enemies | The Hero begins to undertake tasks that will help him prepare for the road ahead; he also meets friends who will aid him, and foes who will try to stop him | Frodo leaves Rivendell with the Fellowship of the Ring, and has to learn how to be on the road as he goes (The Lord of the Rings) |
| Approach | Internal and external preparation; usually includes an imposing destination | Neo and Trinity gather an arsenal before heading off to rescue Morpheus (The Matrix) |
| The Ordeal | The central conflict in the story, the big boss fight, where the possibility of death is imminent | Dorothy and her friends battle the Wicked Witch in her castle (The Wizard of Oz) |
| Seizing the Sword/Reward | Having slain the enemy, the Hero is free to take the treasure; sometimes this is an item of great value, like the Holy Grail, or a person, but very often it’s something more abstract, like the end to a war | After the death of the dragon Smaug, Bilbo and the dwarves are free to help themselves to his treasure (The Hobbit) |
| Apotheosis and Resurrection | Often, the Hero needs for all of his growth to come to a head and manifest itself all at once in a moment of enlightenment called apotheosis; this realization is the death blow to the old self and beliefs, and the embracing of the new; this is punctuated by a symbolic (sometimes literal) death and resurrection | The Narrator realizes that in order for him to stop Tyler Durden, he must kill himself — by making peace with his own death he accepts mortality, and is, for a moment, truly at peace; he shoots himself and lives, though Tyler is dead (Fight Club) |
| The Road Back | The Special World, with all of its lessons and adventures, may have become more comfortable than the Ordinary World, and for some Heroes, returning can be harder than the initial departure. | After the One Ring is destroyed, Frodo has a hard time adapting to life as a normal Hobbit in the Shire (Return of the King) |
| Return with the Elixir and the Master of Two Worlds | The Hero returns home changed, and uses the gifts he received and lessons he learned on the journey to better others; at the same time, the Hero must come to terms with all of the personal changes he’s undergone; he must reconcile who he was with who he has become | Luke, now a Jedi, restores balance to the Force, helping bring peace to the galaxy; concurrently, he is able to resolve his relationship with his father and move on (Return of the Jedi) |
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Genius right?
What’s so cool about this is that these moments in life can be found in our lives today. Okay, maybe you don’t have a sweet light saber, or have sparkly red slippers (I’m not here to judge), or have a viscous crane kick. But it doesn’t matter.
Success coaches and even sports coaches use this as a way to bring us out of the grieving process. These stages in life surround you every day, and yet many of you may feel like you lost your chance, or that idea you had is gone, or your life is just how it is and that’s all. That’s all bullshit and you need to stop swimming in the pool of pity.
The hero’s journey shows you that it’s all part of the journey. The path you follow won’t always be in a perfect circle and in succession because for many they get stuck at a certain stage which send them back or makes them give up on their calling.
Campbell’s philosophy of “Follow your bliss,” empowers the hero to stay true to the calling and to see it through no matter what. But, you must expect to come across all the challenges that come with it. Like the saying goes, “Nothing great ever came easy.”
Application to Be Kū – The Journey of a Strength Coach
Like the video mentioned, the hero always embarks on a different journey once he accomplishes the reward and returns back to civilization. During ancient Hawaii, after battles the warriors would set aside a period between the battle and going back into society was critical before the warrior. It allowed them to transition back to common society and heal from the strain of battle.
These places were called Puʻuhonua, place of refuge, and Heiau, temples, where warriors would proceed into normal life cleansed from all the guilt, trials, and sacrifices. They must do this before returning back to their ordinary life until another calling comes.
When I lived in California and went to school out there, I found my calling to be strength and conditioning. But yet, I didn’t want to major in exercise science. In all honesty, I didn’t know what I wanted to do but all I knew was that I belonged in the gym.
But every since I came across the Hero’s journey, I could relate it to my journey towards because a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Redlands before answering a new and more challenging calling.
The Ordinary World – I was a college student you worked at the front desk at the University of Redlands, partied, had a good time, and didn’t know exactly what I wanted major in or do after college.
The Call to Adventure – A good friend of mine was the graduate assistant for the Head Strength Coach at the time, Scott Fricke, who was also from Maui. My friend knew I was an athlete all my life and that I dove into every strength and conditioning book I could come across. The two of them asked if I would be interested in applying for the graduate assistant position at the end of the school year.
Refusal of the Call – Don’t I need a exercise science degree or at least a science degree? I’m getting a degree in Creative Writing. Me, going to grad school to get my masters? Yea right. These were some of the things that crossed my mind. Although I saw how great it would be to become the assistant strength coach, I was nervous and questioned my abilities.
Meeting with the Mentor – We all need a mentor or a coach. It’s very hard to do everything on your own. In my case, Scott Fricke, the guy who was about to take me under his wing and show me the way had to answer a different calling and left the university. The new strength coach, Joshua Bullock, came in and again, I came across the ‘Refusal of the Call’. He mentioned he heard I was interested in the opening position and said that I would have to prove to him that I was serious about the position. I studied under him and had to take it upon myself to learn and show that I was open to change. Coach Bullock taught me the importance of accountability, influence, organization, punctuality, and professionalism, just to name a few.
Cross the First Threshold – This is the part when you leave the Ordinary World and cross into the Special World. I crossed the first threshold when Coach Bullock offered the position to me while I was in Hawaii for the summer. I was given the opportunity to be the assistant strength coach and help coach 21 collegiate sports while working towards getting my masters degree.
Tests, Allies, Enemies – You hope that everyone around you supports you but you will definitely come across those who try to bring you down and criticize. These tests are to prove to yourself that you are sticking to your journey and moving towards your calling. Luckily, my mentor along with a close knit of friends were always there to guide me and make sure I stayed the course.
Approach – I had no educational background and no coaching experience. I had no idea what I was doing. I was a gym rat who’s dream was to wake up every morning and open his door into a gym. I had to learn everything through reading books, articles, asking questions, and experimenting on myself and friends certain theories and ideas when it came to training and nutrition.
Central Ordeal – The Ordeal is about the act of change. I was still in the small frame of mind that I was way in over my head that this would never work out. But luckily, I saw that athletes were responding to me. Although I was the same age as most of the college athletes, they saw me as an authority figure. And I remember, another teacher tell me, “Leaders influence. You decide if you want to be a good influence or bad influence.” I wanted to be the best.
Apotheosis/Resurrection –The apotheosis/resurrection is the moment when the hero because godlike. Like the total bad ass. This is the moment when the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ comes on and you feel invincible. I released all my self doubts and questions, and embodied my new role as a strength coach coming every morning at 6AM stoked on life and ready to get people fuckin’ strong!
Seizing the Sword/Reward – This is the ultimate reward of the journey. In my case, I had two years of coaching hundreds of athletes at a collegiate level and I received my Masters Degree in Education Administration. This was huge for me being a student who was told he was close to not graduating from high school.
The Road Back – The return back to ordinary life for a hero can sometimes to be a challenge. I was no longer the assistant strength coach, my schedule was different, the atmosphere was different, and I became a personal trainer at some commercial gym to fill the void. I was lost, unhappy, and wished I could go back in time. I had so much momentum going but now to experience life changes which I didn’t think was for the better, was difficult.
Return with the Elixir – Usually when the Hero wins, not only is he rewarded but others are also influenced by his reward. Although, I no longer was at the same awesome job, I learned a lot about myself. I became a coach that helped out hundred of athletes achieve better performance on and off the field. My transformation of embodying strength actually made an impact on those around me. I became more professional, punctual, and saw that I could do much more than I thought I could. This led me to consider myself a coach which triggered my passion of writing.
Master of Two Worlds – This stage is about balance. It’s a time of self realization. A time to look at who you were before, to who you are now. Suffering from low self esteem and believing I wasn’t capable of very much, I came out of the journey feeling stronger than ever and also looking the part as well. I share my journey with others and the limitations I set on myself, but then show the steps I took in order to overcome the adversity and get through all the ordeals. I became a master of myself.
Here’s another quick example from Roman:
Want a professional example? How’s this: you lose your job (Call to Adventure), and although you feel its loss and want it back (Refusal of the Call), you eventually decide that you want to move on to a new career. This can go in any number of ways, let’s assume you seek the help of a business coach (Meeting with the Mentor). Eventually, you decide to start your own business, or start a blog — something you’ve never done before (Crossing the First Threshold). There are a lot of challenges along the way, as well as successes and failures (Tests, Allies, Enemies). Follow this path to its ultimate conclusion and you wind up creating something — income, a book, a product — (Reward) that betters you (Apotheosis) and allows you to better the world (Return with the Elixir).
Like I said, genius.
Create Your Legend
Look at your life and figure out where you are in your Hero Journey. Through understanding the Hero’s Journey, you’ll see life in a totally different perspective. Many get stuck while other refuse to answer their calling only to live in regret. Some people answer the calling and come out heroes and making a difference in people’s lives.
It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much money you make, or the sort of job you have, the journey is all the same but the paths are different.
Tony Robbins said, “Change is inevitable. Progress in optional.” Life is continuously changing and many resist to progress with the changes. It’s all part of the Hero’s Journey. The more positive changes and positive habits you create, the more success you’ll experience.
Currently, I’m on a new calling. It’s a challenging one as well and I’ve still have yet crossed my first threshold.
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Frodo-Gandalf, Harry Potter-Dumbledore